Before the advent of the Autostrada del Sole in 1964, the strada della Futa – as the road is commonly known in Italian – was for two centuries the main thoroughfare connecting Florence and Bologna.

[3] Fully viable from 1762, it was a key component of a major road-building project initiated and overseen by the new Grand Duke of Tuscany, the Holy Roman Emperor Francis I, following his investiture in 1739.

[4] Until it opened, the ascent to the Raticosa had been prohibitively steep, and the two cities had been poorly connected by the Giogo pass [it] (heading in the direction of Imola).

[4] Although the economic benefits for Tuscany turned out to be less favorable than expected, it remained for many years one of two principal thoroughfares connecting central Italy with the Po Valley.

Since 1977, the pass has marked the finish line for the Bologna-Raticosa time trial, a competition for classic cars, which by 2024 had reached its thirty-fifth edition.