The castle of Zagonara is mentioned for the first time in 1217, when, according to a chronicler, it was built by the town of Faenza that was expanding. Prior to this date, the fondo di Zagonara (950 A.D.) is known and from the early 11th century, there was a church situated in the vicinity, S. Andrea di Zagonara. The castle was destroyed and gradually robbed during the 15th century.

Today, the area of this fortified hamlet (c. 6 hectares) is used for agricultural purposes and a survey was carried out here in 2009, as part of the “Bassa Romandiola” a landscape archaeology project run by the Dept. of History, Culture, Civilisation. The investigation made it possible to make a first reconstruction of the northern part of the site.

In 2017, the northern part of the hamlet of Zagonara was also excavated. Two sondages were opened followed by two excavation areas, one (sector 1000), close to via Zagonara, which cuts the site in half, and one just to the north (sector 2000), for a total area of c. 350 m2.
In sector 1000, the foundations of the church of S. Andrea di Zagonara were uncovered. The building had a single nave, was about 16 m long and about 7 m wide, with a circular apse. The walls were built with reused Roman materials, including tiles and basoli. Several burials in earth graves were situated close to the church, in particular on the east side; inside the church, there were several burials in brick-built tombs datable to between the 13th and 14th centuries.

In sector 2000, traces of a structure, built in brick using the late medieval module, were uncovered. This can probably be interpreted as part of the castle’s aristocratic residence, adjacent to the church.
The demolition and start of the robbing is dated, according to written sources, to the 15th-16th century.