the bolognese valleys of the idice, savena and setta

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The Bolognese Valleys of the Idice, Savena and Setta

The RiversThe valleys of the tributaries to the right ofthe Reno punctuate the central area of theBolognese Apennines in a truly surprisingvariety of colours and landscapes. They arethe Idice, Savena and Setta Rivers, of whichonly the Idice continues its course onto theplains, as far as the Park of the Po Delta.

The IdiceThe Idice starts on Monte Oggioli, near theRaticosa Pass, and is the largest of the riversin these valleys. Interesting from a geologi-cal and naturalistic point of view, its valleyoffers many reasons for a visit. Particularlybeautiful is the stretch of river where it joinsthe Zena Valley: this is where the Canale deiMulini (mills) branches off, continuing alon-gside it until it reaches the plains, in the ter-ritory of San Lazzaro di Savena. Flowingthrough the Valleys of Campotto, the Idicefinally joins the Reno. Here an interestingsystem of manmade basins stop the Reno’swater flowing into the Idice’s bed in dryperiods.

The SettaThe Setta’s journey begins in Tuscany, in theProvince of Florence, but a few kilometresfrom its source, it already enters Bologneseterritory. A typical Apennine river of a tor-rential nature, its valley has always been acrossroads for people and goods to andfrom Tuscany. Today this land of travellersoffers tourists innumerable opportunities ofdiscovery along ancient trails, on foot, hor-seback or by mountain bike. In the territoryof Castiglione dei Pepoli, one of its tributa-ries, the River Brasimone, flows into the Lakeof Santa Maria, which, together with thebasins of Suviana and Brasimone, make upthe Regional Park of the Lakes. From the Setta, the Romans built an under-ground aqueduct (18 kilometres of tunnel,some of which can be visited) which stilltoday carries water to Bologna. A little fur-ther on, about fifty kilometres from its sour-ce, the river ends its course, joining theReno.

The SavenaFirst of all the pronunciation: we say Sávenaand not Savéna, as would be natural accor-ding to Italian phonetics. An Etruscan termmeaning “vein of water”, the Savena andReno are the territorial borders of the city ofBologna: Dante Alighieri in the DivineComedy identifies the Bolognese as living“between the Savena and Reno” (Inferno,Canto 18th). The river’s course is followed by

the Futa state highway SS 65 and the roadalong the valley-bottom, which continues asfar as the Lake of Castel dell’Alpi, passing themajestic Gorges of Scascoli. Along the river,there are numerous mills, some of which canbe visited, constructed over the centuries.Before entering the plains, the Savena cros-ses the Regional Park of Bolognese Gypsumsand Abbadessa Gullies, which is also crossedby the River Idice.

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River Setta

Photo by Provincia di Bologna

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The Bread Route and the ancient mills on the Idice and SavenaThe Route of the Gods and Bologna-Florence Trekking TrailsThe Natural ParksThe Gardens of CasoncelloThe spa-village of MonterenzioThe Monzuno Golf Club The Futa and the Raticosa PassThe Etruscan-Celtic village of Monte Bibele and the Monterenzio Archaeological MuseumThe Sanctuary of BoccadirioThe chestnuts, mushrooms, truffles and their festivalsThe acrobatic park of MonghidoroThe Loiano ObservatoryThe Zena Valley

Not to be missed: Tourist itineraryThe itinerary starts in the Apen-nines: our main rood will be thehistorical Futa road, on therange between the Savena andIdice, from which there are infi-nite possible deviations todiscover the treasures of thevarious valleys.

From the SS 65 “Futa”Highway to the Idice Valley- Pianoro- Loiano - Monghidoro- Monterenzio

The Valleys between the Savena and Setta- Monzuno- San Benedetto Val di Sambro- Castiglione dei Pepoli

The Bolognese Valleys of the Idice, Savena and Settathe Apennines

San Benedetto

Pianoro

Loiano

Monghidoro

Monterenzio

Monzuno

Val di Sambro

Castiglione

dei Pepoli

History and environmentCrossed by the ancient pilgrims’ route fromTuscany, the territory of the BologneseValleys of the Idice, Savena and Setta hasalways been an obligatory passage for com-mercial and cultural exchanges betweenNorth and Central Italy. Human presence inthese Valleys has been found dating back tothe Palaeolithic Period and on Monte Bibele,between Monterenzio and Loiano, Etruscansand Celts left important traces of their civi-lisations. Created to house the numerousrelics brought to light in the area, the “LuigiFantini” Archaeological Museum in Monte-renzio today has one of the most importantCeltic collections in Italy. According to le-gendary sources, the Etruscan King Ocnolived in this area, as also recalled by Virgilio,the legendary founder of Felsina (today’sBologna), as well as Parma and Mantua. Signsof the successive passage of the Romans canbe recognised in the Flaminia Minor, a con-sular road used by the Roman legions ontheir way to conquer Gaul. Then the castlesand towers in these valleys take us back tothe troubled medieval affairs of the Apen-nines. The Lord of a large part of the territo-ry in the 11th century was Marquis Bonifacioof Tuscany, the father of Matilde of Canossa,who chose to reside in the Castle of Pianoro,then destroyed by the Bolognese in 1377. Thecountryside of these valleys has remainedwild and uncontaminated in many places.The landscape is typical of the mid-Apen-nine mountains, where the highest peaks arenever more than 1,200 metres. Ideal forexploring slowly on foot, horseback or cy-cling, here you can experience the emotionsof following in the centuries of footsteps ofarmies, pilgrims and writers.

Buon appetitoThe Bolognese Apennines in these valleyshas remained faithful to the simplicity andflavours of the traditional inn: mountain coo-king which unites the specialities of Emiliaand Tuscany. The “tortelli di patate” (filledpasta) and steaks “alla fiorentina” (T-bone)are a must, as well as unusual dishes such asthe “agliata” (a garlic-based sauce). Every yearin autumn there are festivals based aroundchestnuts, mushrooms and truffles, perfectoccasions to taste the most classic Apen-nines products. The ancient presence in thearea of water mills has led to the baking tra-ditions of these valleys, celebrated by the“Bolognese Mountains Bread Route”.

How to get there- A1 Motorway Bologna-Florence: exit SassoMarconi, Rioveggio, Pian del Voglio and Ron-cobilaccio.

- Roads: State highway SS 64 Futa (Pianoro,Loiano, Monghidoro and Firenzuola in Tu-scany). State highway SS 325 Val di SettaVal Bisenzio (Sasso Marconi, Vado, Rioveg-gio, Pian di Setta, Castiglione dei Pepoliand Montepiano in Tuscany).State highway SP 65 Savena Valley-bottom.

- Railway: the “Direttissima” Bologna-Florence,with the possibility of transporting bicycles;stations in Rastignano, Pianoro, Monzuno,Vado, San Benedetto Val di Sambro e Ca-stiglione dei Pepoli.

- Buses ATC www.atc.bo.it. connect the towns to each other and Bologna

Monghidoro - Tourist OfficeVia Matteotti, 1 - 40063 Monghidoro (BO)Tel. 051.6555132 - [email protected]

Tourist Information

The Bolognese art of Bell-ringingBetween Monzuno and Monghidoro, anancient musical tradition still survives, linkedto the sound of bells. The roots of the Bolo-gnese art of Bell-ringing date back to the mid-16th century: it requires a particular “athletic-musical” technique, involving on average fouror five ringers (one for each bell), still passeddown from generation to generation.

Favolando per le Valli (Fairy Tales in the Valleys)Festival internazionale dedicato al teatro sumisura per bambini e ragazzi ospitato daicomuni delle Valli Bolognesi tra Idice, Save-na e Setta. www.appenninoslow.it

Events

The Bolognese Valleys Tourist System, todayAppennino Slow, offers unique proposals totourists, allowing them to immerse themsel-ves fully in uncontaminated countryside, richin history.

Appennino SlowViale Risorgimento, 1 - 40065 Pianoro (BO)Tel. 051.6527743 - Fax [email protected]

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History and Culture

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The Flaminia Minore and the Via degli Dei Between the Futa Pass and the Via Emilia, thelast section of the ancient military and pil-grims’ road known as “Flaminia Minore” or“Flaminia Militare” winds. Built by Consul Fla-minio in 187 BC, the road links Bologna andArezzo and served to connect Rome as quic-kly as possible to the new colonies whichwere being created along the Via Emilia. Itsroute along the ridge between the Idice,Quaderna and upper-Sillaro valleys, as well ashaving splendid views of uncontaminated lan-dscape, passes through places of great milita-ry, historical and cultural importance. Theroad took on greater relevance in the MiddleAges: from 1200 onwards, the most ancientstretch of the Via Francigena, the Cisa, beca-me less important and pilgrims from Nor-thern Europe, heading for Rome, preferred totravel along the Via Emilia to Bologna andthen join the roads which followed the an-cient Flaminia Minore. The most famous is theVia dello Stale or Via degli Dei (Route of theGods), which still today links Bologna and Flo-rence in a series of trails.

The FutaThe “Strada della Futa”, known to the Bolo-gnese as Via Toscana and to the Tuscans as ViaBolognese, follows the Savena Valley andthen rises along the ridge between the Savenaand Idice to the Raticosa Pass. From there itreaches the Futa Pass and then Flo-rence. Asfar back as the 14th century, a similar trail waschosen by the Bologna City Council as theofficial road to Tuscany. This success was con-firmed on the occasion of the 1300 Jubilee,when the Via Toscana was recommended topilgrims journeying to Rome, since it was con-sidered safer than the others and moreover,was equipped with inns, hospices, parishchurches and monasteries, all fundamentalfor travellers. In 1759, the Grand Duke of Tu-scany, Francesco di Lorena, achieved his aimof improving the ancient road by building amore efficient means of communication bet-ween Florence and Bologna. The Grand Duke’sproject had to overcome the opposition ofthe Papacy, which would have preferred themain link between Rome and its northernpossessions not to leave the pontifical terri-tories, passing instead through the Marches.

The Ancient Apennine Roadsbetween history and legend

The Futa and the Grand TourJust as the pilgrimages of the various Jubi-lees marked the history of the Via Toscanain the Middle Ages, so the passage throughthe Apennines became fundamental to theGrand Tour which, from the 16th to 19th cen-tury, saw legions of young aristocrats andartists visit our nation. Culture, adventureand majestic landscapes were the attrac-tions which led travellers to face the dan-gers involved. On their return to theirvarious European countries, they recoun-ted the fear and emotions of travelling a-long the Bologna-Florence stretch in eitherdirection. Montaigne (1580), Goethe (1786),Casanova (1761), the Marquis de Sade (1776),Stendhal (1811 and 1817), Sir Walter Scottand Emperor Frederick of Russia are only afew of the illustrious travellers who wrotetheir impressions of the Futa Pass in theirdiaries. These writings are a rich testimonyto episodes which also underline the per-sonalities of the various characters. In 1811,Stendhal visited Pianoro, Loiano and Mon-ghidoro and wrote: “Two Frenchmen travel-ling in a good coach with an intelligent ser-vant can transport the pleasures of a dra-wing room into the Apennines, but theywill not enjoy the Apennines as I do, travel-ling alone in an open carriage”. Both DeMontagne and Goethe, almost two centu-ries apart, in their Voyages in Italy (1580 theformer and 1786 the latter) passed throughLoiano and Monghidoro. Many other moreor less famous travellers followed them.Then progress and the inventions of steam,electric and internal combustion engineschanged the world, the ways of travellingand so the most important roads changed.

History and Culture

With the rebuilding of the road in the 18th

century, restoration work was also carried outon the Customs Houses of La Ca’ in Bologne-se territory, now demolished, and the Floren-tine one of Filigare, near Monghidoro. Built onthe wishes of Grand Duke Leopoldo II, theancient Customs House is still surprisinglymagnificent. The Customs Houses surviveduntil 1859, when, at Villa Loup near Loiano, itwas decided to abolish all duty barriers in anti-cipation of the imminent Union of Italy (1861).

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Pianoro is the first town you reach travellingup the Futa highway. The centre was drastical-ly damaged in the Second World War, somuch so that Pietro Nenni described it as the“largest and saddest example of Nazi-fascistbarbarity”. Following the devastation and theconsequent post-war reconstruction, thereare now two distinct parts - Pianoro Nuovoand Pianoro Vecchio. However, the territorystill has numerous examples of the thousandsof years of history here, in particular from theMiddle ages.

In Pianoro Vecchio, it is worth visiting theChurch of San Giacomo Maggiore, restoredin the 18th century, together with a hospice forpilgrims which can be traced back to the endof the 12th century. Inside there is a notablealtar piece from the School of the Francia.

A kilometre before Pianoro Vecchio, there is amedieval tower, the Torre Lùpari, a preciousexample of the art of the “Maestri comacini” (anancient Guild of Master-builders andStonemasons - page 71), which was later en-clo-sed in a 15th-century building with double-loggia.

The village of Livergnano has the peculiarityof a series of houses built deep into the rock,with only their façades external. A fundamen-tal crossroads between the low and highApennines, it was the site of violent clashesduring the Second World War - this was one ofthe main areas of the Gothic Line (page 160). Along the Zena Valley, inside the Regional Park

Pianoro

The Bologna-Raticosa Time TrialsMotoring fans should not miss the histori-cal “Bologna-Raticosa Time Trials”, 603bends against the clock in a race for clas-sic cars. Started in 1950, it was for yearsone of the most difficult time trials inItaly, for distance second only to theParma-Berceto. Occasionally staged until1969, the Bologna-Raticosa was reintrodu-ced in 2001 on the road between PianoroVecchio and Livergnano. Since then, it hastaken place every year. May/July.Info: www.velocitaraticosa.it

The Paleotto ParkThe Paleotto Park stretches along thebanks of the Savena on gently sloping landin the territories of Rastignano (Pianoro),Sasso Marconi, San Lazzaro di Savena andBologna. The name comes from an ancientnoble Bolognese family and its history hasbeen linked since the Middle Ages to anancient mill which used to exist nearby,and which is still recalled today in the na-me of a local area, Molino del Paleotto.There is a notable ancient stone bridgeproviding a link to the old road for Sant’An-drea di Sesto.

Nature

Events

Calanchi (gullies)


“WINTER LINE” MUSEUMvia della Chiesa, 4 - Livergnano 40066 Pianoro (BO) - Tel. 380.5074820Dug at the base of the Pliocene Foothillsabove Livergnano, the museum lies in acave where there was an air-raid shelterduring the Second World War. It collectssoldiers’ objects of the 65th German Di-vision and 91st Division of the 361st USAInfantry, found along trenches and shelterswhich still today can be seen in the coun-tryside around Pianoro. Here, in the winterbetween 1944 and 1945, the two opposingarmies blocked passage to each other.www.livergnano.orgVisit by appointment. Free entrance.

Museums

In the direction of Monte delle Formiche,there is the Castle of Zena, which belongedto the Countess of Canossa. Of medieval ori-gins, its architecture today shows elementfrom the 14th and 17th centuries. Another partof the castle is a nearby tower, the Torredell’Erede (14th century), which being on higherground, served as a lookout.

Towards the west, the stark, imposing peakof Monte Adone, dominating the ridge ofthe watershed between the Savena, Setta

and Reno, is the highest point of thePliocene Foothills (page 60). In Pian di Macina, there is the Centro Anfibi(Amphibian Centre), where you can encounterrare species of amphibians from the Apennines.Pianoro is a member of the “National Asso-ciation of Wine Cities”.

Monte delle Formiche (Mount of the Ants) is arocky crag dominating the Idice and ZenaValleys. From its summit, there is an incredibleview which, on particularly clear mornings, goesfrom the Adriatic coast to the foothills of theAlps near Verona. The name of the mountcomes from a very particular natural phenome-non: every year, in early September, swarms offlying ants reach the summit for their nuptialflight, then die around the Sanctuary of SantaMaria di Zena. Since 1400, the Sanctuary hasbeen known as “Santa Maria Formicarum”, proofthat the phenomenon already occurred then.Even today, on occasion of the Festival of theMadonna, the ants are collected, blessed andgiven out to the faithful: according to popularbelief, they have therapeutic properties.

The Pian di Macina Amphibian Centre is aEuropean conservation project for species ofamphibians which are rare or in ranger ofextinction, promoted and financed by theProvince of Bologna and the Pianoro TownCouncil. In the centre’s tanks and humidzones, you can discover strange animals suchas the Spectacled Salamander, the AlpineNewt and the Apennine Yellow-belliedHowler, whose name refers to the soundsmade by the males in the mating season.Workshops and educational meetings areorganized. Info: A.R.Te. Tel. 328.3837620www.centroanfibi.it - [email protected]

Nature

The Zena ValleyThe Zena is a river which starts in the territo-ry of Loiano and ends its tortuous journey inthe River Idice, in San Lazzaro di Savena. NearLoiano, in Quinzano, it passes over a beautiful30-metre-high waterfall, which precipitatesinto a woody gorge. The Zena valley has aroad along the valley-bottom, the first fewkilometres of which are the provincial roadS.P.16 “Val di Zena”, then becoming smallerroads for Pianoro and Monterenzio. With itsbucolic appearance, the valley alternates bet-ween gentle meadow and wood-coveredhills and the occasional gypsum, in a largelyuncontaminated landscape of great naturali-stic and historical interest. Apart from theEtruscan-Celtic remains found on MonteBibele, on the river banks there is the Castleof Zena. With the Pliocene Foothills runningalong one side, the valley contains theRegional Park of Bolognese Gypsums andAbbadessa Gullies. About 2 kilometresupstream from the confluence with the RiverIdice, just after entering the territory of SanLazzaro di Savena, near the left bank of theZena, there is a famous cave, the Grotta delFarneto, in which important proof of humanpresence dating back to the Neolithic periodwas discovered.

Festival of Santa Maria Assunta: 15th august

C’era una volta (Once upon a time): October

Tartufesta (Truffle Festival): October andin November

MARKET DAY: Wednesday

of Bolognese Gypsums and AbbadessaGullies (page 137), about 15 kilometres fromPianoro, there is Monte delle Formiche (Mountof the Ants), with its highly original Sanctuary.

“ARTI CIVILTÀ E MESTIERI” MUSEUMVia del Gualando, 2 - 40066 Pianoro (BO)Tel. 051.6529105 - 051.776927The “Artisan Culture” Museum has collectednumerous craftwork tools. Created as a genui-ne informative workshop, it is divided into dif-ferent sections: rural house, cellar, stables, agri-cultural work, craftwork, weights and measures.Guided visits and schools by appointment: Tel. 338.7738701info@museodiartiemestieri.itwww.museodiartiemestieri.itOpening times: October to April, Saturday andSunday 3pm-6pm; May to September Saturdayand Sunday 4pm-7pm. Closed from June toAugust. Free entrance.

Museums

Nature

History and Culture

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Events

To justify a visit to Loiano, it would be enoughto mention the astronomical observatory of theUniversity of Bologna, along the Futa highway, 2kms after Loiano towards Monghidoro.

Loiano is situated on the spur separating theIdice and Savena Valleys and, apart from theobservatory, there is no lack of historical andartistic points of interest. The first is theChurch of San Giacomo and Santa Marghe-rita, built by the Augustinians in the 14th cen-tury. Inside there is a painting by Calvaert andthe Madonna del Carmine by Angelo Piò. Inthe town centre, there are still traces of the15th-century porticos which were part of itsoriginal character.

The Corona inn is famous, being the placewhere, in the 16th century, the annexation ofCento to Ferrara was negotiated, and whereon the 21st October 1786, Goethe stayed enroute to Florence.

Among the most characteristic settlements inthe territory is Anconella, an ancient 16th-cen-tury village. The village develops around aparticular construction with porticos, a rareexample in the Apennines, which was once ahospice for pilgrims. Inside you can admire abeautiful fireplace with the coat-of-arms ofthe noble Bentivoglio family. In the area it isalso still possible to see the so-called “busenelle lastre”, caves dug into the sandstone,once used as inhabitations and store rooms,and during wartime as shelters.

Along the provincial road from Loiano toQuinzano, on a high plain there is the ParishChurch of Scanello dedicated to San Giovan-ni Battista, which conserves a painting attri-buted to Passerotti and two painting fromthe School of Carracci. Nearby, in Cà di Priami,you can admire the main mountains of theIdice and Savena Valleys, with the upper-Apennines on one side, and the hills whichframe Bologna on the other.

Loiano

On Monte Orzale, there is the Loiano Stationof the Astronomical Observatory of Bolo-gna, in a structure belonging to the NationalInstitute of Astrophysics. Inaugurated on the15th November 1936, its biggest telescope isnamed after the astronomer GiovanniDomenico Cassini, designer of the great sun-dial of San Petronio in Bologna. The observa-tory of Loiano is the second biggest in Italyfor the dimension of the telescope (152 cm indiameter). Thanks to a collaboration with theLoiano Town Council and the Province of Bo-logna, the observatory is open to the publicfor evening visits from April to September.Info and bookings: Loiano Library on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10-12am. Tel. [email protected]

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Astronomical Observatory


Hills around Loiano - Photo by Provincia di Bologna

Science and Technique: Park of the Stars

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Near Scanello, there is Villa Loup, which owesits name to the Swiss gentleman who, marryinga member of the Ghisilieri family, received theresidence as part of the dowry. Pope Pious VIIstayed here in 1805, after meeting Napoleon inParis, but it became famous in the Risorgimentofor the “Convegno di Scanello”. Here on the 28th

September 1859, the representatives of Tuscany,Romagna, Modena and Parma negotiated theabolition of custom duties between their statesand the adoption of a single currency, in antici-pation of the Union of Italy.

From the centre of Quinzano, there is a roadwhich, winding through the atmosphericZenaValley, reaches the archaeological siteof Monte Bibele (page 125).

The village of Scascoli is one of the mostenchanting, due to its position. The Church ofSaints Stefano and Martino was rebuilt afterthe Second World War: for the façade, the san-dstone blocks from the destroyed Church ofSan Ansano di Brento were used, while the highaltar was made by melting down the brass car-tridge cases of the American artillery. Near Scascoli, we find the interesting ruralbuilding called the Torre, a typical example of15th-century building by the Maestri comacini(an ancient Guild of Master-builders andStonemasons) (page 71).Continuing along the road which descendstowards the Savena, we reach the majesticGorges of Scascoli, above the course of the river.

The Gardens of Casoncello Via Scascoli, 75 - Loiano (BO)Tel. 051.928100/928281Born from the restoration of an ancient far-mhouse and open to the public since 1996,the Gardens of Casoncello are today consi-dered an excellent example of a “naturalgarden” where the mark of nature and thatof mankind exist in harmony and where themultiplicity of animal and vegetable life arerespected and favoured. It has an unusualappearance, rich in ornamental plants andspontaneous flora: in the space of a singlehectare there are more than a thousandspecies which, freely associated in “harmo-nious disorder”, create an enchanting atmo-sphere. The guided visits lead to the disco-very of this enormous "green book" throughvarious "vegetable situations": mixed mea-dow, vegetable garden, rockery, wet zone,wood-garden, herb-garden, flowering bor-ders, perennial grass borders, orchard,mixed hedges, with an approach that is notmerely visual, but involves all the other sen-ses. A particular element of the visit is infact the olfactory one, in which differentand unusual smells are offered from flo-wers, leaves, bark and even roots. TheGardens of Casoncello can only be visitedby booking with guided visits.

Festa della Batdura (Threshing Festival),farming show, exhibition of machines andtools for threshing grain: JulyTartufesta (Truffle Festival): October and NovemberMarket of Santa Lucia: December

Scascoli Chestnuts Festival: October

MARKET DAY: Sunday

Events

Nature

Gardens of Casoncello - Private archive

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An ancient pontifical Customs House on theborder with Tuscany, Monghidoro also usedto be called Scaricalasino (“Unload-the-mule”), since it was necessary to check theexhausted animals’ loads after the climbfrom Roncastaldo.

In the town centre, the cloisters of La Ci-sterna are all that remain of the ancient Mo-nastery of San Michele ad Alpes, built in 1528by converting the Palazzo di Armaciotto deiRamazzotti, donated to the Olivetani order,who ran it until 1797. Today the cloisters arethe splendid setting for events which livenup the town in summer.

The Sentiero dei Pilastrini is a trail whichstarts from the county town and takes insome typical villages, following ten smallstone pillars, some rebuilt, direct evidenceof the sacred element so pervasive in themountain peasant culture up to the 19th cen-tury.

Monghidoro

The Ramazzotto Armaciotto dei Ramazzotti, called the Ra-mazzotto, is a typical figure of the ItalianRenaissance. Born in Scaricalasino in 1444,the Ramazzotto took up arms and built hisfuture battle by battle. Becoming aCaptain, he first served Cesare Borgia,then various Popes among whom Cle-mente VII dei Medici, his great protector.As compensation, he received ever-largerfeudal territories in the Apennines andthe title of Count. Ramazzotto becamelord of his own personal state, whichincluded an impregnable fort, the Roccadi Tossignano, in the Santerno Valley,which he fortified even further. The re-organisation of the lands of Romagna byPaolo III Farnese threw the survival of hisfeud into crisis, and after various mishaps,he finally surrendered in 1537. He died inexile in Tuscany, but in the Church of SanMichele in Bosco in Bologna, there is thesplendid marble arch commissioned byhim to the sculptor Alfonso Lombardi(1531-1533).

MUSEUM OF APENNINE FARMING CULTUREVia Provinciale, 13 - Piamaggio 40063Monghidoro (BO) - Tel. 051.6555132 - Fax051-6552268 - [email protected] museum reconstructs the working andday-to-day aspects of past rural life of theApennines. Alternated with spaces dedica-ted to ancient jobs (carpentry, the elabora-tion of wool and straw, wine production),there are some domestic spaces: the kit-chen, the bedroom, a school room, sta-bles, and finally, an aristocratic corner.There is also a unique 1:3-scale reconstruc-tion of a perfectly-working water mill. Opening times: June, July and August,Saturday and Sunday 4pm-7pm. In the othermonths of the year by appointment. Freeentrance (voluntary donations welcome).

MONGHIDORO PARISH MUSEUMChiesa di Santa Maria Assunta Via Garibaldi, 37 - 40063 Monghidoro (BO)Tel. 051.6555539This 19th-century parish church houses asmall collection of sacred art: devotionaland liturgical objects and vestments. Thereis also a notable painting by Burrini from1685, showing Saints Petronio and Dionigi.Opening times: June, July and August,Saturday and Sunday 4pm-7pm. In theother months of the year by appointment.Free entrance (donations welcome).

La Cisterna

Photo by Comune di Monghidoro

Culture and Famous Names

Museums

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the macaroni with ragù washed down withtoo much wine, the great seducer wrote thathe was unable to “partake” of the youngwoman, a certain Corticelli, who was ac-companying him.

The singer Gianni Morandi maintains veryclose links with his birthplace, Monghidoro.

Beyond Monghidoro, there is the GermanCemetery of the Futa, in Tuscan territory,created by the architect Oesterlen and thelandscape artists Rossow and Bournot. Builtin sandstone, it has more than 30,000 gravesof fallen soldiers from the Gothic Line (page160) in the Second World War. In summer, itlends its highly evocative setting to the sta-ging of classical Greek tragedies.

Like other places in the valley, Monghidorohas also been recalled in the travel diaries ofmore and less well-known characters whohave passed through. There is the strangestory of Giacomo Casanova, who, havingleft Florence at eight in the evening, arrivedin Scaricalasino in the middle of the nightand even though he made them prepare “abed which astounded the host, since makingit meant using four others”, maybe due to

“La Martina” Provincial ParkIn the upper-Idice Valley, the Park offers theideal environment for walks in the woods andopen-air picnics. Created by the Province ofBologna in 1972, in an area of about 155 hec-tares, it belongs to the Monghidoro TownCouncil. This area was once covered withmeadows and cultivated fields, with theoccasional oak wood; then in the Twenties, itwas reforested with conifers such as BlackPine, Wood-land Pine, Silver Fir and Lawson’sCypress. An informative trail gives an insightinto the natural aspects of the Apennines andthe widespread network of well-signpostedpaths makes the park a useful base for longerexcursions in the Apennines, in particular theconnection between the Futa Pass and theGrande Escursione Apennine (G.E.A.). Withinthe Park, there is an equipped campsite, a barand an educational hall. [email protected] Info: Tel. 051.6552033

The Alpe of Monghidoro is a very interestingnatural area extending above the Fu-ta statehighway SS 65, just after the area of Ca’ delCosta, about 2 kms from Monghi-doro.Secondary roads and well-sign-po-sted trailsmake the Alpe easily accessible. At an altitu-de of 800-1200 metres, it is covered with oakand chestnut woods in the lower band,beech woods in the higher one, and is full ofsprings. Jays, buzzards, woodpeckers and owlscan be seen, as well as squirrels, dormice andhares. Less easy to spot, but not impossible,particularly at dawn and dusk, there are fal-low and roe deer, wild boar, and foxes. Fromthe highest point of the Alpe, Monte Oggioli(1290 mts), on a clear day you can admire aview that stretches from the foothills of theAlps in Veneto to the Adriatic. Info: Tel [email protected]

Nature

Adventure ParkIn the heart of the Bolognese Apennines,Monghidoro is happy to host anyonewishing to emulate Tartan, thanks toTriton’s Park (Newt Park), an acrobatic parkin the greenery of Monte Oggioli. At an alti-tude of about 1,000 metres, the park hasvarious structures such as ropes, trapezes,net tunnels, fixed and swinging walkways.There are six routes, three for adults andthree for children, of varying levels of diffi-culty at a maximum height of 7 metresabove the ground. Triton’s Park also offers apicnic area equipped with barbecues and aspectacular little lake with various speciesof fish and some newts. Open all year.Info: Appennino Slow - Tel [email protected]

Sport and Active Tourism

Festival of Saints Pietro e Paolo: JuneFestival of San Michele: SeptemberTartufesta (Truffle Festival): tra Octoberand November

MARKET DAY: Thursday

Events

Triton’s Park

Photo by Comune di Monghidoro

The whole area is also of great naturalworth, in particular the Park, “La Martina”,and the Alpe of Monghidoro.

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The territory of Monterenzio stretches bet-ween the green valleys of the Idice and Sil-laro, an area that has been inhabited sincetime immemorial: on the massif of MonteBibele (towards Loiano), the remains of anEtruscan-Celtic village have been found, builtin the 4th century BC. The copious evidenceuncovered, which can be seen at the “LuigiFantini” Archaeological Museum, indicates thecontemporaneous presence of the two popu-lations.

Monterenzio

The Celts Migrating from the north in the 4th centuryBC, the Celts settled in Gallia Cisalpina, aregion between the Alps and Apennines.Among the numerous tribes to come downinto Italy, the Gauls Boi settled in theBolognese area, from which it is said thename Bologna derives. After more than2000 years, traces of their presence can stillbe found, not only in museums and archa-eological sites, but also in many aspects ofthe local culture, starting with the language.Contemporary Bolognese dialect, eventhough largely derived from Latin, still has aconsistent Celtic element. Of similarlyCeltic origins are practices such as pig-far-ming and the elaboration of pork, so impor-tant to the cooking of the territory. Thepeaceful co-existence and the ethnic andcultural mixing between Etruscans andCelts, confirmed by the finding of the villa-ge on Monte Bibele, created a new civilisa-tion in the area, defined as “Etruscan-Celtic”.

Museums

Bronze mirror

Photo by Provincia di Bologna - Vanes Cavazza

Rebuilding of a Celtic mut with original objects


Named after the pioneer of BolognesePrehistoric research, the museum was createdafter the discovery in 1978 of the MonteBibele Etruscan-Celtic village. It offers visitorsa clear picture of the ancient inhabitation andits complex of sepulchres, through numerousrelics, with illustrative panels, photographs,drawings, maps, plans, reconstructions of theoriginal appearance and how to use some ofthe tools: the vertical frame, hoes and sickles.It has a tactile section with thirty replicationsof relics and captions in Braille.

THE “LUIGI FANTINI” ARCHAEOLOGICALMUSEUMVia del Museo, 2 - 40050 Monterenzio (BO)tel./Fax [email protected] times: Saturday and public holi-days 9am-1pm and 3pm-6pm; April toSeptember also Tuesday and Friday 9am-1pm. Tickets: full price € 3, reductions € 2,free entrance every first Sunday of themonth, under 6s, university students andschools.

History and Culture

Still in the territory of Monterenzio, in the SillaroValley, 15 kms from the Via Emilia, there is animportant spa-centre deep in the countryside.

Health Spa and Aqua Park Immersed in the calm of a large naturalamphitheatre, the “Villaggio della Salutepiù” is an oasis of relaxation, sport, cultu-re and wellness. With its thermal systemsand numerous services for treatment andphysical therapy, the centre, denominated“Terme dell’Agriturismo”, is open all year.It looks over the valley and has spa poolswhich can be both covered and open-air.The adjoining summer complex of theAqua Park has 14 pools, each with diffe-rent health and wellness properties.Enriching the offer is Bimbolandia, thefirst spa park created specifically for chil-dren, and the Oasis of Zello, where natu-rists can find the ideal environment forcomplete heliotherapy.Villaggio della Salute PiùVia Sillaro, 27 - 40050 Monterenzio (BO)Tel. 051.929791www.villaggiodellasalutepiu.it

Spas & wellness

The Traversata delle Cinque Valli Bolo-gnesi (Crossing of the Five BologneseValleys) winds along the Pliocene Foothills(page 60) reaching the most interesting vil-lages of the Bolognese mid-Apennines,from Rocca di Badolo with its climbing face,to Monte Adone with beautiful sandstonetowers, from Livergnano with its WarMuseum, to Monte delle Formiche (page120). We close the crossing in Monterenzio,Celt and Etruscan land. You can do this trek-king on foot or cycling in two days.Info: www.appenninoslow.it


Aqua Park of the Villaggio della Salute Più

Private archive

Crossing of the Five Bolognese Valleys - Monte Adone

Photo by Comunità Montana Cinque Valli Bolognesi

Then it was the turn of the Romans, whocreated the copper mines of Bisano, activeup to modern times. Bisano is today a typicalvillage of medieval origins, near which there isCasa Cella, a noble house which in the 15th

century belonged to Giacomo di Gottifredo,and which still conserves the original archi-tectural characteristics.

The strategic importance of the situation,astride the two valleys, led it to be chosen fora castle in the Middle Ages, belonging toQueen Matilde of Canossa, later devastatedby Barbarossa’s troops. Even today there is stilla lot of evidence of the period. The mostnotable can be found in the village ofScaruglio, between Monterenzio vecchia andMonterenzio nuova - an imposing 13th-centurybuilding called the “Torre”: it is worth notingthe original openings, a façade with three off-set portals, a slit and viewing-flap. Heading down towards the Idice, we come tothe village of Villa di Cassano, where thereare two tower-houses connected by architra-ves and portals decorated with an eight-poin-ted star.

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La Via dei Mulini (Water Mill Route)In the Savena and Idice Valleys, water millshave for centuries been the reference pointfor the rural econo-my. Some mills arestill working, othershave been restoredand turned into pri-vate homes, whileof others there re-mains no more thanplace names. Theriver water drovethe heavy millsto-nes, grinding thegrain, chestnuts and even walnuts, extractingan oil used both for food and lighting.Between Monzuno and Monghidoro, in theSavena Valley, a spectacular path leads to theAllocco Mill, perhaps the best known andmost representative of the whole area, builtin the 19th century on a pre-existing 16th-cen-tury structure. Also interesting is the Mulinodella Valle, where Melchiade Benni alterna-ted his work as a miller with the art of violi-

nist. In Monghidoro, in perfect working orderand open to visits, there is the Mulino delMazzone from 1785, with its ample portico,and, on request, the Mulino di Ca’ di

Guglielmo from 1776.In the territory of SanBenedetto Val diSambro, there is theMolino di Federico,in perfect workingorder and open tovisits, and two lovelymills near the Lake ofCastel dell’Alpi.These are only a fewexamples: many other

mills are dotted along the rivers which flowthrough these valleys. Various initiatives havegrown up around them, including gastrono-mical ones, which lead visitors on a journeyof rediscovery.

Info: Appennino SlowTel. [email protected]

Flower Fair, general market and sale ofplants and flowers: AprilCeltic Festival-Fuochi di Taranis, Festival ofCeltic culture and customs with dancing andfood: first two weekends of JulyChestnut Festival, Sale of chestnuts and

polenta: October

BisanoBisano Festival, market, gastronomic stalls,musical shows: end of July

MARKET DAY: Sunday

Events

Il Villaggio della Salute Più - Private archive

History and Culture

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Giovanni II Bentivoglio


Monzuno is a small centre in the Apennines,whose name refers to Juno (Mons Junonis) andto the sacred aspect of the site since ancienttimes. At the end of the 15th century, the terri-tory of Monzuno came into the possession ofGiovanni II Bentivoglio, Lord of Bologna.The present inhabitation is modern, but theChurch of San Giovanni Evangelista, resto-red in 1891, has a surprising Baroque interior.

The greatest value of Monzuno is that it overlo-oks a stunning valley, rich in natural and histori-cal beauty, enhanced by Trekking Bologna-Florence and by the re-discovery of the Viadegli Dei (Route of the Gods) (page 131), themedieval pilgrims’ route, also called the “Viadello Stale” which linked Bologna to Florence.

Along this trail, not far from Monzuno, there isMonte Venere, a 996-metre summit softened bywoods and pastureland, on which it is said thereused to be a temple dedicated to the Goddessof love. The Hospice, about a kilometre fromMonzuno, however, was built around the year1000 to offer hospitality to pilgrims bound forRome. In the period around the Second WorldWar, Nino Bertocchi, an important Bolognesepainter and art critic, stayed here. Since then,Monzuno has become the destination of nume-rous other artists, such as Giacomelli and Manzù.

Monzuno

The County of Bentivoglio“100 bushels of wheat, 10 pairs of capons,10 goats, 10 chickens and an ample collec-tion of cheeses: this was the annual rentfor the territory of Monzuno in 1471. Atthat time the village, togheter withScascoli and Ripoli, sold or donated itsfarm produce to the Lord of Bologna,Giovanni Bentivoglio, in return for theright to permanent settlement on theland. This agreement exempted the villa-ges from other taxes to the city ofBologna. Justice was administered byemissaries appointed by Bentivoglio.”

Renzo Renzi

History and Culture

Trekking from Bologna to FlorenceOver the centuries, various roads have pas-sed over the mountain range, among whichthe Flaminia Minore, the Via Cassìola, the ViaFrancesca della Sambuca, the Via dello Staleor Via degli Dei and the Via Montanara. Inany case, at the centre of these routes werethe two great world-famous cities ofBologna and Florence. Based on historic rou-tes, there is the trekking itinerary fromBologna to Florence, well sign-posted anddivided into 7 sections which can be follo-wed by bicycle, on foot or on horseback.From the ancient roads to new trails betwe-en the two ancient cities on opposite sidesof the Apennines, this is a new proposal fortourism which respects the environment,allowing genuine contact with nature and anunderstanding of the cultural and gastrono-mic aspects of Emilia-Romagna and Tuscany.The “Bologna-Florence” trail is illustrated bythe guide “Voyage in Italy - Trekking in thefootsteps of De Montaigne and Goetheacross the Alps (via Spluga) and Apennines(Bologna-Florence)” and is accompanied bytourist packages.

Info: Appennino SlowTel. [email protected]


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The most interesting site in the area isundoubtedly Montorio, the seat of anancient, vast ecclesiastical district. The Pieve(parish) of Montorio, dedicated to San Pietroand containing notable sacred ornaments,had a good 42 parish churches and wassecond only to that of Monteveglio. A shortdistance from the town, there is an imposingtower, the Torre di Montorio, dominatingthe Setta and Sambro Valleys from the peakof a rocky crag. The original building, alteredseveral times, dates back to the 12th centuryand is next to a second building from the 16th

century. The tower still has traces of the ori-ginal Guelph battlements with the additionof Ghibelline battlements from the 19th cen-tury. In the Tower, in the early of the 14th cen-tury, the Count Mostarda da Panico lived(page 63). Also near Montorio, there is theCastello d’Elle, dating back to the 14th cen-tury, and the 18th-century Oratory of San Ma-molo.

In Brento, there is the Grotta delle Fate (Cave ofthe Fairies), a tectonic cave which owes its nameto legends which tell of treasures and myste-rious apparitions of ethereal feminine figuressuspended in the void over the Savena valley-bottom below the mountain summit. An expla-nation may lie in the strong currents of air insidethe cave, which in certain atmospheric condi-tions led to the expulsion of clouds of vapour.

The Wine and Flavours Route of theBolognese ApenninesVia Casaglia, 4 - 40036 Monzuno (BO)Tel. 051.6773328Pianoro: Tel. [email protected] the Bolognese Apennines, you can findthe products of the “MontagnAmica bre-adbasket”: meat, salami, cheese, forestfruit, honey, wine and baking produce.Fragrant from the oven and smelling ofwood smoke, the tasty local mountainbread, with its high quality and its tradi-tional and cultural value, has becomesymbolic of the typical flavours of thesemountain lands. This bread is the protago-nist of a tourist-cultural-gastronomicalitinerary - The Bread Route of the Bolo-gnese Mountains - covering the territoryof the Bolognese Valleys of the Idice,Savena and Setta. The basic idea is to recover and valorisebiological cereal-farming, so common inthe Bolognese Apennine area, through thequalification of the entire process, fromthe field to the table.

The “Molino del Pero” Golf ClubVia Molino del Pero, 323 - 40036 Monzuno (BO) Tel. 051.770506 - [email protected] in 1991, it proposes a highly techni-cal course, extremely enjoyable even forthe most expert. The ascent to the firstholes, rising steeply from the Savena Valley,has often been mentioned in internationalmagazines as “The stairway to heaven”. Technical Data: 18 holes, 300 mts a.s.l.

Village Festival: AprilFestival of San Luigi: AugustFair of Monte Venere: AugustChestnut Festival: OctoberTartufesta (Truffle Festival): October andNovember

MARKET DAY: Wednesday in Vado

Events

Gastronomy and Wine


Mountain Bread - Photo by Diateca Agricoltura

della Regione Emilia-Romagna - Fabrizio Dell’Aquila

Remarkable is also borgo Polverara, thatshows two 16th century fortified buldings. Partof the Monzuno territory, it is included in theRegional Historical Park of Monte Sole(page 64).

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Taking its name from an ancient Benedictineabbey, San Benedetto Val di Sambro comesfrom the fusion of two important communi-ties held by the noble families of the de’Bianchi, the Counts of Piano, and Rossi diSan Secondo, feudal lords of Poggio.

Nature is the main attraction of the area, fromthe woods of Val Serena and Pian di Balestrato the notable Lake of Castel dell’Alpi, 7 kmsfrom the town. The lake is an ideal spot for atrip: originating in 1951 from a landslide whichblocked the course of the Savena, its banksare today used for fishing, sunbathing andhaving picnics. It is also possible to visit twoancient mills, each with a grindstone andlarge barrels to collect the river water comingdown from Monte Oggioli.

But the territory’s history is also of great arti-stic value.

We can start in the centre of Pian delVoglio, with its pretty, ancient village centreand Palazzo Comitale with a 15th-centurytower, which belonged to the Counts of de’Bianchi, and where there are still beautifulpanelled ceilings and a late-16th-century fire-place. In the chapel adjoining the tower, it isworth noting the tombstone of the de’Bianchi, dated 1526. The building hosted theMedici during their exile from Florence andwas the residence of Cardinal Lambertini,later to become Pope Benedict XIV. In Mon-teacuto Vallese, the Palazzo di Poggio Su-vizzano is a majestic 16th-century buildingwith the coat-of-arms of the Counts of de’Bianchi on an architrave, dated 1525.

In Ripoli, it is worth having a look at theSanctuary of the Beata Vergine di Serra(1616), in a panoramic position at the con-fluence of the Brasimone and Setta Valleys.

Not far from there is the railway station ofSan Benedetto Val di Sambro, whose name isimpressed in the Italian memory for the twotragic terrorist attacks which took placethere in 1974 on the Italicus train and tenyears later on the Rapido 904 train: in total 27dead and about 150 wounded. In the station,there is the monument to the Italicus by thesculptor Walter Veronesi, and a commemo-rative plaque in memory of the victims.

San Benedetto Val di Sambro

The “Direttissima” and the “Great Tunnelof the Apennines”The “Direttissima” can be defined as the firsthigh-speed rail link between Bologna andFlorence. Planned at the turn of the 20th cen-tury, it was at the time a highly advancedpiece of engineering work. In fact, creatingthe new line meant excavating the longesttunnel in Italy, the “Great Tunnel of theApennines”: 18.5 kilometres in a straight line.Work started in 1920 and on the 22nd April1934, the first trains ran along the stretch.Bologna and Florence had never been soclose. The cost in human lives for the con-struction of the “Direttissima” was heavy: 97workers, of which 65 just for the creation ofthe Great Tunnel.

Monte Galletto wind-power Park

Photo by Comune di San Benedetto Val di Sambro

History and Culture

The Monte Galletto Wind-Power ParkIn 1998, in the territory of San BenedettoVal di Sembro, the first wind-power park inNorthern Italy was set up. The turbines ofthe Monte Galletto Wind-Power Parkproduce clean energy and contribute signi-ficantly to the regional energy require-ments. To discover the secrets of this newclean energy production system and forguided visits to the Park, contact the IAT(Tourist Office) of Monghidoro.

Science and Technique

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Halfway down the left-hand side of theSambro Valley, S. Andrea stands directly op-posite San Benedetto, which can also be rea-ched on foot along a steep path. In thechurch, there is a painting, the Visitazione,attributed to Guido Reni. The climb to thepeak of Monte Armato is worth the effort,since there is a wide view over the surroun-ding valleys.

A crossroads for naturalistic outings andaccess to the Bologna-Florence trans-Apen-nine passes, the area of Madonna deiFornelli owes its name to the “fornelli” (sto-ves) of the charcoal-burners and to theSanctuary dedicated to the Madonna dellaNeve. Built in 1638 as an ex voto for the endof the Plague, also described by AlessandroManzoni in Promessi Sposi, the apse andfaçade of the Sanctuary were restored bet-ween the 19th and 20th centuries. Inside thereis a notable portrait of the Madonna in oilon copper. Every year, the icon is carried in aprocession to Castel dell’Alpi, where itremains for eight days before returning tothe Sanctuary on the day of the Ascension.

From Madonna dei Fornelli, we reach the16th-century village of Qualto, near whichslabs of local sandstone, the remains of anancient road on Monte Bastione betweenBologna and Fiesole came to light.

Remarkable is also the village named CàMusolesi, where there are 15th- and 16th -cen-tury architectonic elements and a building,in the past tower-house.

San Benedetto VS. Fair: end of AugustTartufesta (Truffle Festival): October andNovember

MARKET DAY: Saturday

Events

Qualto

Photo by Comune di San Benedetto Val di Sambro

The Via degli Dei, (Route of the Gods), atrail which goes from Bàdolo and Bolognato Fiesole and Florence in four sections,crosses the central valleys of the BologneseApennines as far as the Futa Pass. The routepasses Monte Adone, Monzuno, MonteVenere and Madonna dei Fornelli (SanBenedetto Val di Sambro). From the namesof these mounts, the origins of the name ofthe route becomes clear, evoking sacredsites dating back to time immemorial.Evidence of this is an earthenware fragmentfound in the Setta Valley with an inscriptiondedicated to “Iuppiter Appenninus”, theApennine Jupiter of the Celts of Liguria. TheVia degli Dei partially follows the ancientVia dello Stale, in use since the Middle ages,whose name comes from a linguistic tran-sformation of “Ospedale”, referring to theBenedictine Hospice of San Salvatore whichwas built here to offer shelter to travellers.Along the path it is possible to tread theancient street remains of the Flaminia mili-tare, built by Romans in the 2nd century BC.The best conserved ones are near the sum-mit of Monte Bastione (1190 mts a.s.l), adjoi-ning the quarry where the stone was won topave this arduous piece of route, unpaved inthe remaining part. The trekking is markedout by the VD trail sign and also by thefamous “dau bal zali” (two yellow balls),which represent the first trail marker of thisexciting crossing.


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We are now in the territory of Castiglione deiPepoli, rich in chestnut and fir tree woods.The area, on the limits of the Regional Park ofthe Lakes, has the typical mountain beauty,situated among different summits, all slightlyover 1,000 metres above sea level.

The ancient name being “Castiglione deiGatti”, from the Lombard “gaita” meaningmount, the town was part of the vast posses-sions of Queen Matilde of Canossa. It wasthe dominion of the Counts of the Albertifamily and then the feud of the Pepoli fami-ly, who held it for over four centuries. In the18th century, it even had the right to makecoins.

Particularly fascinating, and in some waysunique in the Apennines, is the architecturalcomplex of the main square, in particular theimposing form of the 15th-century PalazzoComunale (Town Hall). Designed by thearchitect Marchesino di Cento, a guest in 1473of the Pepoli family, the building was the seatof the local government and so included ajail, commissioner’s residence and the Pepolifamily quarters. Enlarged in the 17th centurywith the building of the so-called “Palazzina”,it still today has the frescoes which haveembellished the interiors over the centuries.

Art-lovers should not miss the 17th-centuryChurch of the Madonna della Consolazio-ne, with important works by the BologneseSchool, and the Church of San Lorenzo, builtin about 1576 as the Oratory of the Com-pagnia della Misericordia.

Near Castiglione dei Pepoli, it is worth visi-ting the ancient 17th-century villages ofCanova with its Oratory dedicated to SanGiusto, Linari with its Oratory built in 1641,and Rasora with its Oratory of 18th-centuryorigins, enlarged in the 19th century with theconstruction of a bell tower and a small sa-cristy.

In Monte Baducco, a small village on thepeak of a mount overlooking Castiglione deiPepoli, there are splendid views of the val-leys below.

A few kilometres from Baragazza, there isone of the most beautiful places of worshipin the Bolognese Apennines: the Sanctuaryof Boccadirio, the destination of incessantpilgrimages from all over Italy. This 16th-cen-tury building is in an enchanting positionamidst green forests, at the confluence oftwo rivers at the foot of Mount Tavianella.

Castiglione dei Pepoli

Leo NucciA world-famous baritone, Leo Nucci wasborn in Castiglione dei Pepoli in 1942 into atypical Emilian family of the time, in whicheveryone sang a little. His father in particu-lar sang in a choir and played in the townband, which Leo joined at nine years of age.Also typical of Emilia is the technique hejokingly said had created and maintained hisextraordinary breathing: his passion forcycling! In 1977, he made his debut at theScala in Milan as Figaro in The Barber ofSeville, which together with Rigoletto, arole he interpreted about 400 times, beca-me his tour-de-force. Since then he has per-formed regularly in the most importanttheatres around the world and has recordedover thirty complete operas with conduc-tors such as Herbert von Karajan, RiccardoMuti and Claudio Abbado. He has alsomade two films of opera, including aMacbeth presented at the Cannes Festivalin 1987. Nominated a UNICEF “GoodwillAmbassador” for Italy in July 2000 and aninternational opera star, Leo Nucci hasmaintained strong links with his birthplace,sometimes performing in the events whichenliven this tourist location.

Chestnut wood

Photo by Comune di Castiglione dei Pepoli


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Castiglione is also a land of water: the Setta,Brasimone and Gabellato Rivers run throughits territory, while the Lake of Santa Maria, inthe Regional Park of the Lakes (page 73), isdefinitely worth an excursion.

Sanctuary of the Madonna of BoccadirioThe Sanctuary of the Madonna of Boccadiriois on the site where the Madonna appearedto two young shepherds from Baragazza onthe16th July 1480. The original small temple,later enlarged at the end of the 16th century,was substituted in the 18th century by the pre-sent building, the work of the famousBolognese architect Angelo Venturoli. TheSanctuary does not have a bell tower, as tra-dition recounts that it has never been possi-ble to make the bells since, every time theyhave been cast, they have immediately disap-peared. Legend apart, the façade is byPuccetti, while the portico of the sacristy hasbeen attributed to Dotti, creator of the porti-co of San Luca in Bologna. The interior, withthree naves and three altars at their ends, haspaintings and bas-reliefs. An object of parti-cular worship is the Madonna delle Grazie, infine glazed terracotta by Andrea Della Robbia.

History and CultureThe Lake of Santa MariaFrom the centre of Castiglione, turning to-wards the cemetery (where the Old Churchis worth a visit), the road descends to the val-ley-bottom and reaches the electrical powerstation of Santa Maria. Built in 1911 and de-stroyed in the Second World War, the sta-tion was then rebuilt using local stone, givingit a certain environmental value. The nearbyLake of Santa Maria is very interesting, crea-ted by the construction of a dam in 1917. Thebasin feeds the power station of Le Piane,near Lagora, and takes its name from theancient Church of Santa Maria di Spina-lacqua, no longer existent.

Nature

The Portaccia Market : July/AugustMountain Festival: AugustBaragazza Fair: AugustTartufesta (Truffle Festival): October andNovember

CredaFarmers’ Fair: MayFair of San Giacomo: July


Events

Lake of Santa Maria


Old Church


The Via dei Santuari (Route of the Sanctua-ries) is an excursion journey which leads fromBologna to Prato in 4/7 legs through theTuscan-Emilian Apennine woods. Its namecomes from the 4 sanctuaries we meet alongthe way: from the Sanctuary of the Madonna ofSan Luca, on the Guardia hill in Bologna, to theAbbey of Montepiano in the Tuscan territory,passing through the Sanctuary of Montovolo,in the homonymous Provincial Park (page 69),and the Sanctuary of Boccadirio. The full trek-king follows about 150 kms of CAI paths and itis distinguished by the VS trail marker.


Near Castiglione is the South African Ce-metery, which contains 502 tombs of Com-monwealth soldiers, for the most part SouthAfricans: the 6th South African ArmouredDivision entered Castiglione at the end ofSeptember 1944 and it remained on the out-skirts until the next April and final break-through of the Gothic Line (page 160). Thecemetery is always open and has an access fordisabled persons by a side entrance.

The Regional Park of Bolognese Gypsums and the Abbadessa GulliesThe Prehistoric Museum of San Lazzaro di SavenaThe Ocarinas of BudrioThe museums and historical centre of BudrioBagnarola: the Bolognese Versailles The ancient borough of Minerbio and the Rocca Isolani complexThe cycling route along the San Lazzaro di Savena chalk veinsThe cycle-path alongside the Navile Canal at MalalbergoThe Castenaso Golf ClubThe valleys and nature reserves of Baricella, Malalbergoand MolinellaThe Green Asparagus IGP of Altedo The “Fuori Porta” Market

Not to be missed:

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Tourist itineraryOur itinerary continues throughthe plains of the Idice river, ona pleasant journey from the lastfoothills along the Via Emilia tothe Regional Park of the PoDelta.

The Lands of the Idice- San Lazzaro di Savena- Ozzano dell’Emilia- Castenaso

The Plainlands- Budrio- Molinella- Malalbergo- Baricella- Minerbio- Granarolo dell’Emilia

The Bolognese Valleys of the Idice, Savena and Settathe hills and plains

San Lazzaro

Castenaso

Budrio

Molinella

Malalbergo

Baricella

Minerbio

di Savena

Granarolo

dell’Emilia

Ozzano

dell’Emilia

History and EnvironmentOur journey to discover the plains of the Idicecrosses a highly varied landscape: starting inthe hills to the south of the Via Emilia, domi-nated by gullies in the protection of theRegional Park of Bolognese Gypsums and theAbbadessa Gullies, then moving on as far asthe valleys of the lower plains. On the nor-thern plains, the term “valley” is used to indi-cate what is left of the large wooded swam-pland which used to cover large areas of thewestern Bolognese plains. Today these havebecome environmentally-important naturereserves: the most important are the “Val-lazza” in Molinella, “La Comune” in Malalbergoand the “Cassa del Quadrone” in Buda diMedicina, in the territory of Imola. The waters,which we have followed from their springs inthe greenery of the Apennines, seem to getlost in these so-called “valleys”, despite Man’sattempts to control them.The charm of these lands lies in this mellowatmosphere, which often surrounds genuineartistic jewels, such as the historical centre ofBudrio. However, the whole territory holdssurprises, thanks to its ancient history: we justhave to think that one of its towns takes itsname from one of first civilisations on theItalian mainland - the Villanovian culture. Inmore recent times, these plains have witnes-sed the extraordinary spread of country resi-dences for the Bolognese nobility, superbexamples of which can be found in Minerbioand in the complex of Bagnarola di Budrio,known as the “Bolognese Versailles”. And final-ly in the 20th century, the important battles forworkers’ rights found expression in the case ofMolinella’s agricultural workers.

Buon appetitoThis area’s cuisine is similar to classicBolognese cooking, making use of someexcellent local produce, first amongwhich is the Green Asparagus ofAltedo (IGP - a protected speciesspecific to the zone), central to afestival and to the constant searchfor new dishes combining innovationand tradition. Then there are the DOP Potatoesof Bologna, whose special qualities come fromthe rich soil of the reclaimed lands of the Idiceplains. Budrio is the local capital and as farback as the 18th century, a gastronomic tractillustrated the unusual use of potatoes inBolognese cooking of the time: in bread, frit-ters, and even in cream-puffs and tagliatelle.Other typical elements of the territory are therice of Molinella and, in common with all thenorthern lowlands, a passion for frogs, fried orstewed, and dishes based on local fish such aspike, catfish and sturgeon.

A product of the area’s ample blossom is theMedical Herb Honey, which preserves the typi-cal perfume of aromatic herbs.

How to get here- The A14 Motorway: exit San Lazzaro di Savena.The A13 Motorway: exit Bologna-Interportoand Altedo.

- By road:SS 9 "Via Emilia" in the direction of Imola,SS 253 “San Vitale” in the direction of Ravenna,SP 6 “Zenzalino”, SP 5 “San Donato”.

- By rail: Rimini-Ancona-Bologna-Portomag-giore: stations in Ozzano dell’Emilia, Caste-naso, Budrio, Mezzolara, Guarda, Molinella.

- By bus ATC www.atc.bo.it.

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Organi antichi offers a not-to-be-missedchance to hear a heritage which is uniquein the world: 330 antique organs preservedin churches throughout the Province ofBologna. 110 of these original instrumentsare kept in the territory of the plains.Important international artists have "tou-ched" these precious instruments, placingthe events among the most appreciated inItaly. www.organiantichi.org

Events

The “Fuori Porta” MarketThis market was set up to give just value tothe agro-alimentary production of the“Plain Lands”: a journey which unites theLocal Councils of the Association, openingup farms and offering their producethrough direct sale to the public, and thechance to stay and even study on farms, aswell as presenting historical, cultural andnatural elements of the territory. The circuitcan be easily recognised by its rainbowlogo. Information can be obtained from thelocal Tourist Offices.

Gastronomy and Wine

Orizzonti di Pianura (Plain Horizons)Orizzonti di Pianura was set up in 2006 bythe Province of Bologna to promote tou-rism in the Bolognese plains. The LocalCouncils of Baricella, Budrio, Bentivoglio,Minerbio, Malalbergo, San Giorgio di Piano,San Pietro in Casale and Molinella are invol-ved in a project to promote the plains’ par-ticular artistic, historical and natural values

through itineraries which can be follo-wed either individually or in guidedtours. www.orizzontidipianura.it.

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Baricella - URPVia Roma, 76 - 40052 Baricella (BO)Tel. 051.6622423/4 - [email protected]

Budrio - URP P.zza Filopanti, 11 - 40054 Budrio (BO)Tel. 051.6928241 - [email protected]

Castenaso - URPP.zza Bassi, 1 - 40055 Castenaso (BO)Tel. [email protected]

Granarolo dell’Emilia - URP Via San Donato, 19940057 Granarolo dell’Emilia (BO)Tel. [email protected]

Malalbergo - URP P.zza dell’Unità d’Italia, 2 - 40051 Malalbergo (BO)Tel. 051.6620210 - [email protected]

Tourist Information

Minerbio - URPVia Garibaldi, 44 - 40061 Minerbio (BO)Tel. 051.6611780 - [email protected]

Molinella - URP P.zza A. Martoni, 1 - 40062 Molinella (BO)Tel. 051.6906833/[email protected]

Ozzano dell’Emilia - URP Via della Repubblica, 1040064 Ozzano dell’Emilia (BO)Tel. [email protected]

San Lazzaro di Savena - URPP.zza Bracci, 1 - 40068 San Lazzaro di Savena (BO)Tel. 051.6228174 - [email protected]

Prehistoric Museum of San Lazzaro di Savena: Villanovian tomb - Photo by Provincia di Bologna - Vanes Cavazza

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San Lazzaro di Savena first developed in the12th and 13th centuries around a leper hospitalfounded by the Order of the Knights of SanLazzaro, along the Via Emilia to the east ofBologna. It was actually believed that thewind, blowing in that direction, would alsocarry diseases away.

In the hills to the south of the county town,it is worth visiting the Abbey of SantaCecilia della Croara. Of medieval origins, itspresent structure dates back to the 19th cen-tury, while the frescoed cloisters still havethe 16th-century structure intact. It also hou-ses some very interesting painting, in parti-cular a beautiful altar piece with the infantJesus attributed to Annibale Carracci.

It was here, in the summer of 1915, that the19-year-old Filippo De Pisis stayed, destinedto become one of the major 20th-centuryEuropean painters, as well as being a poetand writer. During his short stay, De Pisiswrote most of the prose-poems later publi-shed under the title Canti de la Croara.

The hills between San Lazzaro, Ozzano andPianoro are of karst formation and of excep-tional environmental value, so much so thatin the heart of these hills, there is theRegional Park of Bolognese Gypsums andthe Abbadessa Gullies. The Park is full ofcaves, the most famous of which are the“Farneto” and “Spipola”. The “Grotta dellaSpipola”, discovered by the great Bolognesespeleologist Luigi Fantini, is the largestEuropean cave to have been dug in chalk,while the “Grotta del Farneto” is famous forthe discovery of relics from six thousandyears ago, today preserved in the Archaeolo-gical Museums of San Lazzaro, Bologna andBudrio. For information about visiting thecaves, contact the Park.

San Lazzaro di Savena

The Regional Park of Bolognese Gypsumsand the Abbadessa Gullies is a spectacu-lar karst complex: visiting it is like walkingon the moon. Even today, in fact, the gyp-sums create a unique countryside, full ofdolinas, closed valleys, vertical caves, andcandle-erosion. A real labyrinth, conside-ring that this hilly area is thought to hideentrances to over a hundred caves, inclu-ding the famous caves of the “Farneto” and“Spipola”. A mysterious place, redolent ofadventure and mystery, in which the faunahas also evolved to adapt to life in the dar-kness. Even the water has adapted to lifewith the gypsums, carving complex under-ground water-complexes. The most signifi-cant example is near the Croara: theAcquafredda river disappears into an abyssand comes back to light nearly three kilo-metres further on, in a sort of second springalong the River Savena. However, this is alsoa park of great contrasts. Gentle, cultivatedslopes frame more rugged landscape,where nature is wild. Such a case can beseen at the chalk outcrops between Zenaand Idice, with the enormous dolines called“dell’Inferno” and “della Goibola”, and theclosed Ronzano Valley with its seleniticcliffs. The Park also preserves a zone ofspectacular, wild gullies known as the“Calanchi dell’Abbadessa”, formed of strati-fied clay, the oldest rocks in the Bolognese Apennines. Here you can also find notablehistorical evidence, linked in particular tothe medieval period and the 16th and 17th

centuries.

Casa Fantini Visitors’ Centre Farneto, Via Jussi n. 17140068 S. Lazzaro di Savena (BO)Tel. 051.6254811

The Villa Torre Visitors’ Centre Via Tolara di Sopra, 99 - SettefontiOzzano dell’Emilia (BO) Tel. [email protected]

Nature

In the territory of San Lazzaro, there are somebeautiful Renaissance country villas, in parti-cular, on the Via Emilia, Villa Cicogna. Built toa project by the Vignola in the second half ofthe 16th century by the Boncompagni family,it today hosts meetings and cultural events.Villa Bellaria is also 16th-century, situated onthe road of the same name, property of theFurla society.

On a chalk outcrop, on the right of the RiverIdice, there is the ancient village of Castel de’Britti: of the original castle belonging toMatilde of Canossa, there remains only theentrance arch in the square in front of thechurch, while nearby you cannot fail to noti-ce the neo-medieval form of Villa Malvezzi. Inthe same area, at No. 30 Via Idice, VillaL’Abbadia, previously the Abbey of SanMichele, is a centuries-old constructionwhich belonged to the Camaldolesi monksuntil 1090 and then to the Gaudenti friars inthe period of Dante, 1262-1586. Today it is aprivate residence.

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The Cycling Route on the Chalk Veins of San Lazzaro di SavenaCarefully planned routes allow cycling tou-rists to discover the heart of this extraordi-nary “green way” which comes down fromthe source of the Idice and continues to thePo Delta. They are sinuous paths whichsnake through the river zones and hills, pas-sing through highly varied landscapes whichthe more you know of them, the more youwant to find out about their history andnature, and taste the cuisine. www.montesolebikegroup.it

The Park of Bolognese Gypsums and the Abbadessa Gullies

Photo by Comune di Ozzano dell’Emilia

Villa Cicogna

Photo by Bologna Turismo


Using innovative exhibition methods, thePrehistoric Museum illustrates the mostancient history of the eastern Bologneseterritory. The reconstruction of HomoErectus in the Ancestors’ Room and of thegreat animals of the last Ice Age (the Bisonof the Steppes, the Megacero and the Cave-Hyena) present an extraordinary portrait ofthe life and environment of prehistorictimes. This highly original journey into thepast is completed with relics from the IronAge, in memory of Giovanni Gozzadini andthe discovery of the Villanovian culture.THE “LUIGI DONINI” PREHISTORICMUSEUM Via Fratelli Canova, 4940068 San Lazzaro di Savena (BO)Tel./ Fax [email protected] Times: in winter (1/10 to 31/5),Monday, Tuesday, Friday 9am-1pm; Wed-nesday, Thursday 9am-5pm; Saturday andpublic holidays 9am-1pm and 3-6pm; in sum-mer (1/6 to 30/9), Tuesday-Friday 5-7pm;saturday and public holidays 9am-1pm. Tickets: full price € 4,60, reductions € 2, freeto under-14-year-olds.

Verde San Lazzaro, a fair of nature and biological agriculture: 1st Sunday of AprilFestival of San Lazzaro: AugustFestival of the Madonna della Cintura, atthe Farneto Parish Church: early SeptemberFlavours of the Apennines: 1st Sunday of November


Events

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Museums

Prehistoric Museum

above, scene of hunting

right, hominid


In San Lazzaro in early August, there is thefamous festival, the Fiera di San Lazzaro, men-tioned in a traditional Bolognese song, madefamous in a version by Francesco Guccini.

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Continuing along the Via Emilia, we come toOzzano: in ancient times this was the site ofthe Roman town of Claterna, whose name isstill recalled by the nearby River Quaderna.

In the foothills above the area of Maggio, inthe borough of San Pietro, there is thelovely Torre (tower) which was once part ofthe walls of a castle built in medieval timesto defend the Via Emilia. 200 metres fromthe nearby Church of San Pietro, it is worthnoting the two 15th-century fountains, called“Delle Armi” from the name of the Bo-lognese family who once had a palace here.

In the area of San Cristoforo stands PalazzoGalvani, the site of numerous electrical ex-periments in the 18th century by the Bolo-gnese scientist Luigi Galvani, carried out onthe frogs he bred here.

Also of great interest is the small local churchdedicated to Sant’Andrea, containing theremains of the Blessed Lucia of Settefonti.This is the name of the historical character,Badessa (Mother Superior) Lucia, veneratedby the Order of the Camaldolesi as thefounder of the Order’s female branch, andalso recalled in the name of the Park ofBolognese Gypsums and the AbbadessaGullies.

Ozzano dell’Emilia

Claterna, the lost cityThe territory of Ozzano hides some of theregion’s most interesting archaeologicalsites. Around the Via Emilia, halfway betwe-en the two great centres of Bononia andForum Cornelii (Imola), in the Republicanand Imperial periods, the Roman city ofClaterna flourished. We are now in the area between the modern village of Maggio andthe River Quaderna. Nothing of the Romansettlement is left on the surface, but manyrelics of notable interest have been foundhere, such as the beautiful pavementmosaics. It is possible to visit the RomanTown Museum of Claterna on request.Same opening times of the public library. Free entrance. Tel: 051.790130 - [email protected] times: Saturday 10am-12pm and3pm-6pm; weekdays with prior booking forschools and groups; closed in July andAugust. Fountain of San Pietro


Museums

The legend of the love between theKnight Rolando and the Abbadessa LuciaAround 1100, with Bologna involved in thefierce struggle between the Guelphs andGhibellines, stories about the beauty of Lucia,Mother Superior of the Camaldolese mona-stery of Stifonti (Settefonti), soon reachedthe garrisons stationed in the territory. In par-ticular, a soldier of fortune, the BologneseCount Diatagora Fava, known as Rolando, hadhimself transferred to San Pietro di Ozzanojust to know her. According to the legend,every morning Rolando rode along the paththrough the gullies leading to the convent ofhis beloved. The church stood on the ridgenot far the Parish Church of Pastino (builtaround 1000 on the ruins of a temple dedica-ted to the God Pan). Lucia soon found herselfbattling the turmoil his visits provoked.Prayers, vigils and penitence only served toendanger her health. When finally Lucia deci-ded to meet Rolando, they confessed theirmutual love for each other, but she did notwant to betray her vows and pleaded with

him never to come back. Rolando left on acrusade to the Holy Lands, while Lucia, bynow extremely ill, died. In Palestine, theknight was taken prisoner and locked up in acell. One night, Lucia appeared to him in adream and told him of her death. When hewoke up, Rolando found himself magicallyfree at his beloved’s tomb and so copiouswere his tears that the seven fountains, drysince Lucia’s death, began gushing once more.At once, Lucia was venerated as a saint,although the Church only officially recogni-sed the miracle in 1508. After Lucia’s death,the convent was moved first to S. Andrea diOzzano, then in the mid-13th century, into S.Cristina della Fondazza in Bologna. Today thefountains are dry and the original site of theMonastery of Stifonti is indicated by a smallpillaster. Since 1573, Lucia’s body has beenkept in the Church of S. Andrea, where thereare also the shackles from Rolando’s impri-sonment. Since the Middle Ages, the narrowgully which the young knight followed everyday to see his beloved has been known as thePasso della Badessa.

Sant’Andrea


Tower of San Pietro


History and Culture

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In Ciagnano, there is a truly spectacular viewof the “calanchi” (gullies) of the Passo della Ba-dessa.

Along the “Stradelli Guelfi”, quiet roads run-ning parallel to the Via Emilia which used toconnect castles, churches and noble resi-dences from Bologna all the way to Roma-gna, stands the neo-classical Villa Angelica,today the seat of the homonymous herbalproduce Institute.

Not far away, there is the airstrip of theAerdelta society, which explains the occa-sional circling over the plains of gliders andsmall planes. In this area, there is also theNational Institute of Wild Fauna.

It is also worth noting the Church of SantaMaria della Quaderna, a 16th-century buil-ding, containing a valuable nativity scene,the Natività del Somacchini.

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ISPRA - Istituto Superiore per laProtezione e la Ricerca Ambientale(Institute for Environmental Protection andResearch)The Institute holds a specialized collectionof about 10,000 samples of birds and mam-mals: in particular, series of birds of prey,aquatic birds and the Apennine Wolf,remains of birds now extinct in Italy andsome particularly rare species. Part of thecollection can be visited on request.Via Ca’ Fornacetta, 940064 Ozzano dell’Emilia (BO)Tel. 051.6512219 - Fax 051.796628Opening Times: by appointment from Monday to Friday. Free entrance.

The Faculty of Veterinary Medicine Created in 1882, an important collection of ana-tomical samples holds over 1,000 examples ofdomestic species, conserved using a “drymethod”. There are particularly interesting skele-tons of horses posed in different gaits, mycolo-gical and vascular specimens, numerous prepa-rations of the nervous system, together withplaster and papier-maché anatomical models.

THE MUSEUM OF DOMESTIC ANIMAL ANATOMYVia Tolara di Sopra, 50 40064 Ozzano dell’Emilia (BO)Tel. [email protected] entrance.

The Faculty of Veterinary MedicineA collection of veterinary surgical instru-ments from prior to the 19th century, of nota-ble historical interest, particularly fascinatingfor the care and precision with which theywere created. There is also an interesting col-lection of horseshoes, evidence of the extra-ordinary ability of the local blacksmiths.COLLECTION OF ANTIQUE SURGICALVETERINARY INSTRUMENTSVia Tolara di Sopra, 50 40064 Ozzano dell’Emilia (BO)Tel. 051.2097530Opening Times: by appointment. Free entrance.

The Faculty of Veterinary MedicineThe Museum displays over 3,000 specimensof animal pathology. Founded by Giovan Bat-tista Ercolani in 1863 with veterinary speci-mens from the Chamber of ComparativeAnatomy. Genuine works of art are the mo-dels in wax, clay and plaster, full-scale repro-ductions of the damaged interior organs ofdomestic animals and of animal monstrosi-ties.

THE “G.B. ERCOLANI” MUSEUM OFPATHOLOGICAL ANATOMY AND VETERI-NARY TERATOLOGY Via Tolara di Sopra, 5040067 Ozzano dell’Emilia (BO)Tel. [email protected] Times: guided visits with prior tele-phone booking. Free entrance.

Museums

Festival of the Badessa, street market with music and various shows: MayFestival of the Centonara, antique fair with evening shows, a hobby market and a demonstration of Parmesan-making: JulySan Giovanni - Festival of the Patron Saint:25th June

Agriozzano: itinerant agricultural-basedevents: every Friday in JuneSan Cristoforo - Tortellone Fair: July

MercataleSan Simone Fair a.k.a. Schioppi (rifles)Festival: September

MARKET DAY: Tuesday

Events

In Ozzano, there is the Faculty of VeterinaryMedicine of the University of Bologna.

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An important centre on the Bolognese plains,Castenaso stands on the banks of the Idice,along the ancient Via Salaria (today Via SanVitale), connecting Bologna to the salt flats ofCervia. Here in the 2nd century BC, the Idice divi-ded the encampments of the two opposing ar-mies of the Gauls and the Romans. In commandof the latter was Consul Publio Sci-pione, calledNasica, from whom Castenaso takes its name:originally it was called Ca-strum Nasicae, theencampment of Nasica, which then becameCastelnaso and finally Castenaso.Even more remote are the origins of the town ofVillanova, famous for its Iron Age necropolis.Villa Gozzadini, dating back to the 16th century,was the center of the digs and today houses theMuseum of Villanovian civilization.

In Marano di Castenaso, there is the ParishChurch of San Giminiano, whose origins dateback to the 12th century. Completely destroyedin the 16th century by the troops of Cesare Borgia,called the Valentino, it was finally rebuilt in neo-Romanesque style in 1929, preserving the 16th-century bell-tower. Among the villas of the ter-ritory, it is worth mentioning Villa Marana, oncethe property of Maestro Francesco Molinari-Pradelli. The villa has a 17th-century façade andhouses the precious Molinari-Pradelli private artcollection.

Near the town stands the Church of theMadonna del Pilar, built on grounds belongingto the Collegio di Spagna. In the sanctuary’smagnificent baroque interior, there is the mira-culous image of the Virgin by G. B. Bolognini(1699). In this church, Gioacchino Rossini cele-brated his second marriage to the sopranoIsabella Colbran in 1822. The couple lived forabout ten years in a villa next to the church, andit was here that the Maestro composed workssuch as “Semiramide” and “William Tell”. Of VillaRossigni today there remains only a particularwell. Colbran is buried in the monumentalcemetery of the Certosa in Bologna, in the com-pany of other great musicians, from Farinelli toOttorino Respighi.

Castenaso

Francesco Molinari-PradelliBorn in Bologna in 1911, where he studiedpiano and composition, Molinari-Pradellicompleted his studies in conducting inRome in 1938. The following year, he madehis debut in Bologna with “Elisir d’amore”,to great success, beginning an internationalcareer which led to performances in all themost important theatres in the world andrecordings of various works, mostly fromthe repertoires of Verdi and Puccini, alwayswith exceptional musicians. A member ofthe Academy of Santa Cecilia, the Maestrowas also well-known as a keen art-collec-tor. He died in Bologna in 1996.

Church of Pilar

Photo by Comune

di Castenaso


The museum is located in what was oncethe country residence of Count GiovanniGozzadini. In 1853 he was the promoter ofthe first archaeological excavations finding179 tombs, discovered the first remains ofthe civilization which would consequentlybe named Villanovian. The museum exhi-bits the whole funerary equipment and thestelae from the burial of Marano, includingthe famous "stele of swords." The exhibi-tion is complemented by videos and inte-ractive installations that accompany thepublic through the life and rituals ofVillanovian civilization.MUSEO DELLA CIVILTA' VILLANOVIANAVia Tosarelli, 191 40050 Villanova di Castenaso (BO)Tel. 051.780021 [email protected]

Museums

Grape Festival, sale of grapes, fleamarketand food stalls: SeptemberMaranofest, beer festival: SeptemberMARKET DAY: Wednesday

Events

The Casalunga Golf Club Via Cà Belfiore, 8 - 40055 Castenaso (BO)Tel. 051.6050164 - Fax [email protected] Casalunga Golf Club is a simple, 9-holeplainland course, surrounded by lovelycountryside: the course winds around alake, a paradise for numerous species ofmigratory birds. Inaugurated in 1993, itrequires precise, prudent technique.Technical data: 9 holes, 3010 m, par 36 + 3executive holes - par 3., 30 mts a.s.l.


The property since 1802 of the “Consorziodei Partecipanti” (a form of labourers’ coo-perative) of Budrio, from which its currentname derives, the “Consorziale” was foun-ded in the 17th century as a private theatrein a bourgeois house, Casa Sgargi. Throu-ghout the 19th century, it quite regularlypresented shows, particularly in the pe-riods of carnival and the festival of SanLorenzo. During the First World War, it wasused as a military barracks and deposit forlime-flowers. From 1920 onwards, it wasalso used as a cinema and hosted ralliesand assemblies: regular speakers here inclu-ded Quirico Filopanti, Andrea Costa andAurelio Saffi. Built between 1924 and 1928,the new theatre is bell-shaped, with twogalleries supported by slender cast-ironpillars, and a third central terrace. The so-ber polychromatic and golden decorations,in neo-Classical style, are the work of thepainter Armando Aldrovandi. It was inaugu-rated on the 6th October 1928 with a per-formance of “La Gioconda” by Ponchielli.With the dissolution of the “Partecipanza”in 1932, the theatre passed into the handsof the local council. Still today it offers richseasons of prose works, ballets, opera andconcerts; in 2005, it hosted the MozartOrchestra conducted by Claudio Abbado.

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The “Consorziale” Theatre

Consorziale Theatre - Photo by Provincia di Bologna

Gate and Avenue of a country villa


Budrio

Our itinerary continues through the “Plain-lands” and starts in Budrio, home of the oca-rina and rich in monuments bearing witnessto its ancient splendour.

While there is still visible evidence of theoriginal Roman and Medieval plans, thehistorical centre has a lovely 16-18th-centuryappearance with its traditional porticoes. Infact, it was in the years between the Renais-sance and the Enlightenment that Budrioattained its greatest splendour, also econo-mically, thanks to a new technique in hempproduction (page 101), which became exclusi-ve exportation in many European countries.

It was in these years of prosperity that manyof the most important buildings of the citywere built, starting with Palazzo BorianiDalla Noce, now the site of the Public Li-brary, which, together with the Theatre, theArchaeological Museum and the “D. Inzaghi”Art Gallery, is part of a unique cultural heri-tage.

There are many other sights to see, startingwith the Church of San Lorenzo, restored inthe 18th century, with a 15th-century fresco anda 16-17th-century altar-piece. Opposite thechurch stands the 15th-century Torredell’Orologio (Clock Tower).

Precious paintings can also be found in theChurch of San Domenico, founded in 1605 bythe Brotherhood of SS. Rosario.

The statue in the middle of the town squareshows Budrio’s most famous son, QuiricoFilopanti: patriot, politician, university lectu-rer, inventor and astronomer.

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Quirico FilopantiGiuseppe Barilli was born in Budrio in 1812.His love of the Classics led him to changehis name in 1837 to Quirico Filopanti. A mul-tifaceted character, often a genius, Filopantiis remembered for inventing time zones,which he called “longitudinal days”, firstpresented in 1858 in London, where he wasliving in exile because of his support for theRoman Republic of 1849. A lecturer ofApplied Mechanics at the University ofBologna, he was never appointed Professordue to his refusal to swear allegiance to thecrown. A Parliamentary Deputy for theRepublican Party until 1892, Filopanti is alsorecalled for his inspired, visionary genius,which led him to invent instruments torelieve the load of workers (a steam-plough, aqueducts for land reclamation onthe plains, etc.), none of which were everbuilt, however. He died in poverty inBologna in 1894.


Palazzo della PartecipanzaVia Mentana, 32 40054 Budrio (BO)Tel. 051.6928306 - [email protected]

THE “DOMENICO INZAGHI” ART GALLERYThe Pinacoteca (Art Gallery) contains pain-tings mostly from Emilia from 1300 to 1700(Vitale da Bologna, Dossi, Lavinia Fontana,Passerotti, Calvaert and others), a notablecollection of prints (etchings by Dürer andCarracci) and drawings by important artists(Guercino, Bigari and Creti).

THE MUNICIPAL ARCHAEOLOGICALAND PALAEO-ENVIRONMENTALMUSEUMThe Museum contains the archaeologicalobjects discovered within the network ofthe Roman “centuriazione” (land-divisionsystem), dating back to the Palaeolithicperiod (from three villages with a prevalen-tly agricultural-pastoral economy from the13th century BC), the Iron Age (from theVillanovian necropolis and settlement ofCastenaso), and finally, the Roman period:fragments of tableware and kitchen pottery,and large containers for cereal, oil and wine.Opening times: 1/10 - 10/6 Sunday 3.30pm-6.30pm; first Sunday of the month 10.30am-12.30pm and 3.30pm-6.30pm. Guided visitswith prior booking. Free entrance.

Museums

MUSEUM OF THE IDICE VALLEYTel. [email protected] in an ex-school built in Neo-Renaissance style in 1922, the Museumfocuses on the places and protagonists(both individually and collectively) of theepochal transformations in the territory ofthe Idice Valley. The Museum also holdstemporary exhibitions dedicated to themain innovations of the 20th Century and tothe relevant social and economic dynamicsin the territory: from mass-communication,in particular the radio, to transport, fromthe moped to the scooter.

Museums

Pinacoteca entrance


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A visit to Budrio would not be completewithout buying an example of the musicalinstrument invented right here: the ocarina.

The ocarina is a popular musical wind-instrument in terracotta, made in variousdimensions, capable of playing concertos invarious tonalities. It was invented by a nati-ve of Budrio, Giuseppe Donati, in 1853 andwas very successful throughout the 19thcentury, also internationally, so much sothat it was even produced in Paris andLondon. Concerts by early groups of ocari-na-players from Budrio were performed forthe Tsar and at the Moulin Rouge. Today theocarina is celebrated in a biennial festivalwhich brings together artists and fans fromall over the world.The Ocarina Museum, the only one in theworld, illustrates the evolution of this parti-cular musical instrument, the constructiontechniques and the traditional musicalrepertories, through numerous examplesand a rich documentary, bibliographical andaudio collection. THE MUSEUM OF THE OCARINA ANDTERRACOTTA MUSICAL INSTRUMENTSVia Garibaldi, 35 - 40054 Budrio (BO)Tel. 051.6928306 - [email protected] times: 1/10 - 10/6 Sunday3.30pm-6.30pm; first Sunday of the month10.30am-12.30pm and 3.30pm-6.30pm.Guided visits with prior booking. Freeentrance.

Museums

Ocarina


The Zanella-Pasqualini, Liliana Perani andCervellati-Menarini collections bring toge-ther over 1,200 objects collected in overtwenty years of passionate research intoItalian and Asiatic animated theatre: proofof the important regional tradition, a richcollection of marionettes, some of whichare genuine works of art, Sicilian puppetsfrom the early 20th Century and an antique,highly rare Neapolitan puppet.PUPPET MUSEUMVia Garibaldi, 29 - 40054 Budrio (BO)Tel. 051.6928306 - [email protected] times: 1/10 - 10/6 Sunday 3.30pm-6.30pm; first Sunday of the month 10.30am-12.30pm and 3.30pm-6.30pm. Guided visitswith prior booking. Free entrance.

Museums

Puppet Museum


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Moving out of the town, 1 km from the cen-tre, we find the Church of SS. Gervasio andProtasio, one of the most ancient parishchurches in the Bolognese area. The currentarchitectural style of the exterior is theresult of 18th-century rebuilding, while evi-dence of its high-medieval origins can beseen in the Roman and Lombard epigraphs(5th-8th centuries) and above all in the “sunkenchurch”, of which only the apse is nowaccessible. There is also a notable Carolingian cross anda baptism font carved from a late-Romancapital, as well as works by the Gandolfi andthe School of Guido Reni. Also worth seeing are the frescoes by theGuardassoni in the church in Vedrana, 5 kmsnorth-east of the county town.

In the village of Mezzolara, the 18th-centuryVilla Rusconi stands isolated in an ancient,luxurious park, rich in rare botanical species.Interesting from a naturalistic point of viewis also Valle Benni, once a reservoir for therice paddies, today a protected wetland forflora and for the repopulation of migrantbirds.

Finally, a gem which alone is worth a visit. “Adelightful place, more charming than anyother”, the small area of Bagnarola was cho-sen by some of the most prestigious Bolo-

gnese aristocratic families between the 16thand 18th centuries as the site to build theirsuperb country residences. “The true high-light of all the society of the Bolognese vil-las”, Bagnarola’s most sensational feature isthe Malvezzi-Campeggi complex, called the“Bolognese Versailles”. Composed of theAurelio and Floriano villas, it is in the formof a horse-shoe with long, wide porticoeswhere a great fair was held. Next to this,there is Palazzo Odorici, called Palazzo diSopra (Upper Palace), with a correspondingvilla to the north, the Palazzo di Sotto(Lower Palace), a 16th-century villa whichCount Ferdinando Ranuzzi-Cospi rebuilt inthe 18th century, giving it its present appea-rance, with a splendid three-arched loggia.Aligned along its sides, there are two porti-coed farm buildings. Two elegant, identicalchurch façades complete the scene: the firstis a real chapel dedicated to Our Lady of theAssumption, while the second hides a largeunderground larder. Villa Ranuzzi-Cospi istoday the seat of the re-born “Notturni”Literary Academy. The Bagnarola villas canonly be visited when there are special e-vents.

Carnival, in Budrio, Vedrana and Mezzolara.Primaveranda, exhibitions, shows, marketsand sports games: April and MayAGRIBU, agricultural and food fair with ahealth Market of natural and biologicalproduce: September and OctoberSport Festival: OctoberInternational Ocarina Festival: biennialevent (in the spring of odd-numberedyears)

Maddalena di CazzanoCountry Festival: second weekend ofSeptember

MezzolaraOnion Festival: end of September

MARKET DAY: Tuesday

Events

Bagnarola Villa - Photo by Regione Emilia-Romagna

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From a historical point of view, Molinella stillhas some interesting traces of the warlikepast of the plains. In the centre of the town,the lovely Tower, the Torre di S. Stefano is allthat remains of the ancient castle built by theBolognese to defend the border with Ferrara.Its present appearance is the result of rebuil-ding in 1404, after Alberto V d’Este, an ally ofGian Galeazzo Visconti, had destroyed it,

Molinella

Tower of Santo Stefano

Photo by Provincia di Bologna Molinella is a town that has always been con-tested by the land and water. Water here hasnot only conditioned the geography, but alsothe economy and culture. In fact, its namecomes from the many water-mills whichsprung up along the ancient River Idice, whichit seems were able to function both when thewater flowed down towards the Po at Primaroand when it flowed upstream due to flooding.

The agriculture of these lands is also basedaround a cereal linked to water: rice.Considered too stimulating and a carrier ofmalaria, it was banned for centuries by theState of the Church and intensive cultivationonly began after the introduction of hydrau-lic systems in the 18-19th centuries.

These changes took on great importance inMolinella with the arrival of the workers’ andsocialist movements. It is the birthplace ofGiuseppe Massarenti, who passed from thestruggle for the trade unions to the creationof the first prime consumer, production andworkers’ cooperatives in the region.

Cartography of the Renana reclamation


149

The “Mondine”The word “mondina” (rice-worker) bringsto mind a world full of work, passion andsongs, immortalized by the film by Giuseppe DeSantis Riso Amaro, with Silvana Manganoand Vittorio Gassman. The famous songsof the mondine, called “cantoni”, were notonly cheerful songs, but also a form ofvocal protest. In Molinella in 1883, the firststrike of rice-workers in Italy was organi-zed. From then on, this area was the epi-centre of large-scale, repeated industrialaction, which involved up to a thousandrice-workers. These bitter, long-term stri-kes to reduce working hours ended in 1912with the introduction of an eight-hourworking day. Another significant event inthe struggle happened during the periodof Fascism: from the 12th to the 20th June1944 the rice-workers of Molinella,Medicina, Galliera, Bentivoglio, S.Pietro inCasale, Malabergo, Baricella, Minerbio andSan Giovanni in Persiceto joined in thestrike called by the clandestine unions.Sixty years after the first strike, theirdemands were still a kilo of rice, a hotmeal at midday and a new bicycle tyre...

Giuseppe Massarenti Sent to study at university in Bologna by hischemist uncle, Giuseppe Massarenti cameinto contact with some ofthe leading exponents of theradical socialist movementof Emilia and Romagna, inparticular Andrea Costa.Defending the rights of theweakest rural classes hit bythe agricultural crisis and thecapitalist change in thesocial relationships in thecountryside led him, in 1892,to form the Molinella sec-tion of the newly-createdItalian Workers’ Party. In thesame year, he founded theLeague of Resistance in thestruggle of farm-labourers in these plains.Elected to the town council in 1895, he laterbecame a provincial deputy and the Mayorof Molinella, and contributedto the electionin Parliament of Bissolati, Podrecca andModigliani, all from the constituency ofBudrio-Molinella. Rather than national poli-

tics, Massarenti always preferred local actionin favour of the farm labourers and rice-wor-kers of Molinella. In 1896, he created the con-sumer cooperative of Molinella, one of the

first in Emilia Romagna, whichin the following years, provi-ded fundamental economicsupport for the striking agri-cultural workers. Dischargedas Mayor and forced into exilein Switzerland and SanMarino, he never gave up theworkers’ struggle, for whichhe became known as the“apostle of cooperation”.After the First World War,once more elected Mayor ofMolinella, he became thesubject of attacks by theFascists, forcing him to leave

his hometown again and move to Rome.There, he was arrested in 1926 and banishedfor over seven years. In 1937, he was arrestedonce more and shut in a Roman psychiatricasylum. At the end of the Second World War,he was finally able to return to Molinella,where he died in May 1950.


along with the rest of the castle, in 1390.Changed into a bell-tower in the mid-16th cen-tury, its original merlons have been replacedby a bizarre crowning surmounted by a smallfour-arched tower which acted as the belfry.A date to be remembered is that of the Battleof the Riccardina - the 25th July 1467, the firstoccasion of a massive employment of fire-arms.

Leaving the town, there are several areasworth visiting, such as Selva Malvezzi, agenuine 14th-century feudal complex belon-ging to the powerful noble Malvezzi family.Although it was restructured in the 17th centu-ry, the complex still has its original appearan-ce. The central 17th-century country house isparticularly notable, with its large double-fli-ghted staircase to allow separate access forpeople and animals, and the Governor’s buil-ding with its splendid façade enriched by aclock and bell.

San Martino in Argine, mentioned in docu-ments about river traffic dating back to befo-re 1000, was sacked in 1390 by the troops ofGian Galeazzo Visconti. Villa Ghisleri is worthnoting, a 15th-century villa whose presentappearance came from restructuring byGiuseppe Grabinski, an officer of Napoleon.

History and Culture

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Rare example of “vite maritata”

Photo by Comune di Minerbo - Elisa Busato

Now, some gastronomic curiosities. Here, inthe 18th century, the delicious cake “torta ditagliatelle” was created, while the local riceis the main ingredient of the most classicBolognese sweet: rice cake. Another typicalproduct of the zone is White BalsamicoVinegar, a variant of the more famousBalsamic Vinegar of Modena, obtained bycombining wine vinegar and must fromwhite Trebbiano grapes.

For lovers of skydiving, Molinella has the lar-gest parachuting centre in Italy, which alsohas courses and a hire-service of ultralightplanes and gliders.

The Vallazza is an 85-hectare area belon-ging to the “G. Massarenti” Cooperative,on the road from Molinella to Selva Mal-vezzi. Inside a perimeter of poplars, athick tangle of marsh reeds surround avast body of water, full of floating waterlilies. It is an ideal habitat for frogs, turtles,grass snakes and other reptiles. Coots,grebes and various species of ducks oftennest here and it is not rare to come acrossmajestic herons. The old “maceri” (retting-pits) for hemp are also a biological systemof surprising richness, characterized by oaks,willows, reed-thickets and wild flowers.

The Valle di Marmorta leads us into theRegional Park of the Po Delta. Followingindications for Argenta, we reach the na-tural reserve of the Argenta vallies, in theterritory of Ferrara. These wet zonesstretch over 1,600 hectares and includethe flood-plains of Bassarone, Campottoand Valle Santa, the remains of the enor-mous areas created for the flooding ofthe Idice, Quaderna, Sillaro and Reno ri-vers.

Carnival: February and MarchMolinella Festival: June and JulyColli and Valli, cycling rally organised bythe Molinella Mountain Bike Club: October

San Pietro CapodifiumeFestival of San Pietro: June

San Martino in ArgineFestival of San Luigi: July

MarmortaFestival of San Vittore: early AugustLand of Flavours: October

MARKET DAY: Thursday

Events

Nature

In San Pietro Capofiume, there is one of themost important Centres of MeteorologicalStudies in North Italy. It was here that therecord temperature of 1985, the lowest everin these plains, was recorded: -29°c. Not faraway, in Alberino, in 1865 Severino Ferrariwas born. A refined poet and literary acade-mic, he was a close friend of Pascoli and thefavourite student of Carducci, who alsowrote about him in his poetry.

The wet zones, which still survive today as amemory of the once-great “Padusa” (thewild lands of the Po Valley), offer animal-lovers and birdwatchers a genuine paradise,populated by thousands of aquatic birds.

The Plantations of the Po Valley Still visible in aerial photographs taken bythe Royal Air Force in 1944, the plantationsof the Po Valley were a significant feature ofthe Bolognese countryside for centuries. Using a system of mixed cultivation, longnarrow camps of crops alternated with rowsof vines supported by trees used as stakes.In ancient times, the stakes were arbustumgallicum, spread throughout the plains bythe Romans, who had learnt this plantationmethod from the Gauls, although it wasalready practiced by the Etruscans. Inmodern times, this system proved particu-larly adaptable to the requirements of sha-recropping agriculture, since apart from thespecialized industrial cultivation, (hemp andsilk), the land had to supply each farm withenough produce to sustain the large familiesfarming there. The stakes at the time wereelms and maples, as well as willows andmulberries - the typical trees of the plains.

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An ancient river port on the Navile Canal,Malalbergo no longer has many of the an-cient buildings, most of them having beendestroyed during the last world war. Amongthe exceptions are Palazzo Marescalchi, nowthe Public Library, and the Casermone, oncethe seat of the customs house and then of theGendarmerie, now substantially restructured.

A 14-kilometre cycle-track links Malalbergowith Altedo, the world capital of the GreenAsparagus. In May, this area becomes thehaunt of cuisine-artists and a workshop for ta-ste engineers, the stars of the festival dedi-cated to the asparagus.

The Green Asparagus of Altedo is protectedby a European trademark, but the tortellinois the venerated lord of Bolognese cookingand Malalbergo becomes its ambassador onoccasion of the Tortellino Festival in June.

Malalbergo

The Green Asparagus of Altedo has along, consolidated tradition dating back tothe 1920s. After the Second World War, thecultivation of asparagus began to spreadand important cooperatives in the territorywere created to concentrate on productionand commercialization of this particularproduct, leading to the award in 2003 of theIGP (Protected Geographical Indication) tra-demark. The Green Asparagus of Altedo isgrown in the areas of Anzola dell’Emilia,Argelato, Bologna, Budrio, Baricella, Benti-voglio, Calderara di Reno, Crevalcore, Ca-stello d’Argile, Castenaso, Castel Maggiore,Castel San Pietro, Castel Guelfo, Dozza, Gal-liera, Granarolo dell’Emilia, Imola, Malalber-go, Medicina, Minerbio, Molinella, Morda-no, Ozzano dell’Emilia, Pieve di Cento, SalaBolognese, San Giovanni in Persiceto, SanGiorgio di Piano, San Pietro in Casale,Sant’Agata Bolognese, San Lazzaro di Savenaand in parts of the Province of Ferrara.

The Tortellino of BolognaThe most classic and imitated of the pastadishes in the Bolognese gastronomical tra-dition is without doubt the tortellino.Invented by the chef of Antipope Ales-sandro V, the “navel of Venus” is made withdelicate sheets of egg pasta rolled out byhand, then closed around a filling of porkloin, ham, genuine mortadella of Bologna,egg and nutmeg, according to the reciperegistered at the Chamber of Commerceon the 7th December 1974 by the Bologne-se delegation of the Italian Academy ofCooking, together with the Export Bro-therhood of the Tortellino. Another sign ofhow seriously eating is taken in these parts.Tradition then dictates that the tortelliniare rigorously cooked and served in meatstock. Should one wish to contravene thistradition, one should at least respect it forthe cooking in stock. However, this is not arisk when eating in the “trattorie” (traditio-nal restaurants) of the province.

Gastronomy and Wine

Gastronomy and Wine

Tortellini of Bologna

Photo by Diateca Agricoltura della Regione Emilia-Romagna

- Fabrizio Dell’Aquila

IGP Green Asparagus of Altedo

Photo by Diateca Agricoltura della Regione Emilia-Romagna

- Luigi Riccioni

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Nature-lovers should take note of the wetzones of two estates, La Comune and LaValle, nesting grounds for various species ofaquatic birds such as herons, stilt-ploversand black storks. Here, in a profusion of hy-drophilous woods, you can once more admi-re plants and animals whose disappearancecoincided with that of the old valleys, linkedto the cultivation of rice and a marsh herblocally called “erba sala”, from which a mate-rial is obtained, commonly used in localcraftwork to bottom chairs or cover flasks.

La Comune and La Valle Nature ReservesThe countryside here is very similar to thatof the woods of the ancient plains of thePo Valley. Small swamps, of various depths,full of reed-beds, alternate with strips ofdry land with poplars, willows, elms andEnglish oaks. Moreover, in the pond behindthe guard’s house on the estate of LaComune, there are lotus flowers, a rareexample in the Bolognese territory. Heronsnest among these reeds and trees. Thereare numerous “inhabitants” in these lands:among the many species of birds, you canfind wild ducks, garganeys, kingfishers,egrets, stilt-plovers, storks, owls and marshharriers. In recent years there has also beena very welcome return: spoonbills, similarto storks but with particular bills, which hadbeen missing for over thirty years. For seve-ral days a year, La Comune also hosts ablack stork which stops here to rest andfeed during its migration. The MalalbergoTown Council organizes a series of guidedvisits, allowing nature-lovers to observe,understand and appreciate these wetzones.

Nature

Tortellino Festival: first two weekends ofJuneBirra sotto le stelle (Beer Festival): lateJune - early JulyEvenings on the Navile Canal: first twoweekends of September

AltedoFestival of the green Asparagus ofAltedo: May (3rd and 4th weeks)

MARKET DAY: Saturday in Malalbergo andAltedo

Events

Via Tombe

Photo by Comune di Malalbergo - Tiziana Bertacci

La Valle


Riolo Canal


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The earliest documents referring to Baricelladate back to the first half of the 15th century.Its name comes from the “bargelli”, officialsin charge of policing and fiscal controls onthe ancient course of the River Savena, oncea crossroads for trade with the neighbouringterritory of Ferrara.

It is worth visiting the 18th-century Church ofS. Maria di Baricella, whose origins dateback to the 16th century. Inside there is avaluable early 17th-century wooden crucifix,believed by the faithful to be miraculous - incases of calamity, it used to be exhibited orcarried in procession.

At the eastern limit of the town, the Ora-tory of San Marco is a beautiful brick buil-ding with neo-medieval terracotta decora-tions and the interior completely paintedwith frescoes celebrating Cavaliere Zucchini(whose ashes have been kept here since1905), an important figure in the moderniza-tion of agriculture in these lands.

In the area of Boschi, there is the Church ofS. Maria Laurentana, containing a beautifulwooden Madonna clothed in fabrics fromthe time of the original construction, the 17th

century, substituted in the 19th century bythe present building.

Near the village of San Gabriele, it is alsoworth noting the Church of S. Maria delCorniolo, consecrated in 1530, as can beseen on the plaque in the apse. The altarpiece representing the Assumption, remo-delled several times, dates back to the early16th century. Of the decorations from then,there survive two frescoes on the counter-façade, as well as a highly interesting frag-ment with a floral and anthropomorphicmotif, believed to be the work of AmicoAspertini (page 155), who was working in thesame period on the decoration of the RoccaIsolani in Minerbio.

Baricella

Gandazzolo Sluice

Photo by Comune di Baricella - Mario Fizzoni

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The Baricella Oasis Walking through the countryside of Ba-ricella, you will notice a sudden change inVia Bocche, interrupting the flat monoto-ny of the plains. This is the EcologicalReadjustment Area of Baricella: large mea-dows interspersed with clumps of trees,rows of saplings, and hedges. On theboard at the entrance, there is usefulinformation for visitors and a descriptionof the origins of the area. Once inside, following the trails indicated,visitors can appreciate the two bodies ofwater, wet zones created from a floodedmeadow and a deeper pond. From withinthe two observation towers, you canwatch the arrival of aquatic birds, theacrobatic flight of dragonflies, or thecourting of emerald toads. Occasionally,there are guided visits.Info and booking: Centro Agricoltura AmbienteTel. 051.873436Baricella Town CouncilTel. 051.6622411

Fire di Sdazz: 3rd Sunday and Monday ofOctober

MARKET DAY: Friday in Baricella andMonday in San Gabriele

Events

Nature

Baricella Oasis


Oratory of San Marco


It is also worth visiting the Ecological Read-justment Area of Baricella, created by theTown Council in the grounds of the RealeCollegio di Spagna, where environmentaleducation activities are organised. As well asnumerous species of birds, there is also thechance to see the rare marsh tortoise.

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Minerbio

Referred to in antique documents as “SelvaMinervese”, it is assumed that the name Mi-nerbio dates back to the Roman period andin particular to the religious cult dedicatedto the god Minerva. The Roman presence inthe area is confirmed by numerous traces ofthe “centuriazione” (land-division system)(page 104), still visible today. The officialfoundation took place in 1231, when the Po-destà of Bologna gave Minerbio to a hun-dred and fifty families from Mantua, withthe obligation of residing there and reclai-ming the land from the abundant swamps.

Still today the town winds around the oldmedieval borough and the complex ofRocca Isolani, a masterpiece of 16th-centuryBolognese architecture, which can only bevisited on occasions of special events.

Bologna, decided to build a dwelling with anessentially defensive design. Destroyed in1527 by the Lanzichenecchi as they weremarching towards Rome, the Rocca wasrebuilt in the mid-16th century as a noble resi-dence, abandoning all the military characte-ristics of the original construction. An exam-ple of the greatest decorative art of the 16th

century, the Rocca boasts an interior with anextraordinary cycle of frescoes, the work ofthe most original painter of his time: AmicoAspertini.

The building of the Rocca began in 1403when the Isolani, given the feud of Minerbioby the Visconti for their help in conquering

Amico Aspertini was born in Bologna bet-ween 1474 and 1475. An original and highly-cultured painter, in a period for Bologna ofparticularly flat aesthetics along the linesof Perugino and Raffaello, Aspertini main-tained an autonomous artistic personality,“in the manner of one who would never besubjected”. Having worked in Rome forPope Alexander VI, in 1506, with the Franciaand the Costa, he created the frescoes ofSanta Cecilia in Bologna, followed by thoseof San Frediano in Lucca. The masterpieceof his mature years was the decoration ofthree rooms in the Rocca Isolani inMinerbio. His preparatory cartoons for thework are today kept in the British Museumin London. The frescoes in the AstronomyRoom in particular, with their illusionisticvision, represent the most significant orga-nic introduction of a taste for paintedarchitecture which would prove so succes-sful in Bologna from the second half of the16th century onwards. Important works byAmico Aspertini are also kept in thePinacoteca (Art Gallery) Nazionale inBologna and in the Churches of SanPetronio and San Martino, where he wasburied on the 19th November 1552.


Portico of the historical centre

Photo by Comune di Minerbio - Elisa Busato

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Castle and Portico of San Martino in Soverzano


Next to the Rocca stands “Palazzo Nuovo”, amid-16th-century work by the architectBartolomeo Triachini, with a façade featu-ring the motif of a loggia, which wouldbecome a recurrent feature in the Bolognesevillas of the time. The large courtyard fra-ming the complex has a very elegant dove-cote, the tower Colombaia, attributed toJacopo Barozzi, called the Vignola. Datingback to 1536, with an octagonal interior plan,it has a helicoidal wooden staircase and acomplicated system of small cells created tohost over 3,000 nests.

It is also worth visiting the Church of SanGiovanni Battista, in the town’s main street.One of the most beautiful in the county, itwas built in the 18th century on a project bythe architect Carlo Francesco Dotti. Insidethere are some important works, includingan Our Lady of the Sorrows from the Schoolof Guido Reni, the object of particularpopular devotion, tradition wanting that shehas on various occasions turned her gazeonto the faithful. There is a noteworthygroup of sculptures of the Glory by Giu-seppe Mazza, a typical example of high Bo-lognese Baroque style.

On the road to Budrio, there is a particular-ly interesting parish church, the Pieve di SanGiovanni in Triario, probably from the 11thcentury, still containing an ancient baptismalfont, as well as paintings attributed toDaniele da Volterra. It houses the Museumof Popular Religion. The parish church isalso the setting for a novel by the Bolognesethriller-writer Danila Comastri Montanari, LaCampana dell’Arciprete (The Archbishop’sBell), a country saga with a murder, set in1824 at the time of the Pontifical Restorationafter the defeat of the Napoleonic dream.In San Martino in Soverzano stands theCastle, built in 1411 by the Bolognese KnightBartolomeo Manzoli. The original buildingwas highly restructured in the 19th century.

However, its rectangular plan, spacious in-ternal courtyard, four defensive towers atthe corners and moat underline its twin fun-ctions of defence and abode. Now privateproperty, it has a long porticoed walkwayleading from the castle into the park, built in1684 to host an important annual fair, whichstill today attracts visitors over the firstweekend of October.

Nocturnal Carnival: 3rd Saturday of JuneSweet Fair: 3rd Sunday of JuneTagliatella and Musical Band Festival: 1st

weekend of JulySeptember Festival: 3rd weekend of Sep-temberThanksgiving Festival: 2nd Sunday of No-vember

San Giovanni in TriarioCountry Fair: Easter Monday

San Martino in SoverzanoFestival of San Martino: 1st weekend ofOctober


Events

Palazzo Nuovo


Granarolo dell’Emilia started out as an agri-cultural borough at the gates of Bologna andwas for centuries the real granary of the city.The long-lasting traces of the Roman “centu-riazione” (land-division system) (page 104)are still today the most evident proof of theagricultural vocation of the territory, inhabi-ted since time immemorial due to its posi-tion between the territory of Ferrara and theport of Spina.

Tradition recounts that one of the area’smost important historical families had itsorigins here: the Bentivoglio family, Lords ofBolo-gna in the 15th and 16th centuries. Thefounder of the noble family is said to havebeen born in Viadagola on the 4th May 1252,to a beautiful local peasant-girl and KingEnzo of Svevia, a prisoner of the Bolognese.

In Granarolo, it is worth visiting the Churchof San Vitale, rebuilt in 1682, containing aportrait of San Girolamo attributed to theGuercino. Near the church, there is thecountryside residence (recently rebuild) ofthe explorer from Ravenna PellegrinoMatteucci, the first man to cross the Africancontinent from the Red Sea to the Gulf ofGuinea. Also in Granarolo, there is VillaBassi, also called Villa del Marchesino,which now hosts events.

In the surrounding countryside, over the 18thcentury numerous villas sprung up, some ofnotable architectural interest. Particularexamples are Villa Amelia in Fibbia, with

rooms decorated in tempera from the 17th

century and noted for its “conserva” (pantry),and Villa Mareschi, in Lovoleto, with itshighly particular double row of centuries-old oaks, about 1 kilometre long, lining themain avenue to the villa.

The present buildings of the five parish chur-ches, one for each of the Town Council’shamlets, date back to the 18th-19th centuries.Perhaps the most notable for its style andfrescoes is the Church of San Mamante inLovoleto. Quite apart from the churches,this territory is characterized by its traditio-nal country oratories. The most importantare in Granarolo, Lovoleto and Cadriano.

Granarolo dell’Emilia

Verdevolo, market with biological produ-ce and agricultural stalls: end of MayQuarto di Luna, procession of floats andfair: 1st weekend of JuneGranarolo Festival: 2nd Sunday of October

ViadagolaViadagola Festival: 2nd week of June

LovoletoLovoleto Festival: in August and in Sep-tember

CadrianoAncient Fair of Cadriano: 3rd Sunday ofSeptember.


Events

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Sunset on Granarolo country

Photo by Comune di Granarolo dell’Emilia

Oratory of Santa Croce

Photo by Comune di Granarolo dell’Emilia

the bolognese valleys of the idice, savena and setta

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