Bologna - Apennine villages Travel Guides | Bologna | Sub Regions | Bologna - Apennine villages

The hills behind Bologna are speckled with villages providing glimpses of rustic Italian life. They also provide the opportunity to savour the Apennine's rich flora and fauna and to take part in recreational activities, from trekking and climbing to cycling and skiing, or simply to relax at one of the area's spa towns. You will probably need your own transport to reach the deeper recesses of the region although buses do run to some of the bigger villages.

Sights

Marzabotto

Museo Archaeologico Nazionale Pompeo Aria, via Porettana 13, T 051-932352. 0900-1200, 1500-1830, €2.50. Ruins 0800-1800. Buses at least once an hour from Bologna bus station, €10 return.

Ten or so kilometres southwest of Bologna this village is famous for the considerable vestiges of the Etruscan town of Misa, dated to the sixth century BC and set in the beautiful wooded Monte Sole national park. Marzabotto also achieved notoriety as the place where 1800 partisan were massacred in 1944 during the last days of the Nazi occupatioin. Their names and faces are remembered on plaques on the side of the Palazzo Comunale in Bologna.

Montefiorino

Buses at least once an hour from Bologna bus station, €10 return.

Further west, atmospheric Montefiorino, with its steep approach and austere hilltop fort often surrounded in swirling mist, is another seat of partisan resistance in the summer of 1944.

Castle Route

A car is necessary to do the whole route, though buses serve individual destinations. Ask tourist information for details.

The legacy of power and paranoia among warring factions in the area is visible in the many castles that dominate hilltops. The following villages are connected by beautiful winding and tree-lined roads through the hills. Heading southwest of Bologna is Vignola, famous for its cherries and also the Rocca di Vignola castle dating back to Saint Anselm. Beyond this is the 13th-century Castello di Serravalle before the route reaches the beautiful castle-town of Monteveglio, famous not only for its imposing fortress but also the 11th-century abbey, Abbazia di Santa Maria, which acts as a focal point for great walks with stunning views over the countryside. At Bazzano the fort is a piece of typically extravagant reconstruction work commissioned by Giovanni II Bentivoglio in the 15th century on the remains of a 13th-century original. In the 18th century, the poet Ugo Foscolo was imprisoned it its tower. The castle now houses the Museo Crespellani, devoted to local history and archaeology. Bazzano is equally famous for its cherries and fine local wine. Further south still, La Rocchetta Mattei near Riola, is a castle of a different sort. Commissioned in 1850 by the eccentric homeopathic doctor Cesare Mattei, it is a fantastical fairytale hotchpotch of architectural influences from all cultures and eras resulting in a Transylavnian rhapsody of kitsch. Nearby Riola is the home of an innovative church, the Chiesa di Santa Maria l'Assunta, a bold and unusual 1965 Papal commission by the Finnish architect, Alvar Aalto.

Spa Towns

Salsomaggiore Terme, Azienda Autunoma di Soggiorno e Cure, viale Romagnosi 4, T 0524-572100/578201. Open all year. Porretta Terme, via Roma 7, T 0534-22062. Castel San Pietro, viale Terme 1113, T 051-234475.

There are more than 20 thermal spa resorts in Emilia-Romagna, survivors of the 19th-century fashion for relaxing in sulphurous decadence. These are the perfect places to go in order to detox and hydro-massage away the extravagances of too much rich Bolognese food. The most famous is Salsomaggiore Terme, 32 km west of Parma. Nowadays a bustling resort of 41 hotels dedicated to the Italian religions of health and beauty, but with magnificent Art Deco architecture, the place still retains a Belle Epoque Death In Venice air. For a quieter experience head to Porretta Terme, in prime Morandi country (you will pass through the Cezanne-like hills of Grizzana Morandi on the way), 60 km south of Bologna at an altitude of 349 m. The nearest spa experience to Bologna is at Castel San Pietro, only 23 km away.

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