PIGNOLETTO

A few minutes from the historical centre, the Bologna hills to the South represent an important parkland, where it is possible to enjoy a beautiful view of the city. Architectural and monumental jewels like villas, churches and monasteries are hidden there. Among them the fortified village of Monteveglio is one of the most attractive and eye-catching spots in the entire DOC Colli Bolognesi region. The castle stands on a spur over the plain and remains in essence the edifice that was built by Matilde of Canossa. A plaque over the entrance explains the story of Henry IV and Matilde while the ruined towers and bastions stand nearby. On the summit of the hill there is the superb Abbey of S. Maria Assunta, a Romanesque church with three naves and a beautiful choir built over a X-century crypt. The two cloisters are also very fine. The path back from the abbey door through the village and its ancient houses is most attractive. 
On 25th March every year, the Feast of the Annunciation, there is a thanksgiving procession to celebrate an unseasonable fall of snow on 24th March 1527 that lifted a long siege by the landsknechts. 

Bologna is located between the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines and the heart of the Po Valley. Due to its position between North and South, East and West, the Adriatic coast as well as cities such as Venice, Florence, Milan and Rome can easily be reached from Bologna.

 

City of art, culture and commerce, with a streamlined trade-fair organization and a well-known manufacturing and motor tradition, Bologna is famous for its almost 40 km of arcades, the longest in the world.

Also called “The Learned” for its old University, and “The Fat” for its food tradition, the city is also a “UNESCO creative City of Music” and has one of the largest and most well-preserved medieval historical centres, full of restaurants, taverns, theatres and shops.

Home of many famous artists such as Giorgio Morandi, Guido Reni, the Carraccis, Guercino, Aspertini, its charm has also charmed notable people like Mozart, Carducci, Dante, Rossini and Guglielmo Marconi, winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics.

Lasagne, tortellini, Mortadella bolognese Dop among the most famous pearls of Bologna food tradition

Bologna is synonym for food & wine tradition. Mortadella, “ragù alla Bolognese”, handmade pastas such as tortellini, lasagne and tagliatelle, boiled meat, certosino cake: these are only some of the foods that have made Bologna's gastronomy famous throughout the world, together with the fabulous “sfogline” (women making handmade pastas) whose lessons are attended by visitors from every country in the world.

 

Ref: emiliaromagnaturismo.com

Discover the hidden treasures of Bologna hills: abbeys, beautiful landscape and wineries.