Attractions and Places To See around Castel Guelfo Di Bologna - Top 20

Update June 25. The route is no longer practicable, the trees on the ground, the uneven ground from the bulldozers have made the route practically impossible. I don't know if it is feasible from Castel San Pietro, but not from Castel Guelfo

Fascinating village for its architecture and the street art that is scattered throughout the citadel.

brisk walk

Done yesterday, the route from Castel Guelfo to Castel San Pietro is about 8km all up and down with curves, super beautiful and fun!! The passage over the stream is doable as long as you have neoprene shoes to walk with dry feet and then continue. Halfway after passing under the highway bridge, towards Castel San Pietro there is a tree that blocks the path, but you can get around it on foot by passing a bit in the woods. Overall the route is clean and doable even with a bit of mud after a rain

The Mineral Water Park is the historic green lung of Imola. Mainly known for its recreational and sporting function, it also has an undoubted botanical and historical value. It is located a short distance from the city center and is nowadays entirely surrounded by the “Enzo e Dino Ferrari” racetrack. It originated from the discovery of Dr. Gioacchino Cerchiari, which occurred in 1830, of the healing sulphurous water springs which made the place immediately popular. The first arrangement of the area into a real park dates back to 1871, with the creation of avenues and flowerbeds according to the so-called "English" model. Currently the park extends over 11 hectares and has a rich heritage of tree species, both native and exotic. Recent interventions have aimed to enhance this heritage by providing the park with two play areas and an educational path of a geological nature, and by redeveloping some historical areas: the area of the ancient springs (indicated by the restoration of the original cisterns), the monumental staircase that leads from Viale Atleti Azzurri d'Italia leads to the Belvedere, and the entrances to the park. In particular we highlight the one to the north, called 'Piazzetta della Fontana' from the ceramic work of the artist Mannes Laffi, and the one to the south, or Piazzetta delle Querce', characterized by paving in stone slabs and cubes which reflect the park logo : an oak leaf. (Source: https://visitareimola.it/vivere/tempo-libero/natura/parco-acque-minerali/ )

UPDATE JULY 2023 - With the May flood, the route was heavily damaged by the river and is currently partially impassable. On the Castel Guelfo side there are many fallen trees in the middle of the route and in certain points the bottom has become sandy. Furthermore, at the height of the ford, a part of the embankment (which included the route) collapsed completely. It will certainly take time to fix it, at the moment I advise against practicing it. [I'll try to delete this comment when it's fixed].

The Fonte Fegatella is one of the symbols most loved by the castellans. As the name itself suggests, the source, thanks to its salt-chromium-ionic water (high in bromine and iodine) has healing powers linked to liver health. These powers were discovered way back in 1337, when it is said of a herd of sheep seriously ill with liver disease who, by drinking the water of the Fegatella, returned to health. These properties of the Fegatella water were also studied and listed thanks to tests carried out by university professors present in the city during the seven months of the transfer of the Bolognese university headquarters to Castel San Pietro following the papal interdict on Bologna. ... The main temple monument dates back to the early 1950s, erected by the then independent healthcare company. Subject to interventions and renovations several times, in recent times the source has acquired a second tap towards the Lungo Sillaro park, on the other side of the road. (Source: https://prolococastelsanpietroterme.it/it/monumento/fonte-fegatella-fegatella-source/ )

Ducia and Dutia the oldest; Dozza the current one. This is the evolution of the name of the village, which passed through the forms of Duza and Doccia, before the final outcome. Many sounds to link this location to a single element: water, the lack of which has characterized its name, and therefore, its history. From the coat of arms of the Municipality, with the griffin drinking, to the findings of an ancient aqueduct coming from Monte del Re, up to the toponyms of the churches, everything connects the name of Dozza to the "shower", a conduit through which the water flows. Almost a paradox, for a village that for centuries has made quality wine a source of wealth and a flag. Inhabited since the Bronze Age, the place was first subjected to the Gauls, then to the Romans. It began to flourish again before the year 1000. It was the Bolognese who surrounded it with walls in 1086 and about two centuries later built the fortress with the ravelin, to defend the entrance to the village. The first written document that tells us about a Castrum Ducie dates back to 1126. For centuries it was the subject of dispute due to its strategic position dominating the Via Emilia. It flourished again and found a certain stability with Caterina Sforza, who rebuilt the fortress. Then, at the end of long disputes, it became a fiefdom of the Malvezzi-Campeggi family. (Source: https://www.comune.dozza.bo.it/la-citta/la-storia)