Castenaso

Just a few miles outside Bologna, Castenaso is a quiet town set in the countryside. With about 15,000 inhabitants, it has all the necessities for daily life while being removed from the city smog and noise, but being in easy reach for sight-seeing. It was founded by the Romans, but became a city in the Middle Ages with the expansion of Bologna. There were some churches and villas, but unfortunately this area suffered heavy damage during WWII.

In the nearby hamlet of Marano is Villa Marana, a neoclassical palace that houses the impressive art collection of Maestro Molinari Pradelli. They offer guided tours, along with special events, such as concerts, art shows and other cultural offerings. Outside of Castenaso is the Romanesque church of the Madonna del Pilar, where an apparition of the Virgin Mary was said to have appeared in the late 1600s. The composer Gioacchino Rossini married his second wife, soprano singer Isabella Colbran here. They resided for ten years in the villa nearby, Villa Rossini, where he composed Semiramide and William Tell.

Golf enthusiasts will be thrilled to swing a club at the Casalunga Golf Club, staked out in a beautiful setting. For those who prefer a good party, Castenaso is prone to put one on; they have a line-up through the year of fun festivals, including the Festa dell'Uva (grape) the third weekend of September, with music, arts and crafts, food, and of course, wine. The Festa Contadina in Marano is a country fair with old-time food and fun, the highlight being veal roasted on a spit. The Festa della Birra brings out cold brew on the hot July nights. The town has a weekly mercato every Wednesday morning, while a Farmer's Market lets you buy directly from the grower on Saturday afternoons.