Bentivoglio: Discover History, Nature and Italian Cuisine
Accommodation in Bentivoglio
Bentivoglio combines historic buildings, the Canale Navile waterway, protected landscapes and a cuisine closely connected to the town’s history. Architecture, rural history and routes through the countryside come together here.
File:Emilia-Romagna Bo Bentivoglio Museo della civiltĂ contadina.JPG
Photo: Biancamaria Rizzoli via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Historic Places and Artistic Interiors
Castello di Bentivoglio is also known as Domus Jocunditatis and was built between 1475 and 1481 as a leisure and hunting residence for Giovanni II Bentivoglio. Today, it is used as a venue for cultural events, including the chamber music festival. The Sala del Pane is particularly vivid: ten frescoes from the Ferrarese school depict the stages of breadmaking there, from sowing to the courtly banquet.
Palazzo Rosso is one of the best-known examples of the Bolognese Liberty style on the Canale Navile in Bentivoglio. Today, the building houses the town library and serves as a venue for cultural activities. The Sala dello Zodiaco in Palazzo Rosso also contains a work created by Augusto Sezanne between 1896 and 1897. In Bentivoglio, you can therefore encounter both Renaissance history and the architecture and art of the late 19th century.
Nature Among Rice Fields and Ancient Trees
Oasi La Rizza is located in the northern part of the municipality of Bentivoglio, on former rice-growing land, and is a protected natural area. Nature observation is possible there from observation points and along walking and cycling paths connected to the La Rizza visitor centre. Villa La Paleotta offers a different landscape impression: it is surrounded by an informal park with tall trees, including several centuries-old specimens.
Cycling Along the Navile
Bentivoglio can be reached from Bologna by bicycle via the Ciclovia del Navile, a cycling and walking path running along the canal. The Ciclovia leads towards the Bentivoglio area; small detours make it possible to reach the Museo della CiviltĂ Contadina and Oasi La Rizza. This allows you to choose between cultural and historical destinations and nature observation when planning your trip, without separating these themes from one another.
Everyday History and the Story of Tagliatelle
In the area around Bentivoglio, in the hamlet of San Marino di Bentivoglio, you will find the Museo della Civiltà Contadina. This ethnographic museum of national importance reconstructs rural life on the Bolognese plain. The founding of the Bentivoglio mill is dated to 1352 and attributed to the noble Lambertini family. Tagliatelle are also connected with the town’s history: according to tradition, they originated with Mastro Zafirano, the personal chef of Giovanni II Bentivoglio. The occasion was the wedding of Annibale Bentivoglio and Lucrezia d’Este in 1487 in Ponte Poledrano, today’s Bentivoglio.
When choosing a hotel in Bentivoglio, you can base your decision on the interests that shape this place: historic interiors, cultural events, nature observation, cycling paths or the rural and culinary history of the Bolognese plain. The destinations provided here will help you determine the focus of your trip in advance.
Other Destinations in the Area
For further travel planning, you can also explore Calderara Di Reno, Fiumetto, Dozza, Pianoro, Zappolino, Borgonuovo, Tossignano and Monteveglio.
For the overarching travel overview: Bologna.
