Malalbergo – Waterways, Landscape and Local Culture
Accommodation in Malalbergo
Malalbergo Between Waterways and the Plain
Malalbergo lies between the Canale della Botte and the Reno River. The history of the town is closely linked to the waterways of the plain: in 1292, the Navile between Pegola and Malalbergo was completely rebuilt. In Malalbergo, the upper waterway was connected to the Canal Morto, the lower waterway, thereby linking Bologna and Ferrara by water.
File:Canale Diversivo Navile - Malalbergo, Bologna, Italia - 16 Aprile 2026 02.jpg
Photo: Giorgio Galeotti via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
The route from Ponte Poledrano, today’s Bentivoglio, to Ferrara was also planned to use the Navile as far as Malalbergo and then continue through the Valli to Torre della Fossa. This historical relationship between canals, Valli and trade routes gives the town’s history a clear regional dimension.
Palazzi and Sacred Art
An important historic building is the Palazzo della Dogana (Gabella Grossa). It was built in 1583 between the Canale Navile and the Canale Morto by Bologna’s Gabella Grossa. The building served as the seat of the harbourmaster’s office for navigation in the “Porto di Malalbergo” and as a customs post between the Papal States and the Duchy of Este. In later centuries, the Palazzo was the headquarters of the Napoleonic gendarmerie and the National Guard; it is therefore still known by the name “Il Casermone”.
Despite numerous restorations, the Chiesa di San Giovanni Battista has preserved its external architectural lines. Inside is the “Pala dell'Altare Maggiore”, a 16th-century canvas attributed to the Bolognese painter Prospero Fontana (Bologna 1512–there 1597). It depicts the birth of John the Baptist. The Palazzo Marescalchi currently houses a library and exhibition rooms.
Archaeological remains of a rural Roman building dating from the 1st or 2nd century AD were discovered near Altedo. This archaeological discovery was the first find of its kind in the municipality of Malalbergo.
Valli, Cycle Path and Regional Festivals
Northeast of the main town lies Valle La Comune, the oldest of six Valli in the municipality of Malalbergo. The area covers 90 hectares. Small marshes of varying depths alternate there with reed beds and dry strips of land where poplars, willows, elms and pedunculate oaks grow. The Oasi Valle la Comune is privately owned and can only be accessed by prior arrangement with the owners.
A 14-kilometre cycle path connects Malalbergo with the districts of Pegola and Altedo. It crosses a landscape characterised by asparagus cultivation and runs along the Canale Navile for part of its route. At the end of May each year, Altedo hosts the Sagra dell’Asparago Verde di Altedo IGP. Between the end of August and the beginning of September, Malalbergo also holds the Sagra dell'Ortica, a gastronomic festival that reinterprets the Emilian culinary tradition using nettles. The festival includes a traditional food stall offering first and second courses based on nettles.
Getting to Malalbergo
From Bologna, Malalbergo can be reached via Strada Statale 64, the Porrettana. When travelling from Bologna via the A13, take the Altedo exit and then the municipal road to the S.S. 64 Porrettana. Follow this road northwards to Malalbergo. Bus route 356 connects Bologna, Altedo, Malalbergo and Ferrara.
Discover More Destinations
For the rest of your trip to Italy, you can also explore Medicina, Baragazza, San Marino, Savigno, Molinella, Roncobilaccio, Varignana-Palesio and Castel Maggiore.
For the main travel overview: Bologna.
