The hidden treasure near Bologna you want to visit

Taste Bologna — Tue, 20 Sep 2016 20:18:20 +0000

Dozza is a small middle age village near Imola. It’s still not known among tourists, even if it’s just 35min far from Bologna, and you need a car to go there (no train or bus). Why is Dozza an hidden treasure? Well, in a few km you have a permanent street art museum to visit day and night, a well preserved castle that hosts the local wine promotion board headquarter in its basement.
Not enough? Ok, food is great too. Come in to read more.

Via XX Settembre, the central street of Dozza full of street art and paitings

You arrive in Dozza passing next to farmhouses, peach orchards and Albana’s vineyards, a landscape that reminds of Tuscany countryside, even if it’s just a few minutes from Via Emilia, the roman street that links Bologna to Rimini. Leave the car just behind the middle age gate and walk into this out of time village. After a few steps you start to recognize the perfect balance between new and old.
In a typical Medieval village art becomes urban landscape and decorates walls, streets and squares, flooding light and colour in every corner.

Art near a window, typical in Dozza

What to see

Dozza is an open-air museum, where you can admire more than a hundred works by prestigious names of contemporary art created for Biennale del Muro Dipinto, an art event started in 1960 that every 2 years brings street artists like Ericailcane and painters from all over the world.

At the same time Dozza is not the classic tourist town with souvenir shops and coaches of tourists. If you are visiting on a weekday or a Sunday, you will certainly find curious visitors, but it’s still basically a simple village, with a few shops and its citizens, who walk safely between the streets and stop to chat on the benches.
But Dozza is not just the city of painted walls. There’s also a beautiful castle builted in 1250, Rocca Sforzesca, that you can visit. Kids will love its mysteries, like the cutting well and the prisons, and foodies will be amazed by the cuisine with vintage chef tools and fireplace. After the visit that takes about 1h what’s better than a glass of wine?

Rocca Sforzesca di Dozza

Rocca basement hosts Enoteca Regionale, local wine promotion board headquarter, where you can find more than 800 selected labels from all Emilia Romagna. You can find Albana, Sangiovese, Pignoletto wine but also a small selection of Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale of Modena and a wine bar for guided tastings.

Where to eat

Well, it’s still a food blog right?! So I know what you want to know. If you’re looking for an elegant location with view on the hills you can choose Canè and ask them for truffles and porcini mushrooms in season. If you prefer cozy places who pays lot of care in the selection of ingredients go at La Scuderia, just in front of the castle, and try their tagliata with Cervia’s salt or theri tenderloin with porcini mushrooms.

La Scuderia
Via XX Settembre, 53, Dozza (BO)
Tel. 0542 678103
lascuderiadozza.it

Canè
Via XX Settembre, 27, Dozza (BO)
Tel. 0542 679200
ristorantecanet.it

Tenderloin with porcini mushrooms at La Scuderia, Dozza

How to arrive

By car: from Bologna take A14 to Ancona and exit at Castel San Pietro. Then follow to Imola and after Toscanella turn right.
My suggestion is to visit Dozza from spring to early autumn. If you’d like to spend a perfect daytrip outside Bologna you can visit Ravenna the morning and when you return you can stop in Dozza and spend afternoon and dinner.

[Photos: Roberto Ferrari, Matteo Fini, Emanuele Rosso, Tiberio Frascari]

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I murali di Dozza

Maria Vecchi — Fri, 22 Apr 2016 11:35:00 +0000

http://velvetescape.com/murals-of-dozza/

The murals of Dozza

You are here: Home › Europe › Places › The murals of Dozza

Dozza (map) is a hill-top medieval village about a 30-minute drive south of Bologna.
Listed as one of the most beautiful villages in Italy (“Borghi più belli d’Italia”),
Dozza is dominated by an imposing fortress, Rocca Sforzesca, and consists of
a main street that circles the village in an elongated form.

Panoramic view of Dozza (image courtesy of Durelli Massimo – Creative Commons)

The village is best known for its annual Wine Festival and its Biennial Exhibition of the
Painted Wall (Muro Dipinto) in September, when artists from Italy and around the world
are invited to decorate the village’s walls with colourful murals, in effect transforming
the village into an open-air museum. It truly is an enchanting experience to stroll around
to admire the murals of Dozza, each in a different style and colour scheme.

The imposing fortress.

The colourful village square of Dozza.

The quaint Vicolo Campeggi street.

One of the many murals along the Via Edmondo de Amicis in Dozza.

The lovely Via de Edmondo de Amicis.

I particularly loved this mural on the yellow wall.

Another of my favourite murals.

While I strolled down the main street, I spotted gorgeous views of the surrounding hills through the gaps between houses.

This cartoon mural was very striking.

And I bumped into a few Dozza cats! I’m quite sure they’ve been featured in some of the murals.

Another of my favourites.

Some of the murals are tucked away in little corners.

After strolling around the village, a perfect place to stop for a drink
(I suggest a refreshing Aperol Spritz) or a meal is the charming Piccola Osteria del Borgo.

The artsy interior of the Piccola Osteria del Borgo. There’s also a small terrace outside with views of the hills.

Lunch platter at the Piccola Osteria del Borgo!

Dozza is also home to the Enoteca Regionale dell’Emilia Romagna
(the regional wine store for the Emilia Romagna region) located in
the Rocca Sforzesca, with more than 800 different wines and other
products like olive oils, balsamico and jams. You can’t leave
the village without visiting the Enoteca and tasting some of the wines.

The Enoteca Regionale dell’Emilia Romagna is located in the celler of the Rocca Sforzesca.

It was a delight to discover this gorgeous village with its beautiful murals.
If you’re visiting Emilia Romagnaand driving the famous Via Emilia,
plan some time for a visit to Dozza!

Note: my visit to Emilia Romagna was part of the Blogville project, a
collaboration between the Emilia-Romagna Tourism Board and ambassador.
All views expressed above are mine, and mine only.

Posted on 15/07/2015 by Keith Jenkins in Europe, Places