TUMULT - Bologna

Guide to GRANAGLIONE

Granaglione is a town of 2,222 inhabitants in the province of Bologna.

Since January 1, 2016, Granaglione has become a locality of the municipality of Alto Reno Terme, a new local entity formed from the merger of the municipal territories of Porretta Terme and Granaglione.

His name probably derives from the Germanic (Lombard) roots "warnen" and "waren," which mean "to watch, to observe carefully"; the same roots that gave rise to the words "garrison" and "guard," so Granaglione could mean "place of observation," and given its geographical location, the name is particularly apt to describe this village that overlooks the Rhine Valley.

The territory was under the control of Pistoia, which was a Lombard center at the time, until 1219, and subsequently was in more or less constant conflict with the Bolognesi.

During the Middle Ages, a castle was built in Granaglione, likely to be used as a signaling tower along with other outposts on the ridges of the Apennines. Today, the castle has been turned into a hotel.

WHAT TO SEE AND WHAT TO DO

The village of Granaglione, along with the others that form the commune, is characterized by distinctive buildings that allow them to integrate perfectly with the surrounding environment: even today, many of these beautiful houses can still be admired.

• Meritano una visita l’antica chiesa di San Niccolò, di cui si hanno le prime notizie nel 1220, e la casa della famiglia Marconi, famiglia d’origine del famoso inventore.
• Many interesting are also the various orators found in the fractions, dating back to the 1700s: the oratory of San Michele at Poggio dei Boschi, that of San Matteo at Olivacci, that of SS. Annunziata at Casa Boni.
• Not far away is the church of Calvigi, dedicated to the Virgin Mary, built in the first half of the 1600s by the community of Granaglione as a thank you for surviving the plague, and inside it there was an image of the Virgin painted on stone that was said to have miraculous powers. Today that image has been replaced by a ceramic copy from Faenza, and it is carried in procession on the Feast of the Assumption.
  
  
• For those who love hiking and outdoor activities, there are many trails and forest paths starting from Granaglione and the nearby villages that lead to the ridge between the Reno Valley, the Rio Maggiore Valley, and the Randaragna Valley, but also to the Passo delle Tre Croci and Monte Cavalle, at an altitude of 1280 meters. The trails pass through conifer forests, beech woods, and chestnut groves, some monumental, populated by a wide variety of animals such as deer and roe deer, and there is also the possibility, for those who want it, to spend the night in a recently refurbished mountain hut.
  
  

EVENTS AND MANIFESTATIONS

Many events take place in Granaglione and in the villages of its municipality:

• the last weekend of September there is the Festival of the Rivoltoni, this year at the 67th edition, where it is possible to taste great ravioli, the rivoltoni, served with ragù or with butter and sage;
• towards the end of October, in Vizzano, the Chestnut Festival, where it is possible to taste typical dishes cooked with this fruit, typical of the area, is held.
• Nel mese di dicembre, da qualche anno ormai, nel caratteristico borgo di Lustrola si organizza un Mercatino di Natale, con bancarelle di artigianato locale, cibi tipici e vin broulè.

In 2004, in memory of the fact that Granaglione was once located at the border with the Celtic settlements on the Bolognese Apennines, a chestnut-based beer was produced, which is very good and has a spicy flavor.