PLAINS | Bologna

PIANORO Travel Guide

Pianoro (Pianôr in dialect), with 17,000 inhabitants, has recently been ranked first in the province of Bologna and 14th in Italy among the 100 happiest villages.

Located along the Futa state road connecting Bologna to Florence, it has long been one of the most sought-after residential locations for Bolognesi, just outside the city. Along the valleys of the Zena and Savena rivers, it features areas of interest such as the Parco dei Gessi Bolognesi and the Calanchi della Abbadessa.

The city was almost completely destroyed in World War II, when it found itself on the so-called Gothic Line and was the scene of terrible fighting and especially bombings. For this reason, it lost almost all buildings and palaces of artistic and architectural value; the city was almost abandoned (it is now called the fraction Pianoro Vecchia) and rebuilt starting from 1945 three kilometers further north, the so-called Pianoro Nuova.

The Savenna river forms a natural border between Pianoro and Bologna, where one can say that the Futa road (which in the Bolognese section is called via Toscana) begins at the fraction of Rastignano.

Pianoro also borders the municipalities of San Lazzaro di Savena, Sasso Marconi, Monterenzio, Ozzano dell'Emilia, Loiano, and Monzuno.

WHAT TO SEE AND WHAT TO DO IN PIANORO

Places to see in the territory of Pianoro:

the Church of St. James the Greater, which is housed in a building renovated in the 1700s, with a "hospital" for pilgrims, mentioned as early as 1100
the Lupari Tower of the '400s, which in addition to the tower features a beautiful loggia and a fountain mask.
the Castle of Zena [photos], near the river of the same name, from the early eleventh century with renovations in the 1300s and 1600s.
Sanctuary of Santa Maria di Zena or Mount of Ants, built during the Middle Ages and rebuilt at the end of the 13th century and after World War II. It is also famous for the phenomenon of flying ants (see CURIOSITIES)

See also nearby : Farneto Cave , Croara Abbey ( see San Lazzaro di Savena)

ANT HILL PLAIN

CURIOSITY
The Ant Mountain is located between the Idice valley and the Val di Zena, about 15 km from Pianoro and 30 km south of Bologna.
The name derives from the particular natural phenomenon that occurs annually at the beginning of September: the male ants of the variety Myrmica Scabrinodis swarm up this peak, coming from Central Europe, to complete their nuptial flight.

After mating, hundreds of thousands of ants fall dead in the sanctuary area, creating a truly unique and terrifying spectacle: massive black swarms of ants arriving from the sky and dying all at once.