Dozza: Discover Wine, Art & Romance in Bologna's Hills
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.
Why is Dozza a hidden treasure?
Well, in a few km you have a permanent street art museum to visit day and night, a well-preserved castle that also hosts a winery 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 paintings
Dozza: The Most Romantic Landscape
You arrive at Dozza passing next to farmhouses, peach orchards and Albana's vineyards, a landscape that reminds you of the Tuscany countryside, even if it's just a few minutes from Via Emilia.
Leave the car just behind the middle-aged 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 an urban landscape and decorates walls, streets and squares, flooding light and colours in every corner.
Goes without saying: it's the perfect place for a day trip if you're on a honeymoon in Bologna.
Dozza is an open-air museum
What to Visit in Dozza
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 year brings street artists and painters from all over the world.
But Dozza is not the classic tourist town with souvenir shops and coaches of tourists.
If you visit Dozza on the weekend you will certainly find curious visitors, but it's still basically a simple village.
A small grocery, locals playing cards in a bar, and kids who safely play between the colored streets.
The colored streets and squares of Dozza
Dozza is not just the city of painted walls.
There's also one of the best castles near Bologna.
It was built in 1250 we call it Rocca Sforzesca.
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, which takes about 1 hour, what's better than a glass of wine?
Enoteca Regionale of Dozza: Your Local Wine Archive
Rocca Sforzesca Castle in Dozza
Rocca Basement hosts Enoteca Regionale, local wine promotion board headquarters, where you can find more than 800 labels from all Emilia Romagna.
Albana, Sangiovese, and Pignoletto fill the shelves.
A small selection of Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale of Modena and a wine bar with guided tastings complete your journey into local flavors.
Now that you know that Dozza is one of the best villages in Emilia Romagna, is it time for lunch?
Where to Eat in Dozza
There are many romantic restaurants in Bologna, but none of them can beat the view on Dozza's castle.
Book a table at Canè, in the main square, and ask for truffles and porcini mushrooms in season.
If you prefer cozy places that care about the selection of ingredients, go to La Scuderia, just in front of the castle.
Try their tagliata steak with Cervia's salt or 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
La Scuderia restaurant in Dozza
The Best Way to Arrive in Dozza
By car
From Bologna take A14 to Ancona and exit at Castel San Pietro. Then follow to Imola and after Toscanella turn right.
By coach
Get coach 101 from Bologna coach station. Stop in Toscanella and get coach 147 to Dozza. Read the time schedule on tper.it
Looking for a perfect day trip outside Bologna?
Enjoy a tour in Ravenna in the morning and then stop in Dozza in the afternoon for aperitivo or dinner with a view of the hills.
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