Minerbio

Referred to in antique documents as "Selva Minervese", it is assumed that the name Minerbio dates back to the Roman period and in particular to the religious cult dedicated to the Minerva god des.

The Roman presence in the area is confirmed by numerous traces of the "centuriazione" (land-division system), still visible today. The official foundation took place in 1231, when the Podestà of Bologna gave Minerbio to a hundred and fifty families from Mantua, with the obligation of residing there and reclaiming the land from the abundant swamps.

Still today the town winds around the old medieval borough and the complex of Rocca Isolani, a masterpiece of 16th-century Bolognese architecture, which can be visited on demand or on occasion of special events.

Inside the complex and next to the Rocca stands "Palazzo Nuovo", a mid-16th-century work by the architect Bartolomeo Triachini, with a faςade featuring the motif of a loggia, which would become a recurrent feature in the Bolognese villas of the time. The large courtyard framing the complex has a very elegant dovecote, the tower Colombaia, attributed to Jacopo Barozzi, called the Vignola. Dating back to 1536, with an octagonal interior plan, it has a helicoidal wooden staircase and a complicated system of small cells created to host over 3,000 nests. Interesting is also the Church of San Giovanni Battista, in the town's main street. One of the most beautiful in the county, it was built in the 18th century on a project by the architect Carlo Francesco Dotti.

On the road to Budrio, there is a particularly interesting parish church, the Pieve di San Giovanni in Triario, probably from the 11th century, still containing an ancient baptismal font, as well as paintings attributed to Daniele da Volterra. The Church also houses the permanent Exhibition of Popular Religiosity (open to the public on demand).

In San Martino in Soverzano stands the Castle, built in 1411 by the Bolognese Knight Bartolomeo Manzoli. The original building was highly restructured in the 19th century and it's a private property.