In the Middle Ages, the practice of granting vast tracts of marshy land under emphyteusis to make them arable was widespread in Emilia, and the first contracts between the Bishop of Bologna or the Abbot of Nonantola and the heads of households in Borgo Rotondo date back as far as the 12th century.
Over the centuries, the land painstakingly reclaimed by their ancestors became arable land belonging to the Community of San Giovanni in Persiceto and was periodically allocated to the so-called ‘Participants’ – that is, the descendants of the ancient families originally from the village who, from generation to generation, had contributed to the land reclamation and water management. Even today, the Consortium of Partecipanti, which currently owns over 3,000 hectares of land within the municipal area, continues to periodically allocate the use of these lands to members of the Participating Families, a privilege passed down from father to son, in accordance with rules that have their roots in the ancient statutes.
A twenty-five-minute train journey from Bologna, eight kilometres from the Bologna-Modena motorway junction, on the Italian section of EuroVelo 7 for those arriving by bike.
San Giovanni in Persiceto station, Bologna–Verona line. Trains run every 30 minutes from Bologna Centrale; the journey takes 25 minutes.
A14 motorway, take the Borgo Panigale or Modena Nord exit, then the SS568. Free car parks near the city centre.
On the Ciclovia del Sole (EuroVelo 7), 25 kilometres from Bologna along the cycle path on the former railway line.
Save the attractions, plan your route, and follow the Cultural Metro lines.
