Archaeological area of Monte Bibele

Monte Bibele is located between the localities of Bisano, San Benedetto del Querceto, and Quinzano, in the municipality of Monterenzio. At the foot of the mountain, the remains of an Etrusco-Celtic village built in the second half of the 4th century B.C. are visible, which was completely destroyed and definitively abandoned in the early decades of the 2nd century B.C.

Excavations, which began in 1979 and are still ongoing, are part of an archaeological-naturalistic park. Due to the unique combination of settlement, necropolis (on the nearby Monte Tamburino), and sacred areas, Monte Bibele has proven to be one of the most interesting sites for Celtic archaeology in Italy. The first findings related to the pre-Roman settlement of Monte Bibele, near Monterenzio, occurred during World War II when a unit of German troops, stationed at one of the strong points of the Gothic Line, intercepted some skeletons that were later found to belong to the burial ground of the community that lived at Monte Bibele between the mid-4th and early 2nd centuries B.C. The abundance of spring waters (Monte Bibele meaning "drinkable mountain") may have been the basis for the choice of settlement by its ancient inhabitants.

The area of the findings is always accessible and easily reached on foot from the "Monte Bibele service center," where there is also a parking area. Once at the site, a numbered path composed of informative panels and reconstructions will guide visitors to discover the ancient settlement and all its parts: dwellings, cisterns, sacred places destined for divination (the lightning observation area is particularly interesting). The Archaeological Naturalistic Area of Monte Bibele is managed by the Association Arc.a Monte Bibele a.p.s., whose mission is to support the defense of the historical archaeological heritage of the Bologna Apennines.

Monte Bibele is also one of the stops on the Via del Fantini and the ArtTrail route of BOM (Bologna Montana) linked to land art: the work that can be admired here is the "Celtic Boar."