"Monte Sole" Historical Park

The Monte Sole Historical Park, established in 1989, covering an area of about 2,500 hectares, stretches across the hilly and submontane strip of the Bolognese Apennines and, located between the Setta and Reno rivers, involves the municipalities of Marzabotto, Monzuno and Grizzana Morandi.

A unique example in Italy, it stands in the area involved in the Monte Sole massacre in the fall of 1944, during which Nazi-Fascist violence caused the deaths of hundreds of helpless local civilians, including the elderly, women and children. Established in 1989 to keep alive the memory of this dramatic history, the events of the Stella Rossa Partisan Brigade and the destruction caused by the war, the park is a protected area with the main objective of spreading a culture of peace, especially aimed at the younger generations.

In addition to its purpose of protecting and enhancing the environmental heritage, the Monte Sole Historical Park is home to the Fondazione Scuola di Pace di Monte Sole and the religious community founded by Don Giuseppe Dossetti, who rests here. The small ridge of Mounts Pezza, Sàlvaro, Termine and Sole was the scene of the front line during World War II. In addition to being a place charged with history and memory, the park plays a role of primary importance in the national panorama from a naturalistic point of view: with about 936 species of flora, it is home to almost a third of the diversity of vegetation of the entire Emilia Romagna region. The fauna is just as rich, with the presence of deer, roe deer, fallow deer, wild boar, squirrels and various birds, including the Lesser White-backed Shrike, White-tailed Warbler, Green Woodpecker, Nuthatch, Kingfisher and many others.

Within the park, several thematic routes are clearly marked, including the Etruscan route that passes through the archaeological site of Marzabotto (ancient Kàinua) and the "Memoriale" route. The latter, starting from the Poggiolo Visitor Center, passes through the symbolic sites of the massacre and reaches the summit of Monte Sole with its memorial stone dedicated to the Stella Rossa.