Church of San Giovanni Battista in Monte San Giovanni

The hamlet of Monte San Giovanni, a beautiful locality surrounded by hills, rich in woods and precious vineyards, is not far from the main town, Monte San Pietro.

Numerous artistic testimonies are contained within the church, dedicated to Saint John the Baptist and dating back to 1890, some inherited from a pre-existing religious building dating back to 1300. Amongst these, it’s worth mentioning the organ, located above the entrance; it was probably build by the Cipri family (XVI – XVII century) and is one of the most precious Bolognese organs that still work today. The church also has an interesting apse and a carved wooden altar decorated with gold leaf.

Just few km before the church, in a small village called Venezia, lies the so called Ospedale, the shelter for pilgrims; this is set on a hill with cypresses, surrounded by a grand landscape of ravines. It was founded in the XVI century but the current building is quite different from the original one.