For centuries the headquarters of the Captains of the Mountain who administered justice in the Reno Valley, Vergato is today a place of art in the Bolognese Apennines. An ideal destination for an "out of town" trip that combines in a single glance the soft and green lines of the foothills and the harmonious and enigmatic ones of the works of Maestro Luigi Ontani, who was born and has created many of his countless masterpieces here.
The aura of Ontani is more than present and seems to have spread into the surrounding area, which offers surprises of unexpected beauty, such as the painted walls that have made the small village of Tolè famous and the nearby Oasis that houses the collection of works "Bologna velata".
In an hour by car from Bologna, going up the Porrettana road, you can reach without haste the center of Vergato.
The Palace of the Captains of the Mountain is located in the main square. The original core dates back to 1400 but the current appearance is due to numerous restorations and reconstruction following the damage suffered in the Second World War.
The windows created in 1998 by Luigi Ontani embellish the large windows of the City Council Hall and form a microcosm of lights and colors strongly symbolic and evocative, representing the ages of man, the four elements and the four seasons, as well as the symbologies related to the heraldry of the families that dominated the territory in the past.
Inside the Palace, on the ground floor, is the MuseOntani: the exhibition space hosts numerous works donated by the Master to witness his original artistic production, which is expressed through the processing of countless materials (glass, ceramics, marble, wood) and in photography, where the protagonist is himself.
Inaugurated in 2019, the fountain "Renvergatellappenninmontovolo" by Luigi Ontani is located in the square opposite the railway station of the village.
The work represents the territory of Vergato and is made up of two structural bodies: a central bronze body, from which rise the Faun, representation of the river Reno, and the Cupid, the Amor d'Arte, which symbolizes the river Vergatello.
The surrounding structure is characterized by the presence of a majestic Triton, which represents the Apennines and, like it, has the purpose of containing water. The Giant is leaning on an Egg that alludes to the fabulous Montovolo, circled in a spiral by the snake Auroboros.
A few kilometers from the city center the third recommended stop is the village of Tolè, which, thanks to the event Artolè organized by the association Fontechiara, has become over the years a popular tourist destination for the collection en plein air that beautifies the streets, the squares and the old and characteristic stone houses. Over one hundred works including sculptures, paintings and murals by artists such as Wolfango, Rolando Gandolfi, Demetrio Casile, Paolo Gualandi, Roberto Barbato, Luigi Faggioli, and Alfredo Marchi can be found here.
In the surroundings of Tolè, a few kilometers away, the Oasi is also worth a visit. It is located in the studio of Paolo Gualandi made at a former mill, where you can visit the permanent collection Bologna Velata, composed of over 80 works by artists of the 1900s, especially Bolognese but not only, curated by the sculptor himself.
The particularity of the place, in itself full of charm, is that some of the works created by the artists who participated in the seminars held here over the years, have found hospitality in the woods surrounding the mill, and surprise visitors with their forms.
