Town in the Bolognese Apennines, located in the center of an alluvial basin, near the river Reno.
Its main square hosts the evocative Palazzo dei Capitani della Montagna today the center of the Municipal Administration. Originally a fifteenth-century house, it owes its current appearance to the work of reconstruction following the serious damage it suffered during the events of the Second World War.
On the facade are the coats of arms of the families who succeeded the captain. Of great charm are the windows made in 1998 by Maestro Luigi Ontani placed on the large windows of the hall of the City Council. Inside the Palace there is also a museum that houses some works by Ontani.
It is also possible to admire the beautiful fountain in the square of the railway station.
Vergato is the main town in the valley of the Reno river which connects Bologna to Pistoia; in the past, it was in a strategic position for trade and commerce amongst the inhabitants of the area, and this largely encouraged businesses, notaries and inns.
The town has a very old history and the town hall facade is decorated with coats of arms of the IV-VI century, amongst which the coat of arms of the 'Capitani della Montagna': it depicts a wild pig in a pond and two oak branches around the animal and it has become the symbol of Vergato's municipality.
The town hall, known as 'Palazzo dei Capitani', was rebuilt after the second World War in the style of the former building, which had been designed in 1885 by the architects Tito Azzolini and Alfonso Rubbiani on the site of the older building, the ancient palace of the 'Capitani della Montagna'. The modern building has very interesting windows, which were designed in 1998 by the renown contemporary artist Luigi Ontani.
In the nearby village of Montecavalloro can be seen Costonzo, a series of buildings which dates back to the XIV-XVI century; Costonzo is a listed site and is among the national monuments of the province of Bologna.
It is a fine example of rural fortified architecture and is renown for having housed the headquarters of the first medical school of the Bolognese Apennines during the Middle Ages; Costonzo has been recently restored and can be visited upon request.
Other interesting Medieval buildings of the area are: the tower of Monzone (XIV century), the tower of Tole' (XIV-XV century), the 'Poggio di Susano' (XIV century), the tower of Prunarolo (XIII-XVII century) and the XVI century houses Berti and Casalino.
The ancient village of Tolè is an interesting destination for a walk, where you can admire more than one hundred works of sculptures, paintings and murals by local and non-local artists. A real collection of permanent art in the open air that crosses, between present and past, themes and painting techniques among the most varied.
The "tour" to discover the suggestive Houses-Towers: The Tower of Monzone (XIV century, with remains of Bertesca), the Poggio di Susano (sec. XIV), the Tower of Prunarolo (sec. X1I1-XVII) and the sixteenth-century Casa Berti and Casalino.
Cereglio is located 16 km from the municipality in a beautiful wooded area on the ridge of the stream Vergatello-Croara. Inside the village, the church dedicated to San Biagio, named since the XIV century and restored after the Second World War, preserves a canvas depicting the Virgin attributed to the painter Alessandro Tiarini.
