Between late March and June, the pace here changes, as the days get longer, colours fill the streets, fields, hills, and mountains once again, and the warm air invites you outdoors.
This tour lets you savour spring in the open air, exploring the area between Modena and Bologna, where you’ll discover a mix of beautifully designed gardens, traditional parks, untamed nature, and gentle cycle rides.
The idea is simple - just walk, breathe, and soak it all in.
This slow route, which is perfect for everyone, takes you through flowers, fragrances, and assorted landscapes. Meandering from the plains to the mountaintops, it makes a simple promise, of spring spent outdoors, amidst nature, flowers, and stunning seasonal scenery in and around Bologna and Modena.
Our spring tour begins in Sassuolo, and more specifically at the former summer residence of the Dukes of Este, the Ducal Palace - an exquisite example of Northern Italian Baroque architecture. Next to the Palace, the Ducal Park extends southwards over about 13 hectares and while the grounds todays are much smaller than the 1,000 hectares they covered in the 18th century, their scenic lawns and walkways ensure the park retains a unique charm.
Must-see
Travel trips
Our journey continues a few kilometres south, towards Montagnana di Serramazzoni, to visit the Antique Rose Garden Museum, a unique museum in Europe dedicated to heritage roses.
Covering 43 hectares and housing over 800 rose varieties, the Museum is now an international landmark for botanists, landscapers, gardening enthusiasts, and the many plant lovers who come to learn more about this extraordinary flower.
A tour of the museum includes the garden, the potted plant nursery, the sensory herbarium, and the display area, where you can purchase plants and rose-themed books and products.
A unique attraction where you can enjoy the beauty and scents of spring.
Useful information
Moving on into the Bolognese Apennines, at about an hour and a half's drive from the previous stop, the exploration of local springtime scenery continues.
We are in the Monghidoro area, now, in the heart of the Upper Idice Valley, where La Martina Park offers visitors a landscape of dense forests and rich biodiversity.
Managed by provincial park authorities and recognised as a Site of Community Importance (SCI), this parkland area hosts a natural heritage - including spreading forests, endless trails, and biodiversity - of inestimable value. Here, nature takes centre stage, and spring is one of the best times to appreciate its performance. As the vegetation awakens, the vibrant colours of the undergrowth and the scents of the Apennines make a simple stroll special.
The park is crisscrossed by a network of trails that are ideal for both leisurely walks and mountain bike excursions, perfect for experiencing nature up close. Along the way, you’ll probably come across various examples of the local wildlife that inhabits this protected area. Birds such as the cuckoo and the hoopoe flit from tree to tree, while the wetlands are home to fascinating amphibians such as the warty newt and the Italian stream frog. In the woods, it's not unusual to find the tracks of small mammals like pine martens or wildcats and you might even be lucky enough to spot a wolf, an iconic species locally in the Apennines.
The variety of plant life is amazing and you’ll be bowled over by the beauty of these woodlands, where the views are particularly breath-taking in spring.
Curiosity
La Martina Park also has some surprises in store for visitors. One of its paths leads to the entrance to an old copper mine which, although disused and closed to the public, is still an enchanting sight. Another path takes you to a striking piece of land art called "Il Soffione". Part of the Bologna Montana Art Trail, this work combines nature and contemporary art within a mountain setting typical of the Apennines.
From the untamed nature of the Apennines, let’s make our way to a park that is more compact and curated but equally appealing, the Giardino degli Angeli park in Castel San Pietro Terme.
This unique garden (the Garden of Angels) was designed as a symbolic journey, where plants, flowers, and landscapes express values and emotions linked to life and nature. Its distinctive heart shape encompasses over a hundred plant species, arranged to ensure year-round flowering and views that change with the seasons.
In spring, when the early blooms and budding vegetation bring vibrant new colours, the garden is at the height of its beauty. Strolling around the water lily pond, or among the garden’s hedges and secluded corners, there is a deep sense of peace to be felt amidst the greenery.
Aquatic plants, vegetables, fruit trees, and ornamental trees, perennials, and annual herbaceous plants, together with a host of shrubs create a rich variety of botanical features, offering visitors the chance to see a vast assortment of species in a relatively small space.
To know
The Giardino degli Angeli is looked after by an association of volunteers and was created in memory of a girl called Sara, who once lived in Castel San Pietro Terme. Today the garden, which is open to both the local community and visitors, is designed to offer a welcoming environment where people can take walks or simply pass their time enjoying the beauty of nature.
For a more active experience, let’s move down to the lowlands, to a village near Castel Maggiore called Trebbo di Reno.
This village is the ideal starting point for one of the most distinctive cycle tourism routes in the area, the Reno River Cycle Route. The route runs through several towns in Bologna’s low-lying area, including Calderara di Reno, Sala Bolognese, Argelato, Castello d’Argile, Pieve di Cento, and Galliera.
As it is almost entirely flat, it is ideal for cyclists of all levels, from seasoned enthusiasts to Sunday cyclists looking for a relaxing day out in the fresh air.
With the arrival of spring, longer days and milder warmer temperatures make a bike the best way to explore this area. The route winds through fields of crops, river floodplains, small villages, and the country residences of former nobility, revealing the deep connection between the plains and the Reno River, which has shaped the landscape of this area over time.
From the stretches of the cycle path running atop riverside embankments, slightly higher than the surrounding countryside, cyclists are afforded sweeping views out over the lowlands. It is a unique perspective and a different way of appreciating the peacefulness and sense of space that are so characteristic of this area and landscape.
Travel trips
You'll come upon several places of interest along the route, including:
Curiosity
Did you know that Pieve di Cento is often nicknamed "Little Bologna" because of its endless porticoes? This town offers attractions such as the MAGI '900 Museum, the "Le Scuole" Civic Art Gallery, and the collegiate church of Santa Maria Maggiore, which houses works by artists of the likes of Guercino and Guido Reni.
