Zola Predosa is about 12 kilometres from the centre of Bologna. It lies between high plains and gentle hills along the River Lavino. The territory of Zola Predosa is at a junction between the main local, as well as national, lines of communication, which make it the main access point to the Samoggia Valley.
Historic villas, art, and gastronomy are the greatest strengths of Zola Predosa. Here you can visit villas dating back to the 16th and 17th century and museums of modern art, besides tasting delicious dishes of Emilian tradition accompanied by good-quality wines.
Zola Predosa is strategically located, so it is an unavoidable stopping place for business travelers, tourists and anyone who is keen on art and motors as well.
Among historic villas surrounded by gardens and parks, Palazzo Albergati stands out from the others for its magnificence: the simplicity and compactness of the façade hides the splendour of the interiors, which make this elegant 17th-century residence one of the best examples of Baroque architecture in Italy. The gallery of the main hall was used as a theatre in the 18th century for performances of works by Voltaire and Goldoni and was visited by leading European personalities in the cultural and political field, including Frederick IV of Denmark, Giacomo Casanova and Vittorio Alfieri.
Along Via Masini stands Villa Edvige Garagnani, which houses the “Centro Studi Ville Bolognesi”. Built in the second half of the 18th century, the villa is a beautiful example of a bourgeois holiday residence with beautiful woodland frescoes attributed to the Antonio Basoli school inside.
There are other historic villas to see along the River Lavino such as Palazzo Bentivoglio Pepoli, Villa Magnani Guidotti and Villa Zanchini.
The Museum of Ca’ La Ghironda is also worth a visit: works of modern art by famous artists including Capogrossi, De Chirico, Fontana, Depero, Morandi, Picasso and Chagall are kept here.
Nature and works of art blend together in the park surrounding the villa, where more than 200 sculptures by Italian and foreign artists (Manzù, Cascella, Ghermandi, Yasuda, Benetton, Monari and Stahler) are arranged in an original way.
Mortadella di Bologna (PGI) is the most representative product: the world's leading manufacturers of mortadella have their headquarters here.
Other specialities are homemade pasta, tigelle, borlenghi, porchetta, sughi d'uva, saba (traditional cooked must), torta zolese, raviole di San Nicolò and torta di riso. The Pignoletto and other good-quality wines go well with these specialities making Zola a member of the National Association of “Wine Cities”.
There are lots of sport facilities in Zola Predosa where people of any age can play a wide range of sporting activities. The PalaZola is a good example of a multi-purpose sport facility which includes indoor and outdoor swimming pools.
Zola's wine cellars become open-air theatres on the occasion of the Zola Jazz&Wine Festival (June-July). Mortadella, Please (October) is an international festival completely dedicated to the most famous cured meat of Bologna “the fat one”.
The Sentiero dei Gessaroli (Gessaroli Path) starts in the town of Gesso (2 kms from Zola) and goes as far as the old chalk quarries. Lots of nature trails go through chestnut trees, oak woods and old chalk quarries allowing people to see some animals like deer, roe deer, fallow deer, wild boars, hares, pheasants, foxes and hawks.
