Dozza, the painted village and the Rocca

Dozza is a small spindle-shaped village enclosed within walls on the top of a hill between Imola and Bologna. It is one of the Most Beautiful Villages in Italy and holds the Orange Flag from the Touring Club. Since 1960, every two years, the Biennale del Muro Dipinto invites artists to paint on the walls of houses: today there are around a hundred works and the village is a museum that is always open.

At the top of the village stands the Rocca. The first Bolognese castle dates from the thirteenth century; in the second half of the fifteenth century Caterina Sforza, lady of Imola and Forlì, rebuilt it as a modern fortress. After the arrival of Cesare Borgia it passed to the Campeggi family and then to the Malvezzi Campeggi, who transformed it from a fortress into a noble residence and lived there until 1960.

Since then the Rocca has belonged to the municipality and is a house museum: you visit the furnished rooms, the kitchens, the prisons, the courtyard and the walkways. On the second floor is the Pinacoteca del Muro Dipinto, with the sketches of the works you have seen in the streets.

Wander through the village at your leisure, looking for the murals in the alleyways and along the main street. From here you can see the hills planted with vines: Dozza is the land of Albana and Sangiovese, and a stop at the bar in the square is part of the visit.