Dozza

Dozza is a small hill village about 35 km (22 miles) south-east of Bologna in Emilia-Romagna, known as the town of painted walls. Since the 1960s, the Biennale del Muro Dipinto has invited artists to paint murals on house fronts, and hundreds of works now line the lanes that climb to the fortress. The trip takes about an hour in total. Travellers take a regional train from Bologna Centrale to Imola, about 30 minutes and EUR 3.50-4.50, then a local bus from Imola station to Dozza, about 30 minutes; timetables should be checked at startromagna.it and tper.it because services are limited, especially on Sundays and holidays. A taxi from Imola costs about EUR 25-35, and driving via the A14 exit at Castel San Pietro Terme or Imola takes about 30 minutes. At the top of the village stands the Rocca di Dozza, a 15th-century fortress that holds period rooms, a museum and a dungeon, while the Piazza Giacomo Matteotti marks the heart of the village. The Enoteca Regionale Emilia-Romagna is housed in the Rocca cellars and offers tastings and sales of Sangiovese and Albana wines. A suggested one-day arc is a morning arrival, a slow walk through the murals and the fortress before lunch, a meal of tagliatelle or passatelli at a village trattoria, then a wine tasting in the afternoon, with the last bus back to Imola timed carefully. Dozza can be paired with Imola in the same day. Spring and autumn offer the best light and weather, while the murals are visible year-round. The village is small, so two to three hours is usually enough. The streets are steep, so comfortable shoes help.