Casalecchio Di Reno: Water Engineering History, Culture and Trails

Casalecchio di Reno combines a remarkable history of water engineering with cultural venues and trails that offer different ways to explore. La Chiusa tells the story of medieval energy production; Casa Museo NENA and Teatro Comunale Laura Betti offer other cultural highlights. There is also the Sentiero dei Bregoli, a combined cycling and walking route, and Parco della Chiusa. This gives you a choice for planning your visit between engineering history, collections and outdoor activities.

La Chiusa: a structure with a long history

La Chiusa is Europe's oldest hydraulic structure still in operation and continuous use. Its history began in 1208, when the city of Bologna had it built at its own expense to provide power for Bologna's medieval mills and workshops. Its original purpose illustrates the connection between the structure and urban work: it provided energy for specific mills and workshops. The dam outlet of Chiusa di Casalecchio is 160 metres long and 35 metres wide, with a drop of more than 8 metres. These measurements convey the scale of the complex; its continued use is also part of what makes it special.

Culture between museum and theatre

Casa Museo NENA preserves furniture, paintings, ceramics, furnishings and memories collected over several generations. The collection brings together objects and images with personal memories passed down through generations. Tours of all three floors last about an hour. This makes a museum visit easy to plan as a clearly defined activity; check the current tour times in advance. Another cultural stop is Teatro Comunale Laura Betti, which dates back to the 1920s. The museum and theatre offer different ways to explore cultural history: here, objects collected over generations; there, a theatre building from the 1920s.

Exploring on foot or by bike

The Sentiero dei Bregoli is an easy, varied trail that historically connects Casalecchio di Reno with the Santuario della Beata Vergine di San Luca in Bologna. The Ciclovia lungo i canali di Reno e Navile, by contrast, is a combined cycling and walking route: it runs from Casalecchio to Castel Maggiore, following Bologna's waterways. The routes differ in their described course and points of reference. The Bregoli trail is defined by its connection to the sanctuary and its historical association; the Ciclovia focuses on the waterways and the route to Castel Maggiore. When planning your day, you can therefore choose to orient yourself around a destination or a route along the waterways.

Parkland and views

Parco della Chiusa has tree-lined avenues, large English-style lawns and groves. Along the avenues, you can sense the site's former noble splendour; the park landscape combines open spaces and wooded areas with a sense of history. From Eremo di Tizzano, there are panoramic views of a city and the surrounding areas. The Eremo is temporarily closed for inspection and consolidation work, and visits cannot currently be arranged.

When looking for a holiday apartment, your preferred focus for the trip can serve as a guide: would you like to spend most of your time exploring the history of water engineering and the collections, discovering trails, or enjoying the parkland? You can also include a mix of these interests in your plans. The places and routes mentioned offer different points of interest, so you do not have to limit yourself to just one way of exploring.

Discover more destinations

Discover more destinations: Granaglione, Borgonuovo, Calcara, Baricella, Marzabotto, Suviana, San Giovanni In Persiceto, San Marino.

Go to the main travel overview: Bologna.