Casalecchio is Bologna's water gate: its lock on the Reno, documented since the thirteenth century and still working, diverted the river's energy for centuries into the canals and silk mills of the learned city — one of Europe's longest-serving hydraulic works. Beside it, the Chiusa park (formerly Talon) is the hillside lung where Bolognesi have strolled for generations.
Today the town hinges trade fairs, arenas and shopping hubs, with the San Luca sanctuary blessing from its hill. The Reno under the plane trees remains the right spot to understand why Bologna actually begins here.
The Casalecchio di Reno guide
Near Casalecchio di Reno
The closest destinations covered by our editors, with straight-line distance.
