PLACES OF INTEREST
THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER RENO
It is likely that Etruscans and Romans had already built a bridge on the river Reno. The first documents date back to 110, when “gli Anziani” (the elderly) of Bologna financed the maintenance of the “Gran Fabbricato” (the big building) of Casalecchio bridge. The historian Abate Trombelli said that the very old sandstone bridge was decorated with brick merlons. During those years the bridge was owned by the monks of Santa Maria del Reno, who kept it renovated following their “spirit of charity”, as they did in 1296, when an extraordinary flood reached the height of the bridge, breaking two arches. Amongst several battles, the most violent took place on the bridge on the 26th of July 1402, remembered as the battle of Casalecchio, showing the population of Bologna against the supporters of Duke Giangaleazzo Visconti. The first important extension was done between 1843 and 1846. Around the half of the 19th century, it was a beautiful and monumental building. The bridge had a medieval style, with unequal arcades, and it showed a steep slope of the street. During that period, the bridge was owned by the Pontifical Government. The bridge, which at the beginning was large 4 metres, was always enlarged and embellished by the several administrations of the province of Bologna. In 1882, in order to let the tramway pass through Casalecchio and Bologna, the bridge was enlarged again by about 2 more metres. A bad moment was during June 1944 and April 1945: after the bombardments of the Allied, the bridge turned to be a pile of rubble. At the end of 1946, the new bridge was officially open again. Today it is large more than 19 metres, without mentioning the sidewalks.
LA BAMBOZA
Along Via Porrettana, not far from Villa Ghillini, is an ancient fountain whose fresh waters from the Pizzacchera Stream was once a source of refreshment for travellers and horses along this route. The clever townspeople called it the \"Bamboza\" because it resembled a dressmaker's dummy (“bamboza” in dialect). The fountain has not been accurately dated, nor do we know who commissioned it for public usage, but it has been attributed to the 18th century. Only during its recent rennovation has new information about its origins come to light, pointing in particular to its resemblance to the three “twin columns” which bear the family crest of the House of Cospi. Therefore it is reasonable to assume that it was the Cospi family who had this public fountain built when they were the lords of the villa and the surrounding lands.
LA FONTANA PER IL POPOLO
Once you pass the tram tracks, you find, as people have long found, the old village fountain, which is accessed by descending a few winding steps, since it is located below street level. Below the stone inscribed with the Municipal symbol and the words: \"1886 - il Comune per il popolo\" (the Town for the People), water spouts from a mascaron embedded in a circular brick wall. It was that “People” who, in 1884, due to the grave shortage of well water that year, signed a petition and delivered it to the administrative offices of the Province of Bologna, demanding that a solution be found. The 7th of August that same year, the Municipality of Casalecchio approved an agreement with the military engineers to lay pipes to carry water from state property to the point where the old fountain was to be built. Today the fountain is dry. Hardly anyone goes down that short staircase anymore, but when it was opened and for many subsequent years, it was always crowded with people fetching water to cool off or quench their thirst.
CASA DELLA CONOSCENZA
La Casa della Conoscenza (The House of Knowledge), inaugurated the 28th November, 2004, is the beating heart of the Casalecchio cultural nervous system. It is a community center, open to all age groups, providing a window on the world through which Casalecchio di Reno connects to other realities, both near and far, in the difficult but fascinating attempt to sustain and appreciate its own roots while simultaneously welcoming the challenge of intercultural relationships and the value of diversifying culture. The building houses the Cesare Pavese Public Library, Piazza delle Culture Auditorium, a Seminar Hall, a Reading Room and an exhibition space known as \"La Virgola\". Its location was carefully chosen to create a clear and recognizable “center,” literally and figuratively, at the crossroads of the two main arteries towards Porretta and Bazzano on one side, and Bologna on the other. Thanks to its location, therefore, the Casa della Conoscenza fully integrates role of cultural and economic crossroads and exchange that has always characterized Casalecchio di Reno. The formal image of the building is completed by the presence of adequate pedestrian structures and by the unique introspective structure of a central courtyard protecting it from external interference.
TESTONI THEATRE
The project for the theatre building was designed by Carlo Tornelli (1891-1964) and constructed in 1928. Originally used both as a theatre and as a Fascist Party headquarters, the simple, linear structure does not recall the modernist modules in vogue in those days. The construction is graced by an airy loggia, built as a rooftop terrace, originally designated for fencing and gymnastic activities. Restructured in the ’60s and ’80s, Teatro Testoni is today among the most active theatres in Italy.