Town in the province of Bologna, situated near the basin fields of the river Lavino, the area of Monte San Pietro has been inhabited since 2500 B.C., as revealed by the finds from the Bronze Age found in San Martino of Casola. Evident are the remains of the Iron Age, the periods of the Villanova, of the Etruscans and of the subsequent domination of the Gauls. After the fall of the Roman Empire in 568 it became part of the Lombard kingdom. For the particular geographic conformation of the territory, characterized by hills and mountains, the area became building site of several castles and fortresses with the purpose to dominate the strategic control of the area. The inhabitants were involved in secular disputes between Bologna and Modena, and the town was ruled by several local nobles, such as the Accounts of Panico, of dell'Amola and Cattani and the Vassals of Matilda of Canossa .
Sites of Interest:
- the Church of Santa Maria Assunta, mentioned in the XIV century, which preserves inside a precious masterpiece of art, the Via Crucis of the artist Gandolfi, as well as three paintings by Guardassoni;
- the ancient Abbey of St. Fabian, mentioned in documents of the XII and XIII centuries, consists of a complex of buildings, some with civic purposes, such as the tower and others with clearly religious affinities (church, monastery and cloister), all in a predominant Romanesque style . The construction techniques and especially the typically medieval re-use of ornamental materials from other older buildings, date the Church around the XII - XIII century and its restructuring in the XV century;
- the Church of St. John the Baptist, which houses a precious organ, still in use, whose construction is attributed to a member of the Family Cipri (XVI - XVII centuries), located in a choir loft above the entrance door. Of interest is also the apse and the carved wood and gilded altar;
- the Romanesque Church of San Lorenzello in Collina, a private property with an interesting altarpiece and a polychrome wood sculpture (Our Lady of the Castle Capramozza) dating from the XIII century;
- Ca 'dei Ghedini, a fortified mansion rebuilt several times over the centuries, decorated with Roman caryatids and a big mask;
- the Tower Paleotto in the village of San Chierlo, which together with the Watch Tower and the Tower, that flanked the XV century Casa Masi, were the watchtowers of the Rocca of Bonzara, of which, today, only few remains are visible were they stood between XII and XIV centuries;
- the Castle of Mongiorgio, dating from the X-XI centuries;
- the picturesque scenery of the badlands (calanchi).