Castel Bolognese
Medieval town along the Via Emilia, where pottery is industry, crafts and art.
The open-air museum dedicated to Angelo Biancini (1911-1988)-representative figure of twentieth-century Italian sculpture and ceramic art-sees his unmistakable bronze sculptures blend with the medieval arcades of Bolognese tradition, late Renaissance palaces and eighteenth-century churches.
The Scodellino Mill, built in the late 1300s, has a milling plant renovated in 1935 that is still working. A documentation center with the character of an ethnographic museum, it has a demonstration educational purpose and now hosts exhibitions and cultural events.
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The excellencies of Castel Bolognese
Skid Mill
Among the village’s special features, carefully guarded and enhanced by the community, is the old Scodellino Mill, perfectly restored and still in operation. It is one of the rare surviving examples of the series of mills that arose in the 1300s along the canal that took its name from them. It was built in the late 14th and early 15th centuries and probably owes its name to the “scudella,” used by the miller for milling.
The rustic building, made of exposed brick, still shows the original layout. On the other side of the canal, the mill is developed with a second building that was used as a granary, dating from the 1700s. Two stone millstones are installed on the ground floor.
In a second room, there is a tumbler and a grain cleaning machine called a “tarara.” The construction of these machines can be traced back to the late 1800s, but their installation can be traced back to 1935, when a modernization of the facilities was carried out.
Although the mill is no longer used, it was inhabited until 25 years ago.
Angelo Biancini
Along the avenues, squares, in some public buildings and in churches, the works of Angelo Biancini, a sculptor and ceramist who was born and lived in Castel Bolognese and is known in Italy and abroad for his creations, are placed on display. These are works in bronze, belonging to his heirs and entrusted to his much-loved hometown, which celebrated him in 1994 with a major exhibition. The works that decorate and make Castel Bolognese precious represent an ideal journey through Biancini’s art history. They follow his artistic development from the 1930s until his death. The great merit of this open-air museum, which contributes to the awareness and appreciation of Biancini’s talent, is the seamless integration of art and landscape. His masterpieces have now become an integral part of Castel Bolognese.
