Lizzano in Belvedere

Lizzano in Belvedere lies in the upper Bolognese Apennines. Its territory extends from inhabited valleys and historic mountain villages to the high Apennine ridge around Corno alle Scale. The area is marked by the valleys of the Silla and Dardagna streams, beech woods, sandstone formations, high-altitude grasslands and traces of glacial morphology in the upper Dardagna valley.^[4]

The Corno alle Scale Regional Park covers 2,560 hectares of parkland and 2,121 hectares of contiguous area. The regional description identifies the mountain as the highest summit of the Bolognese Apennines and describes the landscape as a system of valleys, villages, sanctuaries, waterfalls, forests and summit grasslands arranged around the massif.^[5]

Among the best-known natural features are the Dardagna waterfalls, near Madonna dell'Acero. The Dardagna stream descends through stepped sandstone layers in a series of waterfalls within the beech forest. An itinerary of the regional park starts from Madonna dell'Acero at about 1,190 m and reaches the waterfalls before returning to the sanctuary.^[6]

The municipality also includes, or is closely connected with, places such as Monte Pizzo, La Nuda, Monte Cornaccio, the Cavone area and Lake Scaffaiolo. Lake Scaffaiolo lies on the Apennine watershed at about 1,775 m and is described by Bologna Welcome as the highest natural lake of the Apennine chain.^[7]

The municipality includes several hamlets and mountain localities, including Vidiciatico, Pianaccio, Monteacuto delle Alpi, Poggiolforato, Rocca Corneta and Madonna dell'Acero.

Vidiciatico is located between the Silla and Dardagna streams, at the foot of Monte Pizzo. It is one of the main tourist settlements in the municipality and a starting point for excursions and access to the Corno alle Scale ski area. The old village preserves the apse of a medieval church built in 1393 and the Oratory of San Rocco, erected in 1631.^[8]

Pianaccio, at about 760 m in the upper Silla valley, is known as the birthplace of journalist and writer Enzo Biagi. The village hosts the Enzo Biagi Documentation Centre and preserves examples of traditional stone architecture.^[9]

Monteacuto delle Alpi is a historic Apennine village on a high spur. It is noted for its compact stone-built settlement and for the church of San Nicolò, which contains works of artistic interest.^[10]

Poggiolforato lies near the Corno alle Scale, below the Monti della Riva. The village is associated with the traditional architecture of the upper Dardagna valley, including sandstone roofs, decorated buildings and round chimneys. It hosts the Giovanni Carpani Ethnographic Museum, dedicated to the mountain culture of the area.^[11]

Rocca Corneta is a hamlet with a history of local administrative autonomy. It preserves the church of San Martino and a medieval tower later adapted as a bell tower. The Torre di Rocca Corneta is recorded in the Italian national catalogue of cultural heritage.^[12][13]

The parish church of San Mamante is one of the oldest religious institutions in the area. Local tourist sources trace its earliest written evidence to the Lombard period; the present church was built between 1911 and 1935. Saint Mammes is the patron saint of the town and is celebrated on 17 August.^[14]

Near the church is the so-called Delubro, a small round building traditionally interpreted as a baptistery connected with the ancient parish church. BeWeB, the ecclesiastical heritage portal of the Italian Episcopal Conference, describes it as the only architectural evidence surviving from the ancient complex and states that it probably dates from between the 8th and 11th centuries, on earlier Roman remains.^[15]

The Sanctuary of Madonna dell'Acero is located at about 1,200 m above sea level. It was built in 1535 and is one of the main expressions of Marian devotion in the Bolognese mountains. It is also the usual starting point for one of the best-known routes to the Dardagna waterfalls.^[16][6]

The ancient parish of San Mamante and the Delubro point to the importance of Lizzano in the early medieval period. BeWeB records that the Massa di Lizzano was mentioned in a diploma of the Lombard king Aistulf in 753 and that the church of Lizzano dedicated to San Mamante was cited as both pieve and cenobio.^[15]

During the Second World War the territory was involved in events connected with the Gothic Line. In autumn 1944 Lizzano and the surrounding area were part of the so-called Free Zone of Belvedere. Resistance sources state that Lizzano was occupied by the partisan forces of "Armando" on 2 October 1944 and that the area then became part of a partisan-controlled zone operating in connection with the Allied Fifth Army.^[17][18]

On 27 September 1944 German forces killed civilians at Ca' Berna, between Vidiciatico and Madonna dell'Acero, after a clash with partisans. The event is recorded in the historical database Storia e Memoria di Bologna and in studies on Nazi and Fascist massacres in Italy.^[19]

In February 1945 the nearby Monte Belvedere sector became one of the objectives of Operation Encore, the Allied offensive against the Gothic Line in this part of the Apennines. The operation involved the United States 10th Mountain Division and the Brazilian Expeditionary Force in the surrounding sector.^[20]

The Giovanni Carpani Ethnographic Museum in Poggiolforato is devoted to the material culture of the mountains. Its collections are divided into sections on chestnuts, crafts, sheep farming, religion and weaving; the nearby building known as Le Catinelle preserves the reconstruction of a mountain house with furniture from the 19th century and the period between the two world wars.^[21]

Pianaccio is associated with Enzo Biagi, one of the best-known Italian journalists of the 20th century, and hosts a documentation centre dedicated to him.^[9]

Tourism in Lizzano in Belvedere is linked to mountain villages, hiking, religious sites, winter sports and the protected landscapes of the Corno alle Scale Regional Park. Emilia-Romagna Turismo lists Lake Scaffaiolo, the Dardagna waterfalls and the Delubro among the places of interest in the municipality.^[3]

The Corno alle Scale ski area is located within the municipality. According to Emilia-Romagna Turismo, it offers 36 km of ski runs served by five chairlifts and one moving walkway; the ski area is also associated with Italian alpine skier Alberto Tomba, to whom two runs, Tomba 1 and Tomba 2, are dedicated.^[22]

• Official website