Riola, Emilia-Romagna

Riola lies in the middle Reno valley, along the historic route between Bologna and Pistoia. The Reno separates Riola, in the municipality of Vergato, from Ponte or Riola Ponte, in the municipality of Grizzana Morandi.^[1] The settlement is crossed by the Strada statale 64 Porrettana and is served by the Bologna-Pistoia railway, historically known as the Porrettana railway.^[7]

The village stands at 263 metres above sea level and is located almost halfway between Bologna and Pistoia along the Porrettana route.^[1]

In the 11th century, Vergato and Riola were still minor settlements without major administrative or ecclesiastical status. According to historical notes published by the municipality of Vergato, Riola then belonged to the parish of Lissano.^[8]

The modern development of Riola was closely connected with the transformation of transport in the Reno valley. The opening of the Porrettana road in 1847 and, about ten years later, the construction of the Bologna-Pracchia-Pistoia railway altered the balance between older hill settlements and valley-floor centres.^[8] A territorial source of the Metropolitan City of Bologna describes Riola as a locality that developed after the construction of the Porrettana road and gradually replaced Montecavalloro, of which it had historically been a suburb.^[9]

The Porrettana railway, also known as the Transappennina, was officially inaugurated in 1864 and connected Bologna with Pistoia by crossing the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines. Fondazione FS describes it as the railway that first crossed the Apennines between northern and central Italy, while Biblioteca Salaborsa notes that it remained the main railway communication between northern and southern Italy until the construction of the Direttissima Bologna-Florence line.^[10][11]

The parish church of Santa Maria Assunta is one of the best-known works of modern architecture in the Bolognese Apennines. The church was commissioned in the context of the renewal of sacred architecture promoted in Bologna by Cardinal Giacomo Lercaro and the Ufficio Nuove Chiese, and was designed by Finnish architect Alvar Aalto.^[4] The Alvar Aalto Foundation states that Lercaro asked Aalto in 1965 to design a small church next to the old highway bridge across the Reno.^[12]

The Ministry of Culture's census of Italian architecture after 1945 dates the project to 1966-1976 and the main execution phase to 1976-1978. Alvar Aalto is listed as the principal designer, with Elissa Aalto involved in the execution phase.^[4] The wider parish complex also includes the churchyard, bell tower, sacristy, rectory and parish rooms.^[13]

The building is located near the Reno and is characterized by reinforced concrete structures, a sculptural roof profile, an asymmetrical single nave, white interior surfaces, natural lighting and the use of local materials, including sandstone from Montovolo for the façades.^[4][13]

The Rocchetta Mattei stands near Riola, in the municipality of Grizzana Morandi. The castle was built by Count Cesare Mattei on the ruins of the medieval Rocca di Savignano. According to the official history of the monument, the building was repeatedly modified by Mattei and his heirs, becoming a complex of towers, stairways, reception rooms and private rooms that combine Neo-medieval, Neo-Renaissance, Moorish and Liberty elements.^[5]

A record of the Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio in Bologna states that Mattei laid the first stone of the Rocchetta on 5 November 1850, and that the building stands near Riola di Vergato.^[14]

After a long period of closure and abandonment, the property was acquired by Fondazione Carisbo in 2005 and underwent restoration. It was reopened to the public in 2015 through an agreement involving Fondazione Carisbo, the municipality of Grizzana Morandi, the Metropolitan City of Bologna and the Unione dei Comuni dell'Appennino Bolognese.^[15]

The Museo Internazionale dei Tarocchi is located in Riola, at Via Arturo Palmieri 5. The regional cultural heritage catalogue describes it as a museum housed in a 17th-century historic building in the Bolognese Apennines, with a collection of ancient and modern tarot cards and playing cards, including works by artists from several countries.^[6] The museum is managed by the cultural association Mutus Liber.^[16]

The Archivio Museo Cesare Mattei is located in Riola Ponte, in the municipality of Grizzana Morandi. It is dedicated to Count Cesare Mattei, the Rocchetta Mattei and the history of electrohomeopathy. The official Rocchetta Mattei website describes it as an archive and museum containing documents, photographs, original books, remedies, correspondence and other material connected with Mattei and his family.^[17]

Near Riola are several historic hill settlements and rural architectural sites connected with the older settlement pattern of the Reno valley. The Metropolitan City of Bologna notes the proximity of Montecavalloro, a medieval village historically linked with Matilda of Tuscany, as well as the tower-house of Costonzo, dated between the 14th and 16th centuries, and the tower-house of Monzone, dating from the 12th century.^[9]

The area is associated with contemporary artist Luigi Ontani, who was born in Vergato. The Villino Roma, later renamed RomAmor, is located in Riola Ponte, at the foot of the Rocchetta Mattei, and is described as Ontani's studio.^[3] Vergato also hosts the MuseOntani, a permanent exhibition dedicated to the artist in the municipal palace.^[18]

Riola is served by Riola railway station, on the Bologna-Pistoia railway. The line, known as the Porrettana railway or Transappennina, was completed in 1864 and was one of the major engineering works of post-unification Italy. Biblioteca Salaborsa describes it as a 99-kilometre line with 23 stations, designed by French engineer Jean-Louis Protche and known for its viaducts and helicoidal tunnels.^[11] Visit Pistoia describes the Porrettana as the first railway line to cross the Tuscan-Emilian Apennine ridge, with 47 tunnels and 35 bridges and viaducts.^[19]

The settlement is also crossed by the Strada statale 64 Porrettana, the historic road axis between Bologna and Pistoia.^[1]