It is a tourist cycling route of about 6 km, which stretches along the banks of the Navile, a historical artificial canal of about 40 km, built between the late 1100s and early 1200s, which linked Bologna to Venice.
The Navile used to be an important road link to maritime commercial traffic, since thanks to all its "sostegni" (synonymous with sluice) and hydraulic works built along its path, it was navigable up to the sea.
The canal was used until the Second World War and along its banks were developed the production sites that took advantage of the energy produced from water with paddle wheels, such as furnaces, mills and small power plants.
This nature trail allows those interested in the economical and productive history of Bologna to visit along the way the Industrial Heritage Museum, located in a former XIX century furnace.
On your way back on the cycling track, we suggest the most daring cyclists to continue down the route that connects the city centre to Casalecchio di Reno.
Porta Galliera could be called the “Gate of the hostile fortress” (“Porta della rocca ostile”) because of the nearby standing fortress built by the cardinal Bertrand du Pouget in 1330-1333. The fortress was repeatedly destroyed and rebuilt: five times between 1330 and 1511.
Just outside porta Lame - in the present via Bovi Campeggi - there is the "Sostegno della Bova". It was constructed in 1594 designed by Floriano Ambrosini in place of the old port of Maccagnano, opened in 1284 to bring ships from Corticella up to Bologna.
The green area covers about 8,5 acres along the right bank of the canal Navile. It takes its name from Villa Angeletti which was destroyed during the Second World War
The word “Battiferro” comes from an old iron and copper beating works.
The Museum of the Industrial Heritage gathers information, represents and spreads the economic and productive history of the city and its territory from the Modern to the Contemporary Age.
The Sostegno (Lock) Torreggiani was built around 1560. The complex is composed of the operating house, the lock for boats and some residential buildings.
So called also “Sostegnazzo”. Originally from 1560. The lock, still conserved is hexagonal.
It was built by Petro Brambilla da Gorgonzola at the end of the 15th century. The lock was rebuilt by Vignola fifty years later. The lock for navigation and the operating house are conserved.
Ponte Nuovo or Ponte della Bionda is a very old bridge over the Canale Navile. It was built at the end of the 17th century for horses who were pulling boats against the stream coming from the lower plain, sometimes even from the Adriatic sea towards the city.
The first port of Bologna arose from the present Sostegno di Corticella. It was built by Vignola with the elliptical-shaped navigation basin in 1548 and maintains the manoeuvring of the Riva Calzoni.
The bridge over the Navile Canal in Corticella is already mentioned in documents of the XIII century and the date of construction dates back to 1289.
