Dozza, an open ceiling museum

Whilst I was at the university of Bologna, not knowing how to spend a Saturday afternoon, I decided to prepare a sandwich, fill up my water bottle and pack it all up in my backpack to go and visit some sights outside of the walls.

Whilst browsing the web i grew curious about Dozza, a small village not far from Imola and in which the walls of the houses are painted, transforming it in a open sky art gallery.

So I travelled the 40km that separate Dozza from the capital of Emilia, passing through the shops and markets, and I left the car in a parking lot at the outskirts of the village; this last one in fact is found at the hill (there are free parking lots also in the centre) but the slope to reach it isn't long or tiring.

Before entering into the heart of the village it's possible to stop to eat on the marble tables and stroll a bit in the park behind the walls, from which you can enjoy a beautiful view of the surrounding vineyards and hills.

Once I had finished my sandwich I searched for the gap between the walls, a sort of walkway that leads directly to the centre of the town. From the very first metres one can begin to admire the peculiarity of Dozza: the walls of many houses, as already anticipated, are painted, not like murals in a modern sense, but from more peaceful, but at the same time very colourful works.

Every painting seems to stand on its own, with no link to the neighbouring one, but fit in perfectly on their own wall, in the corners of the windows and the front door. The porticoes, covered both on the face and on the external wall, are no exception.

The subjects and colours vary greatly amongst one another, some represent daily life scenarios which could calmly occur in the insides of the houses, others are more abstract, whilst others are coloured with such vivid tones that they could be drawn by children.

The village enclosed by the walls isn't big: it doesn't take more than ten minutes to walk around it completely, but it's really worth visiting: it seems as though the idea to re-paint the walls was born with the Biennale d'Arte del Muro Dipinto, of which the first edition dates back to more than sixty years ago, and in the course of time drawn many artists to Dozza.

The tourists don't abandon Dozza but it is still a reality that could very well appear in the provincial catalog of Bolognese museums worthy of a visit.

The tour culminates in reaching the Rocca, an enormous complex surrounded by a moat; it is partially possible to visit it (I was unfortunately out of hours), alternatively inside it also houses a wine shop with products from local cellars.

I'm content to see the fortress from the outside and I return to the parking lot, satisfied with my choice.

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