It is a fascinating territory, defined by gentle hills, patches of woods, spectacular gullies and orderly geometries of vineyards and orchards, which also offer all the other typical fruit of Vignola at the tables: plums, apricots, peaches, pears….
Here, where for centuries Bologna and Modena clashed in epic battles, as also narrated by Tassoni, cherry trees find an ideal habitat, a particular microclimate that, combined with the skillful hand of man, brings every year, in this season, the harvest of tasty and irresistible red fruits. A product of excellent quality, which already in the post-war period had conquered the markets of northern Europe and which today, also thanks to the introduction of new varieties and the improvement of production techniques, confirms itself as a market leader.
The itinerary
After passing Casalecchio di Reno, at the gates of Bologna, the provincial road Bazzanese offers the first glimpse of the hills and quickly leads to Zola Predosa, a small town with a double soul, agricultural and industrial, as suggested by the “Great Wheel” by sculptor Martani, which welcomes visitors at the entrance of the town.
Before going to look for cherry trees full of red fruits, it is worth, arriving in the morning, to make a sweet stop at the Marsigli bakery-pastry shop, where, as soon as you enter, you are wrapped in the scent of freshly baked fragrant cherry tarts, pinze and raviole (traditional Bolognese sweets) filled with jam, mini pastries garnished with custard cream and duroni rubavista, fruit cakes and a thousand other delicacies, including the typical mountain sugar candies, made with flour, eggs and Romagna anise seeds.
From here to the Vecchia Malga, the rich cheese and cold cuts shop of the Chiari family, another symbolic name of the local gastronomy, the step is short. House specialties are artisanal mascarpone cakes garnished with cherries or other fruit and various vegetables, as well as stuffed tomini, very fresh scamorze and a hard cheese, aged 24 months, called “Re Nero”. All produced in the dairy of Rocca di Roffeno, at 800 meters on the Apennines, surrounded by organic pastures, where Bruna Alpina breed cows are raised. Before leaving the inhabited center of Zola Predosa, it is also advisable to stop at the Lodi-Corazza Farm, where there is a small shop with an appealing name: DeGusto, where Silvia Corazza, one of the owners, offers jams, cherries preserved in spirits and syrup, pulp of Duroni and Morette, natural plum pulp, juices and syruped plums, organic honey and a selection of the company’s D.O.C. wines, among which is the typical Pignoletto, obtained from grapes produced by the only native grape variety of the area, producing a straw-yellow colored wine, with a delicate and fruity aroma, dry, harmonious and rather persistent taste. Perfect with cold cuts and tigelle, fish appetizers, and even, as many say, with the classic tortellino.
Just outside the town appears the sign of the “Da Zia Polly” Farm, managed by Mrs. Lucia Benini and her husband Giorgio, who cultivate cherry trees of all varieties, peach trees, plum trees, apricot trees, strawberries and seasonal vegetables on three hectares of land.
Besides the skillful cultivation techniques and the favorable microclimate of the foothill strip, what makes these cherries excellent is also the so-called “Vignola style” processing.
Already from the post-war period, our cherries had conquered the markets of northern Europe; the older ones still remember the freight wagons that transported baskets full of red fruits to England amidst huge blocks of ice>>.
Back on the Bazzanese provincial road, all that remains is to follow it, immersing oneself in a landscape of gentle lines, slightly stirred by harmonious geometries of vineyards and orchards, wooded patches and some small castles, testifying to the ancient rivalries between Bologna and Modena. After passing Bazzano, with the suggestive Rocca Bentivoglio, home to cultural initiatives and the “Crespellani” Archaeological Museum, the cherry thread leads towards Monteveglio, where in the Oliveto locality appears La Faggiola, an agritourism farm specialized in the production of fruit, honey and organic cereals.
