Villa Ghigi
Measuring 28 hectares, Villa Ghigi is one of the largest public parks in Bologna and is very popular with the locals in their free time. Located on Via San Mamolo, it can be reached by car but it is advisable to take the upper access on Via di Gaibola, as it has a car park. From this side of the park there is also a wonderful view of the centre of Bologna.
Currently managed by the Villa Ghigi Foundation, the park was inaugurated in 1975 and has always hosted workshops, courses and events co-organised with the City of Bologna.
What makes the Villa Ghigi park special is the presence of cultivated and natural areas such as meadows and groves within the same large green area. In this sense we can define it as unique among Bologna parks, and also as an excellent example of integration between public spaces and agricultural activities.
The Villa
As is easy to guess, the park's name derives from the
Ghigi family, who last inhabited the villa until 1972. The Ghigi family had taken possession of the area in 1864; Alessandro Ghigi, rector of the University of Bologna from 1930 to 1943, a famous geologist and naturalist who was the first to express his intention of ceding the property to the Municipality of Bologna, established his residence here.
The
villa was presumably founded in the 17th century, in the typical style of the
hillside residences of the Bolognese nobility. Before the Ghigi family, it was inhabited by many other families, including the Malvezzi family, who are credited with one of the last conspiracies that preceded the ousting of the Bentivoglio seigniory from Bologna.
The building still stands in the park today but is no longer usable. In fact, one of the surrounding farmhouses was chosen as the headquarters of the Villa Ghigi Foundation.
The park
The park of Villa Ghigi is a curious
mix of indigenous and exotic plants and trees: old orchards and small beech forests are flanked by trees such as the Himalayan cedar. Among the fruit trees are also quite rare native species, representing an important botanical heritage to be preserved and handed down to future generations.
Along the dirt paths that criss-cross the park, called
cavedagne, we also find specimens of almond, plum, persimmon, fig and cherry trees and, of course, rows of vines.
Lastly, in the large
didactic garden around the villa and in the park spaces, many workshops are held for children, as well as horticultural therapy and green care activities for rehabilitation purposes, aimed at people with disabilities or mental disorders.
