Poggiolforato

The place name Poggiolforato (meaning “punctured mountain”), along with a stone plaque in the town and a few scattered traces here and there, are all that remain as testimony of this ambitious hydraulic engineering project, a description of which was found in historical documents of the Bolognese Senate.

This ingenious undertaking, designed by Andrea da Savignano in the late 1200s, involved an artificial canal, partially dug out from the side of the mountain, that would serve to convey water from the Dardagna Stream to the Silla Stream in order to assist in transporting timber to Bologna. The so-called Belvedere Canal was constructed in the early 1300s, however there is no precise information available regarding its actual operation. The “Giovanni Carpani” Ethnographic Museum in Poggiolforato features artifacts relating to the daily life and trades of these mountain communities. A lovely reconstruction of a typical mountain dwelling’s furnishings can be viewed in a section of the adjacent “Catinelle” historic building.