There are not many villages in the Bolognese area where one really has the impression of having gone back in time like the village of “La Scola”.
Scola has a thousand-year history that has its roots in the 6th century AD. when the territory was under the control of the Lombards, right on the border with the Exarchate of Ravenna. From that historical era we have the toponym skulk which means guard and lookout post, from which Scola.
The defensive purpose characterized not only the Lombard period but also partly the medieval period, until peace was reached with the Pistoia people who threatened the borders of the Municipality of Bologna, after all the agglomeration is located on the ridge.
The history of the village is closely connected to the Parisi family who came from Prato around the first half of the 1300s and always remained living in Scola, until the middle of the last century, when – with Irene Parisi – the branch became extinct.
The village appears intact and the monuments that can be admired date back between the end of the 1300s and the mid-1600s. The village has been subject to urban planning restrictions since 1974 and also to architectural restrictions since 1976.
Scola also presents naturalistic peculiarities due to the microclimate which is more favorable than the surrounding areas and which therefore allows the proliferation of non-native plants, all to be discovered starting from the living monument of Scola, the ancient 700 year old cypress.
– A dive into the Middle Ages
As soon as you arrive in the village of La Scola you have the impression of having immersed yourself in the Middle Ages.
Most of the buildings date back to 1400-1500 and represent exceptional examples of medieval Apennine architecture by the Comacini Masters.
These people, coming from Milan and Como, where they were united in cooperation and held a school of masonry art, contributed to spreading Lombard architecture across vast territories.
– One of the most characteristic villages in the Grizzano area
The beautiful village, among the most characteristic of the Grizzano area, has come down to us almost intact and has been recognized as a historic centre. In the 1235 Estimo, only one house called “Sculcula” is mentioned, which indicates the headquarters of a small military detachment. “Sculca” is also a term of Roman origin which indicates a lookout or guard post in an elevated place.
– A village born as a military district
The fortified village was in fact born as a military district and place of resistance and defense of the monastic center of Montovolo, of great economic and commercial as well as religious importance.
In the Montovolo area, located near the border with the Lombards, the legendary fights between Frankish warriors – called Paladins – and invading Lombards took place.
The fortified village therefore had a strategic role and the military function it supported justifies the name and its urban composition, with buildings and towers leaning against each other and mutually integrated into the defensive system that the orographic nature of the place, almost a spur halfway up the coast, contributed to make it more impervious to enemy attacks.
– A cypress with over 7 centuries of life
The village is characterized by around ten towers incorporated into or adjacent to the main buildings, all comparable to house-forts, which form seven aggregates or “urban insulae” of respectable dimensions.
Three central buildings benefit from a series of connections between them, especially on the upper floors (“hanging corridors”) which provide the possibility of internal entrenchments which are very useful in the event of a siege and possible sorties.
The play of volumes accentuated by the elevation of the towers and the interpenetration of the buildings on multiple levels is magnificent and the relationship with the surrounding landscape is harmonious.
Noteworthy is the majestic Scola cypress which, with its height of 25 m and an estimated age of over 700 years, represents a true monument of nature.
The Association’s volunteers will be happy to offer you information about the area and let you know anecdotes, stories and characteristics of the village. Ask the volunteers present at the headquarters in Via Vimginano 15 (in the small square) on weekends – info
Historical landmark in Vimignano-la Scola
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What to see where to go in the province in the surrounding area near places to visit weekends Places and Itineraries characteristic villages