Attraction, Bologna
Bologna is criss-crossed by a network of underground canals. The city centre has as many as five: the Reno, the Cavaticcio, the Navile, the Savena and the Canale delle Moline. The latter is actually a branch of the Reno Canal, which originates near Via dell'Indipendenza and flows below the city centre before flowing into the Aposa, a natural stream. At the end of its journey, the Moline Canal joins the Navile near Sostegno della Bova, not far from the train station.
What is the origin of these canals? The city's water network was built in the Middle Ages, a time when Bologna needed water and energy to cope with its growing economic and commercial development.
The Moline Canal played a fundamental role, namely to power the operation of 15 urban mills, which were used to process silk and wheat. With the advent of the 20th century, the mills fell into disuse and were destroyed, and the Moline Canal, like all the others, was buried as part of an urban reorganisation plan.