Molinella (
Bolognese: or ) is a ''
comune
A (; : , ) is an administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions () and provinces (). The can also have the City status in Italy, titl ...
'' (municipality) in the
Metropolitan City of Bologna
The Metropolitan City of Bologna () is a Metropolitan cities of Italy, metropolitan city in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. Its capital is ''de facto'' the city of Bologna, though the body does not explicitly outline it. It was created by t ...
, in the
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance languag ...
region of
Emilia-Romagna
Emilia-Romagna (, , both , ; or ; ) is an Regions of Italy, administrative region of northern Italy, comprising the historical regions of Emilia (region), Emilia and Romagna. Its capital is Bologna. It has an area of , and a population of 4.4 m ...
, located about northeast of
Bologna
Bologna ( , , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy. It is the List of cities in Italy, seventh most populous city in Italy, with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nationalities. Its M ...
.
Molinella borders the following municipalities:
Argenta,
Baricella
Baricella ( Bolognese: , locally ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Bologna in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about northeast of Bologna.
Baricella borders the following municipalities: Argenta, Budrio, Ferr ...
,
Budrio
Budrio ( Eastern Bolognese: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Bologna, in Emilia-Romagna, Italy; it is east of Bologna.
Budrio is the birthplace of Giuseppe Barilli, better known under his pseudonym of Quirico Filopanti, an ...
,
Medicina
Medicina ( Bolognese: ; Eastern Bolognese: ) is an Italian ''comune'' with c. 16,000 inhabitants in the Metropolitan City of Bologna, part of the region of Emilia-Romagna.
Name
The origins of its name (which in Italian means "medicine") are quit ...
.
Molinella is situated in a rural area on the old ''San Donato Road'' (which historically connected Bologna with Argenta and its port on the Po di Primaro). The municipality is crossed on the northern side by the
Reno River
The Reno () is a river of Emilia-Romagna and Tuscany, northern Italy. At ,[Reno]
and is surrounded by several marshes and canals. The town has a railway station on the Bologna-Portomaggiore Railway.
History
The name ''Molinella'' comes from the Italian word for mill, ''molino'', as during the Middle Ages, there were numerous
watermills
A watermill or water mill is a mill that uses hydropower. It is a structure that uses a water wheel or water turbine to drive a mechanical process such as milling (grinding), rolling, or hammering. Such processes are needed in the production of ...
in this area. The village was established before the 14th century on a hillock between the ''Marshes of Marmorta and Marrara'', just south of the
Po di Primaro river. Historically, it served as a customs post on the border between the ''Bologna Territory'' and ''
Ferrara
Ferrara (; ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Emilia-Romagna, Northern Italy, capital of the province of Ferrara. it had 132,009 inhabitants. It is situated northeast of Bologna, on the Po di Volano, a branch channel of the main ...
Territory'' until the 18th century. It was also one of the few access points to the ferries crossing the Po di Primaro.
For a long time, Molinella remained one of the most isolated villages in the
Province of Bologna
The province of Bologna () was a province in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. Its provincial capital was the city of Bologna. The province of Bologna covered an area of and had a total population of 1,004,323 inhabitants as of 31 December 2014 ...
. The construction of the railway in the 19th century marked the beginning of its development, and today, Molinella is a small town with a high standard of living.
Climate
On 12 January 1985, the official weather station of San Pietro Capofiume recorded the absolute lowest temperature in Italy for a lowland area: .
References
External links
Official website
{{authority control
Cities and towns in Emilia-Romagna