Porretta Terme ( Bolognese: ''Puratta'') is a town of the Reno Valley Tuscan-Emilian Apennines, a ''

frazione A ''frazione'' (: ''frazioni'') is a type of subdivision of a ''comune'' ('municipality') in Italy, often a small village or hamlet outside the main town. Most ''frazioni'' were created during the Fascist era (1922–1943) as a way to consolidat ...

'' of the ''

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 ...

'' of

Alto Reno Terme Alto Reno Terme is a ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Bologna, Emilia-Romagna, Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsul ...

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 ...

. Porretta Terme is located about south-west of Bologna. Known since Roman times for its thermal springs, it is also a center for winter sports thanks to the nearby resorts of Corno alle Scale, Abetone, Monte Cimone. It was a separate ''

'' until January 2016, when it merged with Granaglione to form the new comune of

. During campaign of Italy in

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Porretta housed the

Headquarters Headquarters (often referred to as HQ) notes the location where most or all of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. The term is used in a wide variety of situations, including private sector corporations, non-profits, mil ...

of the 1st Brazilian Army division between November 1944 and the final breakthrough of the

Gothic Line The Gothic Line (; ) was a German and Italian defensive line of the Italian Campaign of World War II. It formed Field Marshal Albert Kesselring's last major line of defence along the summits of the northern part of the Apennine Mountains du ...

.Oliveira, Frank Marcio de. ''Attache Extraordinaire: Vernon A. Walters in Brazil'' National Defense Intelligence College, 2010. . Pages 10-11. Since December 1987, Porretta Terme is the site of a

soul music Soul music is a popular music genre that originated in African-American culture, African-American African-American neighborhood, communities throughout the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Catchy rhythms, stressed by handclaps ...

festival designed by Graziano Uliani, a passionate soul music fan, who, after attending the events in

Macon, Georgia Macon ( ), officially Macon–Bibb County, is a consolidated city-county in Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States. Situated near the Atlantic Seaboard fall line, fall line of the Ocmulgee River, it is southeast of Atlanta and near the ...

commemorating the 20th anniversary of the death of American musician

Otis Redding Otis Ray Redding Jr. (September 9, 1941 – December 10, 1967) was an American singer and songwriter. He is regarded as one of the greatest singers in the history of American popular music and a seminal artist in soul music and rhythm and blues. ...

, decided to dedicate a festival in his honour. The festival is associated with the Stax Museum of American Soul Music in Memphis and the Center for Southern Folklore in Memphis, USA. Porretta Terme is served by Porretta Terme railway station.

References

Cities and towns in Emilia-Romagna Spa towns in Italy Hot springs of Italy {{EmiliaRomagna-geo-stub