Sassoleone is a hilltop village in the

Apennine Mountains The Apennines or Apennine Mountains ( ; or Ἀπέννινον ὄρος; or – a singular with plural meaning; )Latin ''Apenninus'' (Greek or ) has the form of an adjective, which would be segmented ''Apenn-inus'', often used with nouns s ...

of north-central Italy,(about 440 meters above sea-level). The village belongs to the municipality of

Casalfiumanese Casalfiumanese () is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Bologna in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about southeast of Bologna. Casalfiumanese borders the following municipalities: Borgo Tossignano, Castel del Rio ...

, about 40 kilometers south-east of the metropolitan city 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 ...

, in the 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 ...

History

The area was first mentioned in church documents in AD 1127. The local Catholic church, ( St. Prosepero) was built during this time. The land was owned by various noble families through the centuries, (the Bolognese, the

Alidosi The Alidosi or Alodosi are a family of Romagna, Italy, who held the '' signoria'' of the city of Imola during the Late Middle Ages. They were originary of the Santerno valley. History During the 13th century, the Alidosi supported the Guelph ca ...

and the Florentines). By the late 14th Century the land fell into direct control of the

Holy See The Holy See (, ; ), also called the See of Rome, the Petrine See or the Apostolic See, is the central governing body of the Catholic Church and Vatican City. It encompasses the office of the pope as the Bishops in the Catholic Church, bishop ...

. During the

Second World War 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 ...

, Sassoleone was part of the German "

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 ...

". During a reprisal operation, twenty-four villagers were seized by soldiers and shot in front of the old church. The church and its bell tower were then blown up. The Allies would free the village in March 1945, just before the April Spring Offensive to take Bologna. After the war, the church was rebuilt. In front of the new church and bell tower there is a stone memorial commemorating the event. The road that leads to the church, previously called "via Castello", has been renamed "via Martiri della Rappresaglia".

April Festival

Every first Sunday of April, Sassoleone holds a pole-climbing contest in the village square for both adults and children. Another tradition is the throwing of sweets or biscuits out the windows of buildings for children. (Sagra della cuccagna).

Economy

Sassoleone consists mainly of farmers and small businesses. The village has recently become popular for its Agri-Tourism where vacationers can stay at nearby farms during their holidays.https://www.agriturismo.net/emilia-romagna/bologna/ Panorama-sassoleone-estate

References

Geography of the Metropolitan City of Bologna Frazioni of Emilia-Romagna {{Italy-geo-stub