Who Needs a Guidebook When You’ve Got Hooves and a Wine Glass in the Bolognese Hills?

4 minute read

Bologna
Italy

The scenic backroads of Bologna’s countryside offer more than pasta.

Picture this: you’re astride a sturdy horse, the melodic clinking of stirrups keeping time against the symphony of birdsong echoing between the hills. This isn’t a page from a glossy travel magazine or a scene from an equestrian film. It’s real, and it’s waiting near Bologna. Forget what you’ve been told about Italian countryside adventures being all about pasta and packed-town squares. Here, we swap tourist maps for bridle reins and wine glasses.

The Horseback Odyssey

Rediscover Italy with a horse’s perspective.

The Bolognese Hills might not be the first landscape that springs to mind when you think of horseback riding in Italy, but perhaps it should be. On the Horseback Riding Experience in the Bolognese Hills , you’ll literally ride history’s path: the Via degli Dei. As you meander along trails flanked by ancient trees, you can’t help but feel the weight of centuries breathing along with your mount. It’s an experience that only 6% of visitors here actually embrace—making it as exclusive as it is exhilarating.

Your experienced guide is less a tour leader and more a storyteller, sharing tales of the trails as you traverse rivers and secluded paths. Beginners and seasoned riders will find their pace, tailoring the ride to one’s own spirit of adventure. The peace of these routes, untouched by the usual tourist hustle, offers a communion with nature rare in today’s frantic world.

The Horseback Odyssey

Bacchus Beckons

Celebrating heritage one glass at a time.

You might think you know Italian wine. But knowing it through the lens of the Montevecchio Isolani winery is a different story altogether. This establishment, with its medieval roots dating back to 1456, is not your run-of-the-mill vineyard visit. The Montevecchio Isolani wine tasting experience delves deep into viticulture’s past, and let’s face it, any tour that welcomes fewer than 14% of visitors feels like an elite club meeting under the guise of a tasting session. The sensory journey from sunbathed vineyards through musty cellars, culminating in the burst of flavor from organic wines, is unforgettable.

The aroma of earth-hued wines paired with mortadella and local cheese doesn’t just enrich your palate—it widens your world view, beneath the shadow of rustic barrels and age-old vines, whispering secrets of terroir.

Bacchus Beckons

Riding with Nature

Choosing to ride with the seasons amplifies the richness of the experience. Autumn cloaks the hills in fiery hues, while spring unveils a tapestry of wildflowers. Go early to catch a mist-kissed vista or at dusk to watch the sun transform the hills into a golden dreamscape.

Sips of History

At Montevecchio Isolani, engage the vintners in conversation to unlock stories that aren’t in any guidebook—like the varietal mishaps that led to their most unique blends.

Insider Tips

What the guidebooks won’t tell you.

Arrive an hour early to the horse trails for a brief ‘meet and greet’ with your steed, easing any equestrian jitters. At the vineyard, ask for a tour of the hidden cellars where legends say the best bottles hide.

Why settle for the well-trodden paths of travel when stepping – or riding – into the unknown promises a richer tapestry of experiences? Ditching the busy city itineraries for the serene beauty of the Bolognese Hills feels less like a retreat and more like a revelation. With fewer crowds and a deeper connection to the land, these journeys redefine how one can explore Italy.

So, if you ever find yourself caught in the labyrinth of mainstream travel, remember there’s a horse and a glass of wine waiting to show you a different world—one where the only thing more vibrant than the view is the story you’ll bring home.