Pignoletto is a grape variety typical of the Bologna province, historically grown in the Bolognese hills, particularly in the hilly areas of the municipalities of Valsamoggia (including Monteveglio, Bazzano, Castello di Serravalle, Savigno, Crespellano), Monte San Pietro, Zola Predosa, Sasso Marconi, Marzabotto, Casalecchio di Reno, Bologna, San Lazzaro di Savena, Pianoro, and Monterenzio, as well as in the surrounding hilly areas.

More recently, its cultivation has expanded into foothill and plain areas, as well as other regions of Emilia.

Castello di Serravalle is a charming village located on the border between the provinces of Bologna and Modena. Despite its name referring to a fortress, it actually denotes a single village.

The fortress features an imposing tower and large crenellated walls, through which visitors enter the village. The interior spaces are very spacious and can be explored via the Wine Ecomuseum, partly set up in the main halls. The Rocca also includes some vineyards, a vegetable garden, and water wells. On the top floor, there is a dovecote tower, where barn owls and small falcons still nest today.

The museum is entirely dedicated to the agricultural history of the village, with a particular focus on the production of Bolognese wine. The main entrance is located near the Casa del Capitano, the residence of Jacopino da San Lorenzo in Collina, a member of the Bologna Senate in the 13th century.

The museum is open only on Sundays and public holidays, and admission is free.

The Church of Sant’Apollinare di Serravalle stands in Castelletto, on a wide river terrace.

The site was historically known as Stagnano, and the church appears in documents as Sant’Apollinare di Stagnano or “di Vallata,” to distinguish it from other churches of the same name located in the plains or mountains (such as in San Giovanni in Persiceto and Coscogno).

Its Byzantine origins are beyond doubt, dating back to the 6th–8th centuries, when Roman troops of the Exarchate were stationed in this area along the border with Lombard territories. In 822, the oratory of Sant’Apollinare di Stagnano, located in the iudicaria of Monteveglio, is mentioned as belonging to the Church of Modena; further references appear between 996 and 1187, always relating to the Modena jurisdiction. In the 4th century, the parish—under the dependency of the Pieve of Monteveglio—was transformed into a priory and became contested between the ecclesiastical jurisdictions of Modena and Bologna.

The roots of the sanctuary stretch back to the 16th century, wrapped in a captivating and miraculous story tied to popular faith. According to legend, around 1409 (a date disputed by historians), a farmer, while cutting branches from a wild plum tree, noticed a lump of resin oozing out. To his amazement, the resin had taken the shape of a small Madonna with Child, approximately 6 centimeters tall.

Although the first written record appears in 1666 in Masini’s work Bologna Perlustrata, some scholars consider a later date more plausible, given the spread of similar Marian sanctuaries in the diocese between the late 15th and, especially, the 16th century. Regardless of the precise date, the miracle of the resin inspired devotion and led to the construction of a sanctuary dedicated to the Virgin.