Just a short distance from Baragazza, at 719 meters above sea level and sheltered by Monte Tavianella, Boccadirio is a spellbinding place of silence and unspoiled nature: the only sounds are the rushing waters of the Rio D’Avena and the rustling forest stirred by the wind. It is the most important sanctuary in the Bologna area after the Madonna di San Luca, and every year it attracts thousands of pilgrims.

The first official documents date back to the early 1600s and recount the miraculous event that occurred on July 6, 1480, involving two shepherd children: Donato and Cornelia. The Madonna appeared to them while they were tending their flock along the streambank, where today the main altar stands. The Virgin Mother approached the children, who prayed in ecstasy, and instructed Donato to become a priest, Cornelia to become a nun, and to tell the people of Baragazza about the miracle, encouraging them to build a temple in her honor at the site of the apparition. The community took action, and the first church was constructed. Twenty years later, the faithful placed the holy image gifted by the visionary Sister Brigida—the name taken by young Cornelia upon taking her vows—inside the church.

Donato became parish priest of Castiglione dei Pepoli, and Cornelia served as a nun for forty years at the Convent of Santa Caterina da Siena in Prato. Around the mid-1500s, thanks to the generosity of the noble Pepoli family, the church was expanded and adorned with works of art, becoming the symbolic site for the entire Apennine region. By the late 1600s, the loggia surrounding the beautiful cloister, built around 1720 along with the adjacent pilgrim’s inn, was completed.

A highlight of the sanctuary is the sacred image crafted by Andrea Della Robbia, a white glazed terracotta bas-relief on a blue background depicting the Madonna standing with the Child. By the end of the 1600s, religious fervor was so intense that enormous crowds flocked to the sanctuary to pray. Every year, during the May rogation period, the icon returns to visit its people at the Church of San Michele Arcangelo in Baragazza until the Ascension. Since 1947, the Dehonian Fathers have cared for the sanctuary and pilgrims from all over the world, allowing them to experience the sublime mysteries of the faith.

A border town, Baragazza has a very ancient history marked by disputes between Tuscany and Bologna, which, in the late 14th century, managed to gain control of the area—not without struggle. Its church, dedicated to Saint Michael the Archangel, was rebuilt at the end of the 18th century, and the main altar features an important Florentine school painting depicting the patron saint. The history of this community has always been closely linked to the Sanctuary of Boccadirio. The town also offers several accommodations and places to eat.

The Bruscoli area occupies the right side of the Gambellato Valley. Its history goes back a very long way, with the earliest significant traces dating to the Etruscan period, when the valley was crossed by a branch of the so-called “Iron Road,” which connected the southern coast of Tuscany to Spina on the Adriatic for trade with the Greeks. Along the Gambellato stream lies the settlement of Albagino, where numerous votive bronze figurines recently uncovered are believed to have belonged to an Etruscan temple. From the early Middle Ages, toponymic traces remain from the Byzantine period and the Gothic population, from which the name Bruscoli seems to derive. Local oral traditions recount visits by Frederick Barbarossa, and possibly Frederick II of Swabia, who may have stopped at the Bruscoli fortress—stories increasingly supported by research.

Records of the Bruscoli Castle date back to the 12th century; it served as the gateway to the territories of the powerful Alberti counts of Prato (vassals of Frederick Barbarossa), whose lands extended from Bruscoli to the Tuscan Maremma. Artifacts from this and other historical periods are exhibited in the town’s Historical and Gothic Line Museum. Equally important is the Albergo district, now part of the present-day town, whose history runs parallel to that of the fortress. Here can be found, in addition to the 13th-century small church originally dedicated to Saint Nicholas, later to Saint Francis, then Saint Mary, and now to the Madonna of the Rosary, a palace from the 14th–15th century, a Medici palace, a possible old customs house, and another Medici palace. These residences feature remarkable and finely crafted coats of arms of the prominent families who dominated the area, such as the Medici and the Minni.

Notable natural landmarks include the Biscione waterfall, which, at 50 meters high, is unique in the region. The Sacred Art Museum, housed in the parish church, is also a notable cultural highlight.

Recently known for the A1 Highway exit and the traffic jams that often formed there before the construction of the Variante di Valico between Bologna and Florence, Roncobilaccio actually has a much older history. It originated as a mountain outpost, presumably shortly after the year 1000. For many years, its fate was closely tied to the affairs of the Pepoli family and the nearby Sanctuary of Boccadirio. Today, some remnants of the village’s ancient history remain in certain houses, which have been renovated but still preserve traces of the past, such as a tower house. Notable sites include the 17th-century Private Oratory of Santa Croce and the modern church of the same name.