Best Medieval Villages Getaway - Private Day Tour From Bologna

This is an excellent tour. The guide was very informative. The olive oil tasting was a fun experience. The country side and villages are stunning. I was taken to a lovely local restaurant and had some amazing pasta I would thoroughly recommend

Fantastic day in the countryside learning more about the area. Villages were great and Elise was a fantastic guide

Our group of 4 mature travelers shared a great day with Filippo and Gabriele exploring medieval hilltop towns outside of Bologna! Private van tour allowed us to go at our own pace, have a leisure (yummy) lunch and listen to the great stories/history of the sites. Would definitely recommend this tour.

Beautiful medieval villages just outside of Bologna. The guide was great and the lunch was one of the best we had in Italy. Highly recommended

We had such a delightful day with our tour leader Ilaria and driver Gabriel. The first stop was to taste Olive oil and wine made locally - an enjoyable experience. Then on to several view points from a medieval fort/clock tower. The lunch was delicious and Ilaria shared lots of information about the area. The second village, while very small, was amazing. The houses has murals or paintings on many walls, that are done as part of a festival every few years - many are really cool. The castle was interesting, especially the wine and cheese cellar, which was full of so many wonderful culinary treats. It was a lovely day and really free of tourist mobs!

Highly recommend this tour of 2 quaint medieval towns close to Bologna. We were picked up by van in town. Ilaria was a fantastic guide. First we visited Brisighella for an olive oil tasting and an easy climb for an overview of the village. Afterwards we were treated to an amazing leisurely meal that can only be described as sumptuous. After some sweet deserts and coffee, we headed to Dozza, quaint village filled with many beautiful murals. We walked up to Sforza Castle where Ilaria led us through the many rooms and up to the top for an incredible view of the surrounding countryside. This is a great day trip if you are staying in Bologna for a few days.

Wonderful time with our guide Ilaria and driver Gabriel. Ilaria is a wonderful experienced guide. We tasted the best Olive Oil and walked the streets of Brisaghella and Dozza with Ilaria as she knew all the history you could imagine. Would recommend this day trip as a must!

We had a wonderful full-day tour with Ilaria to Brisighella and Dozza--two very different but equally interesting villages. Highlights included climbing to the highest points in Brisighella and surveying the surrounding countryside as well as enjoying a unique olive oil tasting on the trip up. In Dozza we enjoyed the juxtaposition offered by the ancient fortress and the contemporary paintings found throughout the town's exterior walls. Our guide Ilaria was extraordinarily warm and personable, and she clearly cared about our experience. Don't hesitate to ask her to order your lunch!

We gave this tour 5 stars but that just scratches the surface. Our guide, Elise, was not only extremely knowledgeable about the history and significance of these places, but also very passionate in her educating which brought the past to life throughout our tour. She ensured that we enjoyed every step of the journey from the olive oil tasting to exploring the historic sites of Brisighella and Dozza. We were treated to a custom experience that made our stay in Emilia Romagna that much more memorable.

A wonderful and immersive experience of two stunning locations explained comprehensively by an extremely knowledgeable guide. A generous lunch and comfortable transport added to our enjoyment.

Great day trip from Bologna and away from the crowds. Lasts 7 hours. Excellent driver Gabrielle. Two medieval towns, lunch, olive oil tasting, wine tasting, and a dragon. Lots of history and stories. Our 14–year-old was engaged the entire trip. Elene was a wonderful tour guide, and she had good advice for the rest of the trip. Highly recommend this tour.

This is a must do experience if you're in Bologna! Ilaria was so friendly and eager to share about the region. Brisighella is absolutely beautiful. We then went for olive oil tasting, our very first olive oil tasting at that! Who knew you could actually do olive oil shots? It was such a special experience. Lunch was absolutely filling and delicious. Simple local dishes, done fresh and so delicious. One of the best meal we had in Italy. Dozza was such a quaint little village. The stories Ilaria shared with us about the villages were really interesting, and absolutely something that only people living in this area would know so well of. Gabriele was such a great driver, navigating a 9 seater van through the narrow streets safely. There is totally no reason not to sign up for this tour. You will never regret it!

This tour was a great way to spend the day outside the city and see two beautiful villages. We were fortunate to have Ilaria as our guide. She was knowledgeable, full of interesting stories about the area and such a delight to spend the day with. If you are interested in local experience, with a local outside the tourist area, I highly recommend this tour with Ilaria!

Our guide was the lovely Ilaria. It was an amazing tour for someone who wants to get away from the big city and see things they probably won't see themselves. I was searching for something to do that would be a bit different and I am so glad I found this medieval villages tour: two beautiful towns, a wonderful local guide, great lunch among locals and a nice cool van to escape to while the temperature was 37 C outside. It was so much more than I expected, definitely recommend!

An amazing tour for someone who wants to get away from the big city and see things they probably won't see themselves. I was searching for something to do that would be a bit different and I am so glad I found this tour: two beautiful towns, a wonderful local guide, great lunch among locals and a nice cool van to escape to while the temperature was 37 C outside. It was so much more than I expected, definitely recommend!

Ilaria our guide made the day perfect. Dozza was very interesting and the murals amazing. Lunch was delicious with excellent wine. Both villages were not touristy at all. A must visit made all the better by Ilaria who took great care of us.

Our guide, Ilaria, was a delight! It is clear she not only loves Italy, but also this region! She spoke with so much passion about these villages. You can't but help to also be impressed by this region.

Spectacular day in the Italian countryside. Ilaria was the perfect guide - fun and informative. Highlights included the olive oil tasting, lunch, and beautiful scenery. The two towns were special in different ways. From a logistics standpoint, everything was seamless. Pick up in Bologna was simple. Ilaria managed everything throughout the day. I cannot say enough good things about what a lovely day it was. Nice break from the pace of Italian cities.

A huge thank you to Ilaria for an amazing day exploring hidden medieval villages and an olive oil tasting! We started off with beautiful scenery and a delicious olive oil tasting in Brisighella. Ilaria made it a blast with her knowledge of the area and great stories. She took some great photos and videos of us to remember the special day! We had a delicious lunch at a very “local” place followed by the best gelato around. We ended on a high with a fascinating tour of medieval Dozza filled with art and spectacular views. We will always remember the day and cannot thank Ilaria enough!

This was a wonderful tour. Filippo was so knowledgeable, informative and accommodating. Brisghella & Dozza were beautiful. I highly recommend!

Tours of both villages fabulous and we had a great lunch in a beautiful village restaurant Filippo a fabulous and knowledgeable host He did not rush us in any way

Filippo was very knowledgable and engaging. He gave us a very good overview of history of the medieval villages that we visited. He also took us to an olive oil cooperative where we learned about the production of olive oil. All in all it was a very interesting and fun day. We would highly recommend Filippo.

Filippo was the BEST tour guide we ever had. He was flexible, cared about what we wanted to see and focus on, he took extra time with us, and never rushed us. Our kids enjoyed hanging out with him. He cared a lot about the details and made the trip very special. We want him to always be our guide. I highly recommend any tour The Village Italy and Filippo have. Since he travels so much, he can relate to anyone. thank you so much for the very special day!

These two medieval villages are gorgeous and Filippo is a truly charming host! Food and views are insane, a must if visiting Bologna.

Filippo picked us up nearby our hotel in Bologna. The drive to Brisighella was pleasant though the highway and part from the country side with gorgeous views. We had a olive oil tasting and a delicious lunch, my daughter is vegetarian and they could arrange for her. What to say, the two villages plus the stop to the Senna statue ( we decided for that instead of the stop at the Imola fortress) Was amazing and well organised. Price is competitive and Filippo a very charming guy. Would recommend this tour if you don’t want to drive but also to spend some quality time with a local person.

Incredible cultural and taste experience! Ilaria is a thoughtful Guide and Gabriel is an outstanding driver. Ilaria knew how to share the love of her region. Ilaria and Gabriel are very professional and, above all, very friendly. Ilaria personalized our tour in style with lots of little extras like photos. Experiment to do. Easy Reservation until the very end of the tour. Bravo and thank you! Chantal and Johanne!