imola and dozza
 
About 30km out of Bologna, ÍMOLA might be worth a short stop if you're heading east; it's well known as a centre for machinery and ceramic ware, and for the San Marino Grand Prix, which gained a certain notoriety following the death of Ayrton Senna here in 1994. It's a pleasant town, with a thirteenth-century castle and some grey-walled Renaissance palaces, but there is nothing extraordinary about it.

The city's various art and historical collections are divided among the four main museums, all of which have limited opening hours, but can be visited during the week by telephoning tel 0542.602.609. The Pinacoteca at Via Sacchi 4 (summer Sat 10am-1pm & 3.30-6.30pm, Sun 3.30-6.30pm; winter closes 6pm; L5000/¬2.58) holds work by local fifteenth- to eighteenth-century artists; the Museo Archeologico e Naturalistico in Via Verdi 7 (Sun: summer 3.45-6.45pm; winter 3.15-6.15pm; L5000/¬2.58) has an extensive display of rare plants and beetles; and the Palazzo Tozzoni at Via Garibaldi 18 (mid-Sept to April Sat 9am-noon & 2.45-6.45pm, Sun 2.45-6.45pm; L5000/¬2.58) has a vast armoury dating from the thirteenth to the nineteenth centuries. You can buy a combined ticket for all the museums (L10,000/¬5.17).

For places to eat there's Osteria del Merlo at Via Callegherie 13, off Viale A. Costa near the train station, or if money is no object, head for the hallowed Ristorante San Domenico at Via G. Sacchi 1 (tel 0542.29.000; closed Mon all day & Sun evening; booking essential), which is consistently rated one of the country's top restaurants. If you want to stay the night, the Moderno , Via XX Settembre 22 (tel 0542.231.22; L90,000-120,000/¬46.48-61.98), is well situated and has its own restaurant serving local specialities.

Back towards Bologna but easier to reach by bus from Ímola, the village of DOZZA , set on a hill surrounded by vineyards, is a popular place for a Sunday afternoon outing, with hordes of people descending to view the kitsch murals on the outside of the houses, created during the Biennale del muro dipinto, held every other year during the first two weeks of September (the next is planned for 2002.) The village also has an annual Sagra dell'Albana, in honour of the fragrant white wine produced locally, which you can taste at any time of year along with 500 of the region's other wines, in Emilia-Romagna's official enoteca housed in the castle, which also has a wine museum.