Budrio

Just east of Bologna is Budrio, once the centre of hemp production on the plains but really better known for its great contribution to music; here, in 1853, Giuseppe Donati took what had been a toy and invented the ocarina ('little goose' in the Bolognese dialect). People once took ocarinas more seriously; in the 19th century composers wrote sonatas for them. They are certainly still revered in Budrio; there’s even a Museo dell'Ocarina Franco Ferri at Via Garibaldi 35 (+39 051 692 8306; open Oct-10 Jun Sun 3.30–6.30pm, also 10am–12.30pm first Sun of the month, or by appointment during office hours), if you ever wanted to buy a proper one in terracotta, this is the place.

In the Palazzo della Partecipanza at Via Mentana 32, the Pinacoteca Civica (same tel and hours), has a surprisingly good collection including works by Vitale da Bologna, Dosso Dossi and Lavinia Fontana, as well as a room of rare books and atlases and another of archaeological finds.