A Municipality with a predominant agricultural vocation, located on the outskirts of Bologna, Granarolo of Emilia was already a settlement since the Villanoviano period, as attested by the finds brought to light in the districts of Viadagola and Quarto Inferiore. Subsequently other populations settled here, such as: the Etruscans, the Celts and the Romans, who all left an indelible mark of their passage in the agricultural cultivations of the lands. The town's name derives from the Latin "granarius", "Granarium" or "granariolus", which indicate that most of the lands were normally cultivated with wheat.
According to the local tales, the beautiful Lucia was born in Viadagola, who was imprisoned in Bologna with her beloved, King Enzo of Swabia, and was the mother of the founder of the Bentivoglio family, Lords of Bologna in the XV century.
This ancient borgo is still characterized with wheat fields and scattered rural buildings, surrounded by green parks and forests.

Sites of Interest:
- the Church of San Vitale, erected on the remains of an XIV century building that officially belonged to the Abbey of Pomposa. Inside it is decorated with frescoes of the Bolognese school;
- the Church of St. Michael the Archangel, with frescoes by Denijs Calvaert and his school;
- the Church of St. Mamante;
- the Church of St. Andrew;
- the Church of Saints George and Vittorio;
- numerous XVIII century villas (Villa Boncompagni Dal Ferro, Villa Amelia Villa Bassi, Villa Mignani Boselli, Villa Lagorio, Villa Maresca, Villa Montanari) and the residence of the great explorer Matteucci (1850-1881), originally from Ravenna and first European to cross for the entire continent of Africa, North of the Equator, from Egypt to the Gulf of Guinea.