Bologna

Italians know it as la dotta, la grassa and la rossa: the learned city of its students, the fat city of its cooking and the red city of its brick buildings. Visitors come for the medieval towers and squares, for food markets and fresh egg pasta, and for fast trains that make Florence, Ravenna, Ferrara and Modena easy day trips. It suits food lovers, couples, students of history and travellers who want an authentic, lived-in city. Vacation rentals are mostly apartments in old palazzi under the arcades and in residential districts just outside the former walls.

Where to stay in Bologna

The historic centre, inside the ring of avenues that follows the old walls, is compact enough to walk across in under an hour. Around Piazza Maggiore and the Quadrilatero, the old market streets beside it, you are close to the main sights and food shops. The university quarter to the north-east, around Via Zamboni, is the liveliest part of town, with students, bookshops and late nights, which suits younger travellers more than light sleepers.

Santo Stefano, around the square and church complex of the same name, is elegant and quieter, a good choice for couples and families. Saragozza, towards the west and the porticoed path to San Luca, is residential and leafy near the hills. Just north of the central station, the Bolognina is a diverse, everyday neighbourhood and is practical for rail travel and longer stays. Many apartments are in old buildings without lifts, so check access before booking.

Porticoes, towers and squares

Bologna's porticoes began in the early Middle Ages as upper floors built out over the street on wooden props. A rule of 1288 required new houses to have one, and from 1568 they had to be rebuilt in brick or stone. Today they cover more than 38 km in the historic centre and around 53 km including the outskirts. The longest, the Portico of San Luca, climbs almost 4 km and 666 arches from Porta Saragozza to the Sanctuary of the Madonna di San Luca on a hill of 289 m.

The Two Towers are the city's symbol: the Asinelli rises about 97 m, while the shorter Garisenda leans by more than 3 m. Since October 2023 the area around the Garisenda has been closed for safety and consolidation work, and the Asinelli is currently closed to visitors; check the official tourist office for news of a reopening. On Piazza Maggiore stand the vast, still unfinished Basilica of San Petronio, begun in 1388, and the Fountain of Neptune nearby.

History and the university

The Etruscans founded a city here called Felsina by the end of the 6th century BC, and the Romans later made it the colony of Bononia on the Via Emilia, the road that still runs straight through the centre as Strada Maggiore, Via Rizzoli, Via Ugo Bassi and Via San Felice. In the Middle Ages Bologna was a free commune and one of the largest cities in Europe, and its noble families built dozens of towers, of which about twenty survive.

The university, conventionally founded in 1088 by the jurists Irnerius and Pepo, drew students from across Europe. In 1562 and 1563 the Archiginnasio was built as its main seat. Bologna later came under papal rule, and in the 20th century it became a centre of the anti-fascist resistance; the city was liberated on 21 April 1945, when resistance forces entered it. On 2 August 1980 a terrorist bomb at the central station killed 85 people, an attack remembered every year.

Food in Bologna

Bologna's nickname la grassa comes from a cooking built on fresh egg pasta and pork. The local meat sauce, ragù, is served with tagliatelle rather than spaghetti, and stuffed pastas and cured meats such as mortadella are part of everyday life across Emilia-Romagna. The narrow streets of the Quadrilatero, next to Piazza Maggiore, are lined with delicatessens, market stalls and pasta makers, and covered markets are good places to shop for a rental kitchen.

Nearby hills produce wines such as Pignoletto from the Colli Bolognesi, while Lambrusco comes from around Modena and Sangiovese from Romagna. Food is a reason in itself to stay longer: an apartment with a kitchen lets you cook with local ingredients from the markets. Many visitors also combine Bologna with Modena, home of traditional balsamic vinegar, and Parma, known for Prosciutto di Parma ham and Parmigiano Reggiano cheese.

Getting there and day trips

Bologna Guglielmo Marconi Airport (BLQ) lies about 6 km north-west of the centre, and since 2020 the Marconi Express monorail has linked it with Bologna Centrale station in about eight minutes. The station is one of Italy's main rail hubs, where lines from Milan, Florence, Venice and the Adriatic coast meet, and high-speed trains reach Florence in under 40 minutes on the line opened in 2009.

That makes Bologna an easy base for day trips. Ferrara, about 44 km north-east, is a UNESCO-listed Renaissance city. Ravenna, on the way to the coast, is famous for the early Christian mosaics of its eight UNESCO-listed monuments. Modena lies to the west, with the Ferrari works at nearby Maranello. In town, the centre is best on foot, with buses for longer trips; a car is a burden inside the limited traffic zone and is only worth having for the hills and countryside.

Weather and when to visit

Bologna has a humid subtropical climate with four distinct seasons. Summers are hot and often muggy, and July and August can feel oppressive in the stone streets, although the porticoes give welcome shade. Winters are cold and damp, with occasional snow. Most rain falls in spring and autumn, which makes the arcades useful all year: you can cross much of the centre without getting wet.

April to June and September to October are the most comfortable months for walking, markets and day trips. Autumn, with the new academic year, is a lively time to see the city. The city hosts large trade fairs through the year that can fill accommodation, and the university calendar keeps the centre lively from autumn to early summer. In August many residents take their holidays, so the city is quieter and some small businesses close for a while.