Bologna

Understand

Bologna is famous for its cuisine (la cucina Bolognese). It is also viewed as a progressive and well-administered city. It has one of the largest and best preserved historic centres among Italian cities. Its architecture is noted for its palette of terracotta reds, burnt oranges, and warm yellows, hence the name of Bologna la rossa (Bologna the red). The extensive town centre, characterised by miles of attractive covered walkways, known as "porticos," is one of the best-preserved in Europe. Bologna is the seat of the oldest university in continental Europe, founded in 1088. A significant portion of its population consists of away-from-home university students. In common with other Italian university towns, it is in parts marred by excessive graffiti on its historic palaces.

History The strategic location of the city molded its history. Inhabited since the 10th century BC during the Iron Age, it was fortified by the Celts and became a municipality under the Romans. The presence through the centuries of the Huns, Goths, Lombards, Franks, Austrians and French, have each left traces which are still visible in the city today. Bologna struggled for autonomy, having been dominated by emperors, kings, and the Church. It was ruled by the Pepoli and Bentivoglio families, and was a papal fiefdom. The papal power made it a city of the Guelphs, while many of its residents supported the anti-Papal Ghibellines. Bologna had the first city council in Italy, and was, with the Liber Paradisus law in 1256, one of the first cities in the world to abolish slavery. This political activity was rooted in the lively environment surrounding the Alma Mater, as the university was known. Bologna was the home of such personalities as Father Martini, a collector, composer and master of counterpoint who was a notable and complex protagonist of European music of the thirteenth century. Among his students were Johann Christian Bach (son of J.S Bach) and the young W.A Mozart. During the 19th century the Philharmonic Academy drew important personalities such as Rossini, Verdi, Brahms, Wagner, Puccini and Liszt. Bologna was named a Creative City of Music by UNESCO in 2006. Music is performed throughout the city: in the Teatro Comunale (the Opera Theatre), by the Orchestra Mozart youth orchestra, founded and directed by Claudio Abbado, and in clubs and inns where jazz is regularly played. There are open-air concerts and music can be heard at the Conservatory, the Opera School, and hundreds of music associations operating within the territory. Bologna's scientists have included Galvani and

Getting there

By plane Bologna's airport is approximately 6 km NW from the centre of the city:

1 Guglielmo Marconi International Airport (BLQ IATA), Via Triumvirato, 84, ☏ +39 051 6479615. The airport has international connections available, including nonstop flights from Amsterdam Schiphol, Brussels (National), Charleroi ("Brussels" South), Copenhagen Airport, Dublin, Edinburgh, Frankfurt, Iași, Istanbul, Lisbon, London, Madrid Barajas, Manchester Airport, Moscow, Paris, Prague, Vienna Airport, and Zagreb (seasonal). (updated Apr 2016) Services:

WiFI – free, registration required. Left luggage (1st floor of the main terminal). 24/7. €6 per item. (updated Apr 2016) Bologna Welcome - Airport (Tourist Information Office) (ground floor at the Arrivals Area), ☏ +39 051 6472201. M-Sa 09:00-19:00, Su 10:00-17:00. (updated Apr 2016) Connections to the city:

Marconi Express monorail service connects the airport with the Bologna Centrale railway station in 7 minutes. Single fares €12.80. Waiting time for the train can be quite long (sometimes over half an hour), as there are not enough carriages for the amount of people. Contactless card payments accepted at the gate, no need to buy a ticket, but each passenger will require a separate card. Does not accept Google/Apple Pay cards, physical cards only. It's highly recommended that you pay by contactless at the ticket gate if you are able, as the ticket vending machines are right at the start of a long tunnel where you can't see the queue. (April 2025) Bus #54 goes towards the west suburbs of Bologna, and will get you on to the other routes. Change to #81 or #91 at the first stop after the airport in Birra Buses #81 and #91 could be taken from the bus stop Birra on other side of the elevated motorway, which is within 10 min. walk distance from the airport. Both buses terminate at the Bologna Centrale station. Bus tickets are valid for 75 minutes travel and cost €1.5. (frequencies every 15 min weekdays, 30 min Saturdays, 60 min Sundays and at night). (Timetable 2022) The tickets can be bought at no extra cost in the Supermarket Carrefour check-out inside the airport. Traveltime Birra to Bologna station 30 min. Taxi – a journey to the city centre could cost approx. €15. There are also direct bus connections to: Marche, Ravenna, Cervia, Ferrara, Florence, Modena, Rimini.

By train Bologna's main railway station is north of the historical centre of the city, a moderate walk or a 15-minute bus ride away.

2 Bologna Centrale (Centrale SF), Piazza delle Medaglie d'Oro. The main railway station. It has tracks on three levels,

Getting around

By bus TPER manages public transport in Bologna. Their information and ticket centres/vending machines are available at some central locations in the city, including the railway station Bologna Centrale and Autostazione di Bologna, the intercity bus station. Bus maps are available there (also at the web site). Single tickets and some other types of bus tickets can be also purchased at many other resellers around the city (newspaper sellers, tobacconists, cafés, etc.). "Roger" is an app available for Apple and Android devices (replacing Muver) where you can buy discounted multi-trip tickets, but it's very poorly rated.

2 TPER Via Marconi, Via Marconi 4 (at the corner with Via Lame), ☏ +39 051-290290. M-Sa 07:00-19:00, Su 13:00-19:00. (updated Apr 2016) A single journey ticket costs €2.30 (valid 75 min) or €2.50 if bought on board and a day-pass costs €9 (2026). Mi Muovo is an integrated public transport pass for the region: short-stay visitors might use "Mi Muovo Multibus", a 12-trip bus ticket, see Emilia Romagna#Get around. Single-journey tickets may be purchased before boarding the bus or on board at a ticket machine or tabacchi. There are 2 types of such machines on a bus, usually painted in red and green: red ones sell plain tickets (coins only), while green ones are used to validate pre-purchased tickets (or allow you to pay by contactless credit card).

By taxi

By bicycle Bikes are most popular among the people of Bologna. They are available for rent on various location around the city (ExDynamo, the bicycle parking station, can be found nearby the train station). You can ride on the many bike trails and on the side of the road. Be sure to lock them safely with a good lock, as they get stolen all around town, especially around the University. There are also the RideMovi bikes that are available for hire through the app 'App RideMovi'. This is a Bologna council scheme and hire is cheap, approximately €1 per 15 minutes or €2 per 15 minutes for the electric-assisted bikes.

On foot Bologna is a great place around which to travel on foot, as getting around the city is quite easy: the streets are well marked. It is also a great way to find hidden gems which are frequented by locals. Some care has to be taken crossing roads: the city centre swarms with scooters and small motorcycles (cars banned during the day) and they ride them everywhere.

See

Layout of the city The iconic leaning towers (Due Torri) provide a useful central landmark. They are marked in the centre of the free map available from the Tourist Information Centre in the main square, Piazza Maggiore. The central area around Piazza Maggiore (including the Due Torri and Piazza Santo Stefano can be thought of as the hub of a wheel, with other roads leading out like spokes to the old city gates (Porte) that stud the Viali—a heavily trafficked beltway that surrounds the historical centre of the town. The northeast quadrant of the map is the university district (an integral part of the town rather than a separate campus). The two southern quadrants of your map are residential sections of the city, and not common tourist areas. However, Bologna's main park, the Giardini Margherita, is just outside the center (across the Viali from Porta Santo Stefano or Porta Castiglione), beneath the surrounding hills. Also to the south, an extended portico (with 666 arches and almost 4 km long) leads out from the Viali (at Porta Saragozza) up to the baroque Sanctuary of San Luca, which provides another iconic landmark.

Around Piazza Maggiore Large pedestrian square in the old part of the city's monumental center, surrounded by a number of grand buildings.

1 Basilica di San Petronio, Piazza Maggiore, ☏ +39 051 231 415. M-Sa 09:30-12:30, 14:30-17:30; Su 14:30-17:00. It had to be the largest church in the world and in the shape of a huge Latin cross, but was only completed the long arm and with the unfinished façade. The basilica is still one of the most beautiful examples of Italian Gothic style and is one of the greatest monuments in the city. The Basilica houses an invaluable number of treasures such as the sundial by Cassini and Guglielmini, which indicates the exact period of the current year at all times, the "S. Rocco" by Parmigianino and the marvelous Bolognini Chapel. From the left nave of the basilica, the visitor can gain access to the Museum where many bas-reliefs are collected. There is a rare and controversial depiction of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad, which is why the building is under armed watch 24/7. (updated Apr 2016) 2 Palazzo del Podestà, Piazza Maggiore, 1. The first seat of the city government. (updated Apr 2016) 3 Palazzo Re Enzo, Piazza del Nettuno 1/c. The palace was built between 1244-1246 as an extension of the nearby Palazzo del Podestà. It takes its name from Enzio of Sardinia, Frederick II's son, who was prisoner here from 1249 until his death in 1272. The current Gothic appearance dates from the restoration of 1905 due t

Do

Cars Bologna Fiere, Via della Fiera, 20, ☏ +39 051 282 111, [email protected]. An Exhibition Centre near Bologna, that among other things has an International Automobile Exhibition every year. There are many exciting events that are worth taking part of during your stay in lively Bologna. If you plan on spending the onset of the winter holidays in Bologna, you can complete your vacation with a visit to the Motorshow Bologna and to the museums that showcase the automobile masterpieces of Italy. And just nearby lies the three museums you must visit in order to do this. These are the Ducati Museum, the Lamborghini Museum, and the Ferrari Museum or Galleria Ferrari. To fully appreciate the Ducati Museum you can join guided tours by obtaining advanced reservations. The museum is open daily except on Sundays and holidays. To enter, you will need to join a tour, you can choose from the 11:00 or the 16:00 schedule. The tour of the museum and factory costs €10. Next, you can make your way to the Lamborghini Museum, which is in the area that connects Bologna with neighboring city Modena. It lies at about 21 miles from Bologna and can be easily driven to. The museum was established in 2001 and aims to celebrate one of the most expensive Italian cars in the world. To complete your unique museum-hopping, head over to Ferrari Museum or Galleria Ferrari. The museum is in Maranello, a town just outside Modena and around 55 km (34 miles) from Bologna. Although the museum is part of Ferrari’s headquarters, it has its own building separate from the Ferrari factory. Of the three museums in your itinerary, the Ferrari Museum is the oldest, dating back to 1990. The museum spans an amazing 2,500 m² and is divided into four sections, namely the Formula One collection, the special exhibits, the technological innovation exhibit, and the photo exhibits. The Formula One collection displays the extraordinary race cars that have played a monumental role in making Ferrari the most famous automobile maker in the world. One of the most remarkable cars is the first Ferrari 125 S that was built in 1947 and won a race in the same year. And to give you a glimpse of what F1I racing is all about, you can check out the Fiorano test track next to the museum where you might even see a Ferrari racing past. Imola Circuit (Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari) is a motor-racing circuit in the town of Imola. It hosts Formula One and other races.

Music Bologna is an Italian hub for rock, electronic and alternative music. There are almost a hundred concerts every year

Buy

The key to shopping in Italy is to look in every little shop as you walk around, paying attention to price tags. Please take note that the hours listed usually specify a closure in the afternoons. There is no one place to get the perfect pair of shoes or the perfect ties or the perfect anything: you have to look all over, but this is half the fun. If you can't find what you want at the price you want to pay for it, keep looking, chances are you will find something somewhere else that will work perfectly. Don't miss the chance to buy local food, such as hand-made pastas, gorgeous cheeses and sausages, from any of the hundreds of small vendors and shops to be found in the city. At least half the experience of visiting Bologna is the gastronomic pleasure! The Quadrilatero district, the old market immediately to the east of Piazza Maggiore, is a good place to buy food, or sit down to eat and drink something. Quadrilatero consists of several streets and alleys lined with small stores and eating spots. If you have money to spend (a lot perhaps...) you have to go in 'Galleria Cavour', near 'Via Farini' with a lot of chic high fashion shops and trendy outlets (Armani, Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent, Versace, etc.) Another "shop street" is "via San Felice" near "via Ugo Bassi" with a lot of small shops that made artigianal dresses (sugarbabe), artshop (elzapoppin), art galleries and (as usual) shoes and dresses shop.

1 Eataly Bologna, Via Degli Orefici, 19, ☏ +39 051 0952820. M-Sa 08:00-23:30, Su 10:00-23:30. Eataly is a gourmet grocery store associated with Slow movement. It styles itself as a place to "savor high quality traditional Italian food products and beverages along with local produce and artisanal products." Many different products are for sale, including not only produce but cheese, wine, olive oil, and sweets, and there are also a few smaller restaurants. Anyone who enjoys shopping or window-shopping for food-related products is likely to enjoy walking through.

Eat

There are many choices for where to eat, as Bologna is generally considered to be the gastronomic centre of Italy.

For local dishes, try: Da Gianni in Via Clavature, Mariposa in Via Bertiera or Meloncello in Via Sargozza. For good service, good wine list and fine food at a price try Camminetto D'Oro in Via de Falegnami or Cesarina in Piazza Santo Stefano. For more contemporary stylish dining try the excellent and good value Casa Monica in Via San Felice. Via del Pratello has lots of bars and restaurants/osterie for young people. There's lots to choose from here. Walk past, look at the menus. It is located towards the middle of the 'western' part of the map. Fantoni, with its checkered red and white table clothes and scribbled menus, is much frequented by students and serves fantastic fish secondi and an excellent ragù. Via Mascarella/Largo Respighi is another zone with a lot of osterie. Although many foreigners have heard of spaghetti bolognais or bolognese, the dish is not a traditional dish of Bologna but a French (and subsequently British and American) adaptation, with non-Italian versions of bolognaise sauce bearing little resemblance to the local ragù alla bolognese. The closest local dish to spaghetti bolognese is tagliatelle al ragù, which uses a different type of pasta from spaghetti. Besides tagliatelle, ragù alla bolognese is also used to make lasagne alla bolognese. Likewise, while bologna sausage descends from mortadella Bologna, the original is flecked with cubes of pork fat and often flavored with pepper.

Budget

Central area 1 Osteria del Sole, Vicolo Ranocchi, 1/d. M-Sa 10:30-21:30. If you feel like picnicking on some of the cold cuts (salumi), cheeses and other fresh foods on display in the delicatessens and market stalls off Piazza Maggiore, then Osteria del Sole at a tiny street could be a perfect venue. This traditional wine-drinkers' osteria (something of a rarity nowadays) invites you to bring along your own food. Popular with locals and travelers alike, it can get full, especially on Saturday (and don't expect to find soft drinks). (updated Aug 2022) 2 Tigellino, Via Calzolerie, 1d. Excellent tigelleria. Good ingredients and excellent bread. Characteristic, all kinds of menus including vegetarian. Each tigellini costs €1.70-1.90. (updated Aug 2022) 3 Nectare, Via Fossalta, 3a. A small vegetarian restaurant, choose between prepared dishes. Good healthy bowls and burgers. (updated Aug 2022) 4 Centro Natura, Via degli Albari, 4a. Excellent lunches with the self-service mode, fast and practical, but also beautiful dinners on Frid

Drink & nightlife

Consider visiting the many pubs and clubs of Via Zamboni (university zone); some, such as "The Irish Pub", popular with students and foreigners, give happy hours on Tuesday/Wednesday. "Al Piccolo" down the road in Piazza Verdi is another famous student haunt, a live DJ playing techno into the early mornings. Otherwise, the Via Pratello has many bars and is the center of the city's alternative scene. Worth a look in particular is "Mutanye", whose owner is reputed to have been part of the Red Brigade in his youth, hence the many soviet posters. Via Mascarella, in the northeast area of the city, has plenty of nightspots, among them two jazz clubs. And, finally, check out the many bars and pubs hosting music contests and concerts, from rock to jazz to "liscio", the traditional folk songs in Emilia-Romagna.

Ai Vini Scelti, Via Andrea Costa 36/B. A good enoteca (winery), just outside the center in Via Andrea Costa and only a few moments from Via Pratello, is considered one of the best in Bologna, though there are many others in the center, providing everything from a quick aperitivo to proper wine-tasting. Another good winery is "Vini d'Italia" in Emilia Levante street (Viale Lenin corner), which is one of the oldest on in the city. Enoteca Italiana (see above, in EAT) has excellent and non pretentious Sommeliers on hand to advise and guide you. Great place for a lovely glass of wine.

Sleep

Bologna has always been famous for its hospitality: its welcoming service is very effective and makes Bologna a perfect place for tourists. Bologna cultural heritage as well as its wine and food makes it an ideal destination to spend a weekend or a holiday different times of the year.

Budget Collegio Universitario S. Tommaso d'Aquino a Bologna, Via San Domenico, 1, ☏ +39 051 6564811, fax: +39 051 6486508. A part of San Tommaso's college but available for booking to everyone. Good location, cheap, free and high-speed Wi-Fi. Reception is not 24 hours! It is closed from 01:00-07:00 (08:00 during weekends), you will not be able to enter the hotel after 01:00 - it is possible to extend it for €20-30 till 02:00-03:00 respectively, but only in advance. €50 for 1 person; parking is €10 (extremely hard to find a parking place on the nearby streets) but you're not allowed to enter the city center, including the area where hotel is located, by car before 20:00.. Il Nosadillo, via Nosadella 19, ☏ +39 3737157621, +39 051 7162926, [email protected]. Check-in: 14:00-20:00, check-out: 11:00. Beds in shared rooms with a private locker for each guest, access to kitchen & public computer, breakfast, free WiFi and map of the city. Has 1 mixed 4 bed dorm and 1 mixed 5 bed dorm. Two bathrooms. In the heart of historical city center. Easy access to public transport. €24-30 per night.

Mid-range Amadeus Hotel, Via Marco Lepido 39, ☏ +39 051 403 040. The Amadeus Hotel is near the Bologna airport, in the city's nearest suburban area. 99 rooms. About 15 minutes by car or bus from the central station. B&B Bologna nel Cuore, Via Cesare Battisti 29, ☏ +39 051 269442, [email protected]. Check-in: 17:00-20:00, check-out: 10:30. Two bedrooms and two studios. An intimate and stylish bed & breakfast located in an ancient building in the historic center of Bologna. Doubles from €90, singles from €60. Beatrice B&B Bologna, Via Indipendenza 56, ☏ +39 051 246016, [email protected]. Three rooms each with a private bathroom. B&B is in an elegant apartment attic with elevator in the centre of Bologna, next to the railway station, university, and all bus lines. A rich breakfast is served by friendly owners. Doubles from €70, singles from €50. Hotel Fiera, Via Stalingrado 82. A very nice hotel in the Merchant district with 99 rooms. If you are lucky enough to get a room with a balcony, you will be rewarded with an outstanding view of the Apennines in the distance. Friendly staff, and a very nice little restaurant. Breakfast here is lovely. If you want a place on the ou

Go next

As Bologna is the regional transport hub, it's easy to travel up or down the valley to Ferrara, Rimini, Ravenna, Faenza, Cesena, Reggio Emilia or Modena. Padua to the north is a well-preserved old city.