City · Italy · Emilia-Romagna
Bologna
A red-brick university city of endless porticoes, leaning towers and some of Italy's best food.
For storytellers
Why Bologna matters
Bologna is nicknamed La Grassa, the fat one, for its food, and it earns the title. Ragu served over tagliatelle, tortellini in broth, mortadella and Parmigiano all come from this region. The old centre is a maze of covered porticoes where you can walk for kilometres out of the rain, and the oldest university in the Western world gives the city a young, lively energy. Climb a medieval tower for rooftops in every shade of terracotta.
Talking points
- Long porticoes line the streets, giving shelter from sun and rain.
- The true local ragu is served with tagliatelle, not spaghetti.
- Bologna's university is regarded as the oldest in the Western world.
- Two medieval towers, one noticeably leaning, are the city's symbol.
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What to see in Bologna
Square
Piazza Maggiore
Bologna, Italy
Bologna's main square, surrounded by medieval palaces and the huge basilica of San Petronio.
Market
Quadrilatero Market
Bologna, Italy
Medieval market lanes lined with delis, bakeries and fresh pasta shops.
Church, mosque or temple
Basilica of San Petronio
Bologna, Italy
A vast Gothic basilica on the main square, left with an unfinished facade.
Church, mosque or temple · UNESCO
Sanctuary of the Madonna di San Luca
Bologna, Italy
A hilltop church reached by a very long covered portico.
Church, mosque or temple
Santo Stefano Basilica
Bologna, Italy
A complex of linked churches known as the Seven Churches.
Also nearby
Within about 40 km, closest first.