A plan for Bologna

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.

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. Mon-Sat 09:30-12:30, 14:30-17:30; Sun 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)

Cars

Bologna Fiere, Via della Fiera, 20, ☏ +39 051 282 111, segreteria.generale@bolognafiere.it. 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.

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.

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.

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. Mon-Sat 07:00-19:00, Sun 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.