Bologna
-
Destination
Bologna-Modena -
Province
Bologna - Where it is
- Why visit it
- When to go and what to see
- Don't miss
- On the table
- Having fun
- Keeping fit
- Significant appointments
- Useful information and advice
- In the surroundings
- Monuments in the territory
- For more information
Where it is
Capital of the Metropolitan city and of the Emilia-Romagna region, Bologna is located between the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines and the heart of the Po Valley. Due to its position between North and South, East and West, the Adriatic coast as well as cities such as Venice, Florence, Milan and Rome can easily be reached from Bologna.
Why visit it
City of art, culture and commerce, with a streamlined trade-fair organization and a well-known manufacturing and motor tradition, Bologna is famous for its almost 40 km of arcades, the longest in the world.
Also called “The Learned” for its old University, and “The Fat” for its food tradition, the city is also a “UNESCO creative City of Music” and has one of the largest and most well-preserved medieval historical centres, full of restaurants, taverns, theatres and shops.
Home of many famous artists such as Giorgio Morandi, Guido Reni, the Carraccis, Guercino, Aspertini, its charm has also charmed notable people like Mozart, Carducci, Dante, Rossini and Guglielmo Marconi, winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics.
When to go and what to see
A first look at the city is from the beautiful Piazza Maggiore where medieval palaces look down upon an intense public life and economic activity. They perfectly combine with modernity, while preserving their antique charm. For instance Palazzo d'Accursio, seat of the municipal administration, houses inside its ancient walls the Art Nouveau-style Salaborsa multimedia Library as well as Roman archaeological excavations, visible from a modern glass floor.
Among the symbols of Bologna there are the Neptune Fountain by Giambologna, and the medieval towers, particularly the magnificent Two Towers: Asinelli tower (98 m) and its neighbouring “twin” Garisenda (48 m, also mentioned in Dante's Inferno).
Alma Mater Studiorum is the oldest Western University. Its first prestigious seat was the Archiginnasio, whose walls are decorated with the coats of arms of the students. Here it is possible to visit the Anatomical Theatre, where practical lessons of cadaver dissection took place in the past.
Walking along the ancient streets and the never-ending porticoes, canals are an unexpected surprise. They date back to the 12th century and can be visited underground too.
A rich heritage of art is housed in the numerous Museums and Galleries, as well as in the multitude of religious buildings. Among them, a special mention should be made to the complex of Santo Stefano, the one of San Domenico with the Saint's marble tomb by Nicolò dall'Arca and decorated with Michelangelo's sculptures, and the church of Santa Maria della Vita which houses another Nicolò dall'Arca's masterpiece, the Pietà sculpture (Lamentation over the Dead Christ).