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Bologna isn't a city for tourists, it is for locals and I can assure you that, as soon as you'll enter these red walls, you'll become a local too. There is no city as welcoming and warm as this one. Usually overlooked by tourists, who prefer going to Florence or Venice, Bologna is definitely worth a visit. The city has many nicknames: the fat, the red, the erudite and they are all incredibly appropriate. You will fall in love with its amazing local cuisine, its medieval past and its convivial atmosphere.
Here are the 10 must-see things in Bologna:
1 - Piazza Maggiore
Piazza Maggiore is the beating heart of the city, it was built in 1200 to showcase Bologna's riches and to reunite all of its most important economic and cultural activities in one place.
You'll recognize it for its white and pink granite floor, also known as Crescentone. Bologna has many university-related supestitions, but the best known says that if you cross this square diagonally before your graduation, you won't finish your studies, so be careful!
If you want an authentic experience of the city, transform yourself into an ummarell - a retiree in the local dialect - and sit down on the Crescentone or on San Petronio's steps to admire the piazza's beauties, have a chat, or simply do a bit of people-watching.
On the west side of the square you'll find Palazzo d'Accursio, the city hall, facing Palazzo dei Banchi. This one isn't a true palace but just a façade built during the Renaissance to cover the cluttered houses and store fronts of the market in the background. Moving on the south side, you'll see Palazzo del Podestà, the seat of the podestà, the town's magistrate.
If you're visiting Bologna during the summer, you'll find Piazza Maggiore transformed into a marvelous free open-air cinema, run by the city's Cineteca. At 9pm, everyday during summer, the lights of the piazza go down and make room for the best masterpieces of world cinema, in a setting that is unique, to say the least.
2 - Basilica di San Petronio | opening hours: everyday 8.30am-12.30pm and 3pm-6pm | Entry is free but you have to pay 2€ to take pictures | Official Website |
On its north side Piazza Maggiore is dominated by the unfinished Basilica di San Petronio, the world's biggest gothic church, whose construction began in 1390. In 1514, the podestà wanted to expand it to make it the world's biggest church, but Pope Pius IV, who didn't want Saint Peter's to lose the record, paid for the construction of the nearby Archiginassio, effectively stopping the plan. The church hides many of Bologna's hidden gems, like the city's oldest musical institution: the Musical Chapel, where you'll be able to see the world's oldest functioning pipe organ. Also, be careful where you step because the church's floor hosts a 67 metres long sundial and, you guessed it, the biggest of the world.
3 - Piazza del Nettuno
Walking alongside Palazzo d'Accursio, you'll find yourself in Piazza del Nettuno, one of Bologna's favourite rendezvous points. Even if they are very close to each other, make sure not to mix it up with Piazza Maggiore because locals will tell you off.
In the square's center stands the fountain that gives it its name: the Fontana del Nettuno. Nicknamed "the Giant", Neptune's fountain was built from 1563 to 1566 by Flemish artist Jean de Boulogne. As Neptune rules over the seas with his right hand, so the church rules over Bologna. In fact, the statue's right hand is a clear glorification of Pope Pius IV and of its power. Not everyone knows that when Jean de Boulogne initially designed the fountain, he wanted to make Neptune's genitalia bigger but the Pope obviously found it too scandalous. The sculptor didn't want to give up his project so he decided to play with perspective and now, if you stand on a black tile just behind the fountain, also known as the tile of shame, you'll be able to observe the god's left thumb in a very different light.
Two honorable mentions go to Palazzo Re Enzo and Sala Borsa. The first one, built as an extension of Palazzo del Podestà, takes its name from Frederick II's son who was held prisoner here for 23 years. According to legends, one of the three sons he fathered here became the forefather of the Bentivoglio family, who ruled over Bologna during the XIV century. They were named Bentivoglio because of the words that Re Enzo used to his son's mother: "ben ti voglio", which translates to "I love you". The second building, Sala Borsa, is now a library with a wonderful Art Nouveau main hall. The hall has a glass floor, under which you'll be able to see an archeological site, result of the stratification of various civilizations. If you want, you can take a private tour of the site, there are tours starting at the library's underground floor everyday at 5.30pm.
4 - Voltone del podestà
If you walk underneath the porticoes that join Palazzo Re Enzo and Palazzo del Podestà, you will reach the place where capital executions were usually held until the XIX century. You can still see two old gallows on the brick roof: they point towards the Basilica, so that criminals who had been sentenced to death could look over to the church and ask for forgiveness.
When you'll walk under there, you'll also have the opportunity to play a sound game, known as telefono senza fili, wireless telephone. Position yourselves on two opposite corner of the structure, facing the wall, than talk to the other person in a soft voice. They will be able to hear you perfectly, because of an acoustic effect created by this particular structure.
5 - Archiginnasio | opening hours: mon-fri 10am-6pm, sat 10am-7pm, sun and holidays 10am-2pm | Tickets cost 3€, free for people under 18 | Official Website | Online Visit |
As we have already seen, the construction of the Archiginnasio was financed by Pope Pius IV in the XVI century. The building served the purpose of reuniting the various faculties of the university under one roof. The vaults of the staircases and the walls are the home of the world's largest heraldic mural. It represents 6000 family crests belonging to the university's most prominent students and teachers, with each crest showing the name and the birthplace of the person it was dedicated to. Reading all their names will make you picture them studying in the library or wandering in the city center, like many students do to this day.
The true gem of the Archiginassio is the Anatomical Theatre, added to the building in 1637. Around the ancient teacher's desk there are two statues called "gli spellati" - the skinned - while on the entrance there are two statues representing Hippocrates and Galen. There is also a curious sculpture of a man holding a nose in the palm of his hand: he is Gaspare Tagliacozzi, a bolognese surgeon regarded as the precursor of rhinoplasty.
6 - Quadrilatero
After exiting the Archiginnasio, turn right in one of the narrow streets under Palazzo dei Bianchi to enter the Quadrilatero. This little maze hosts all Bologna's historical shops and markets. You can really find anything here, from fresh fish and produce, to handmade pasta, to wine and freshly baked bread. If you're in the mood for a break, enter one of the many restaurants and osterie to eat lunch or to taste a good aperitivo. You will feel right at home wandering through these characteristic colourful streets full of scents and flavours.
7 - Chiesa di Santa Maria della Vita and Compianto sul Cristo Morto | opening hours tue-sun 10am-7pm | Free entry to the church - Tickets cost 5€ for the Compianto | This elegant church houses a magnificent sculptural group, realized by Niccolò dall'Arca, named Compianto sul Cristo Morto. The exact date and the original disposition of the statues are still unknown. The group is composed by seven life-sized statues representing a lamentation over the Dead Christ. Jesus is positioned in the middle, surrounded by the other figures. The two statues who stand out the most are Mary Magdalene and Mary of Clopas who cry over him, torn by grief, with their clothes moved by the wind. It is impossible not to be moved by this compelling work, defined by the poet D'Annunzio as the petrified cry. At the time of its realization, this piece wasn't very successful, it was considered too loud, it didn't have the composure necessary for a religious sculpture. Luckily, it has been revalued over the years and we can now admire its strength and pathos
8 - Two towers | opening hours everyday 10am-6pm | Tickets cost 5€, 3€ for people under 12 and over 65 | Online booking |
No, I'm not talking about The Lord of The Rings, I'm sorry. I'm talking about Bologna's emblem: Torre degli Asinelli and Torre Garisenda. Built over the course of the XII century, they have been looking over the city for more than 800 years. During medieval times they weren't on their own, Bologna had a staggering number of towers: more than 100. Their purpose is yet to be discovered, probably prominent families used them as a symbol of power and as a defense tool, but no official records remain to explain why there were so many. Only 22 towers survived to date but none are as famous as Asinelli and Garisenda. These lingering towers were sung by Dante in his Comedy, they were chosen to represent Italy on the Italian two-cents euro coins and they continue to amaze everyone who gathers under them.
If you wish to do so you can climb the Asinelli Tower to the top, but I warn you, it won't be an easy climb, you will have to climb 489 steps. It will be painful, but the view on the top will repay you of your efforts. Once again, don't go up if you're about to graduate, superstition says that, if you do, you won't be able to complete your education.
If you can, book your tickets in advance because only a limited number of people can go up at a time.
9 - Piazza Santo Stefano and Sette Chiese | opening hours: tue-sun 9.30am-12.30pm and 2.30pm-6pm | Free entry |
This peculiar triangular square is at its finest in the evening, when it starts to crowd with people coming here to unwind and have a chat with their friends after a long day at work or class. Anyhow, you should also come here during the day to visit the religious complex of Saint Stephen, commonly called Sette Chiese, which means seven churches. Even if the churches have all been built in different time periods and by different artists and architects, they go along really well and you won't be able to distinguish them from one another, unless you have a really good eye. They were built in the IV century on the ruins of an ancient temple dedicated to Isis. My personal favourite, the Holy Sepulcher Church was based on the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem. In ancient times, devotees could crawl inside the Sepulcher to see San Petronio's relics and every year, on Easter morning, prostitutes said a prayer to Mary Magdalene but they always refused to reveal its content, still unknown to this day.
10 - Finestrella di via Piella
If you want to discover one of the city's little secrets take a short walk to get to Via Piella where you will discover Bologna's hidden past. Even if it may be hard to imagine now, Bologna used to have an impressive 60km long water canal network. Find a small window, near the intersection between via Piella and via Bertiera, open it and you'll find the small Canale delle Moline, one of the few canals that was not buried under the asphalt during a major city renovation at the beginning of the XX century.
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