36 Hours in Bologna -- Off the Beaten Path / Unusual?

There's an excellent exhibit on the painters of Pompeii at the archeological museum. Unfortunately, the exhibit closes May 1, so this suggestion helps only if you're going soon..

Have you seen the Niccolo del'Arca ceramic sculptural group The Lamentation over the Dead Christ in the Sanctuary of Santa Maria della Vita in Bologna? Also The Transit of the Virgin, in the same complex, by Alfonso Lombardi.

And there's a Lamentation similar to the del'Arca at the San Pietro Cathedral, also by Alfonso Lombardi. All these are amazing, prompting the viewer to wonder how the near life sized figures were made.

several years ago in Bologna we did a walking tour offered by the TI office and thought it was interesting. Another thing you can do is a day trip via train to either/both of Parma and Modena

The Basilica of San Domenico is beautiful and has four early works by Michelangelo. The Sanctuary of the Madonna di San Luca (https://www.santuariodisanluca.it/) is also very beautiful and has great views of the surrounding area. The Basilica Santo Stefano is an interesting cluster of churches (https://www.santostefanobologna.it/).

We've not visited it yet but San Girolamo Della Certosa and the Certosa cemetery complex are on our list for this year.

I believe you're near all the luxury carmakers in Italy (Modena?) so you could take a tour or two or three, or actually rent one of those vehicles and drive around for a day.

We've spent a week in Bologna and are planning on two more weeks in December this year. This list is partly things we've seen and partly things on our list for next time. Definitely see that Lamentation, if you haven't already.

Basilica di San Domenico, tomb by Nicolo Pisano & others

Santa Maria dei Servi

Museo Civico Medievale

Monumental Cemetery of Certosa

Palazzo della Mercanzia

Palazzo Re Enzo

Palazzo del Podestà

Salaborsa library in Piazza Coperta Umberto Eco. Under the glass floor Roman ruins, discovered in 1989. 2–3 century BC

Basilica di Santo Stefano

San Giacomo Maggiore church + the Oratorio di Santa Cecilia next door

Museo Civico Archeologico (Etruscan, Egyptian, etc)

Basilico do San Petronio

Portico di San Luca: https://bolognauncovered.com/.../walking-bologna-portico.../ San Luca Express: a tourist train that departs from Piazza Maggiore, goes through parts of the historic center, then reaches the Sanctuary.

When I want off the beaten path, I check what Atlas Obscura website has to offer. The Places tab has a global map and you can drill down to your location of interest for a quick walkby of something quirky.

Thanks all! I think right now we're leaning towards the Museo Civico Medievale, the two churches of San Petronio and San Domenico, and the Pompeii exhibit, which we will be able to make.

There also appears to be a pair of music museums in Bologna: Museum of San Colombano - Tagliavini Collection and the International Museum and Library of Music. Has anyone been to either? At first I thought they might be the same, but they are on opposite ends of town.

Something unusual? Yokai! https://mostrigiapponesi.it/

The Tagliavini collection is very nice: mainly harpsichord and pianos. One of the biggest collection of that kind if I well remember.
The International Museum and Library of Music is a completely different one, inside one of the best building of the center.
Will be opened next week another museum: Ottocento, about the nineteenth century: https://mobologna.it/

My wife and I just spent five lovely days in Bologna. Since you've already been there, you must know that the best part of Bologna is simply wandering the city and taking in its energy, vitality and character. Toward this end, the Via del Pratello, approximately ten minutes from the city center, is a charming street at dusk or later in the evening. Stroll its porticos or cobblestones and stop for a drink to soak in the atmosphere.

We also enjoyed walking to the Sanctuary of San Luca under the longest portico in the world. The climb takes approximately one hour and the ascent is long and gradual rather than steep. The views from the Sanctuary over the surrounding countryside are splendid. We also loved the Biblioteca dell'Archiginnasio, the ancient library, with its anatomical theater. There's also a wonderful restaurant, the Serre dei Giardini Margherita, which is located in the Margherita Garden. It's a cool spot, where they've converted greenhouses into workspaces and a restaurant. Walk off your lunch by strolling the park and then stopping for gelato at either Cremaria Santo Stefano or La Sorbetteria Castiglione on your way back to town.