Bologna 3 days in July

Do not overplan. Heat in July may be relentless.

Bologna's university is the oldest. I took the tour a few years back and really enjoyed it. The historic center is interesting to wander through. I stayed in a hotel (not naming it because I don't recommend it) that was about halfway between the train station and the central piazza, with a well-stocked grocery store a block away. It was a 10-minute walk in each direction. Bologna is very walkable, especially since many streets are lined with porticos, so you needn't walk in the sun. Enjoy granitas - similar to a slushie but much better and very cooling in hot weather.

1. For 2 people the taxi is likely cheaper and certainly more convenient, especially if your hotel is not right at the Bologna Centrale station. Regarding carbon emissions and exhaust fumes, I, like Lt.Col. Kilgore in “Apocalypse Now”, love the smell of napalm (petrol) in the morning.
2. Any place south of the Central station is good. The closer to Piazza Maggiore, the better.
3. You can check booking.com. For just 2 nights and for a small party (two people just need a room), I’d probably opt for a hotel. At a hotel, if you arrive before they can check you in, at least you can leave your bags at the front desk, not so with an apartment where check in time is generally stricter. If someone visits Bologna and decides to cook at home rather than try the many wonderful restaurants, that person is insane in my book. Bologna is the culinary capital of Italy,
4. There are many websites you can peruse to find out the things that might interest you. You are there for only two nights, so you won’t be there long enough to see everything in Bologna. There are also lots of places you can visit by train from Bologna, but I doubt you will have the time.
5. Modena is very close and Ravenna or Ferrara aren’t far either. Your time is limited so you have to make choices.

Thanks, all! I found your opinions and suggestions very helpful and practical.

I am focussing on the area south of the train station, maybe a bit east. Probably will take the monorail - damn the ten extra euros. Barring any issues, it is frequent and more reliable. I did see a private room at a hostel for €200 for two nights but other than meeting other travellers, I feel like I’d rather pay more and have two rooms.

Good point about the luggage. We are travelling with barely anything. I plan on one travel outfit, perhaps a loose dress for the concert and a small amount of toiletries to share. We are leaving our main luggage at a friend's house in London.

I do like the option of having breakfast in the room or apartment. I wasn’t planning on cooking meals but it is nice to have somewhere to stash cheese, pastries, fruit and a bit of veg. My daughter prefers to eat in but you are right about having a couple of good dinners.

I will likely wake before her and being in the same bed or room is disturbing for us both. We are together for over a month, which is enough to stress the mother teenage daughter relationship to breaking. Apparently, I snore but I have not heard it so . . .

I am looking forward to nice dinners. Has anyone been to the seafood restaurant, Bartolini (?). We are pescatarian so will have to miss the famous tagliatelle ragû. Lunch is invariably "on the go". I may just live on gelato. My best memories of Italy include a picnic with a view of the countryside around San Gimignano eating filled rolls from the enoteca. My high school friend reminded me last week that we also had a most delicious marinated seafood salad. The fact we talk about it 30 years later is a testament to good food, good friends and good memories.

Made it to Bologna! I guess I’m insane, Roberto, because as Lachera predicted, the heat is relentless. emphasized text

Woke up at the Luton hotel at 3 am to catch an early flight. The airbnb host gave us self-check in instructions and let us go early as the place was empty. So kind!

It is unbearably hot right now at 10 pm. It was already 30° at 9 am when we got into town. We walked from the train station to orient ourselves and then hit some groceries as we were peckish. We calculated that we would have paid ~$37 at home but paid only €7. We then faced the heat and wandered to the older part of town. Lots of nice shops with A/C and then on to the University. Found a student cantine where we could get a cheap Alperol and kick back. They have aperativo with a plate of snacks after 1700 for €6.50. UBo students get even better deals.

It is too hot for us to have sit down meals. I’m ready to fall asleep every hour I don’t move. We have an Aldi near us. The breads, viennoiseries, cheeses and produce are reasonably priced. To the point that I may spend 89 days each 180 days here when I retire!

I’ll leave the Bolognese specialties to someone else. For dinner, I made a Niçoise—like salad as I couldn’t face much else. We ate in the airbnb and watched the UEFA 2024, in Italian. Another cool experience! We ventured out for passegiata and our second gelato of the day during half time (21:40) and there was a queue! La Grassa is living up to her reputation but it’s too hot for many specialties.

The moral of the story: travel in your own way even if people suggest you’re insane to do so!

Is true that for some dishes Summer isn't the best season, but be careful about what you choose to eat. Gelato is refreshing because cold, but there is a lot of sugar that your body must burn increasing your internal temperature, so a big amount of gelato could give you the opposite effect.
Vegetables and salads are a much better choice and remember that Emilia-Romagna is where the most of Italian vegetables are produced. Now is season for zucchini and eggplants: you can find a lot of them everywhere. On top of it any kind of salads are produced and we usually eat a lot of them at home. Is even season for tomatoes.
Emilia-Romagna produce a lot of fruit too: we are in the plenty of season for apricots, peaches, melons (cantalopes), watermelons: go to the market (Mercato delle Erbe or in the Quadrilatero) and you will find several better solutions for you meals. Even better, when you travel outside Bologna stop at the benches of the farmers along the roads to directly purchase seasonal fruit and vegetables!

We got apricots and peaches at ALDI. The apricots were not tasty but the peaches were lively once they ripened a touch.

I should have mentioned that I got the Bologna Welcome card (€25) and found it to be a worthwhile investment. I went to many of the museums, which are free with the card, the Teatro Anitomico and I stepped into many churches as I went along.

We tried to go into Santa Cecilia but got there 15 minutes before closing time and were told it was closed. One morning, I was out walking early and went into the church right beside it. What a revelation: through an unpreposessing door was an unbelievably huge and beautifully decorated church with many chapels. This one had a guardienne who sat on a three sided glass cage and sold trinkets, which I assume could be blessed. I bought the world’s smallest Madonna charm for my Italian Catholic friend. The guardians was missing when I wanted to pay but when she returned, she told me that someone had the nerve to be sleeping in one of the side chapels. I can’t say I blame them but I guess her job was moving people along.

Many of the churches are non-descript from the outside but are massive and well decorated inside. A good example of not judging a book by its cover!
On our last day, I noticed that there were zucchini flowers at the ALDI. I wish I saw them when we did our big shop as I love cooking with them. .
As for all the suggestions, I will say that Bologna surprised me with all the options for vegan and gluten-free eating. However, we don’t eat meat, peppers, eggplant, or raw onions and my daughter doesn’t eat raw tomatoes or zucchini. Sometimes, it’s better to know your limitations and work within them. We ate well and in a way that suits us. I wish that for everyone.

By the way, the concert was great, the Italians we met were singing every song perfectly phonetically and we met some British superfans/stalkers. It was a fabulous short break from our rain-filled month in Britain!
In Scotland now and, for obvious reasons, not having haggis!