Bologna

Bologna is a wonderful place to visit. Rick can't include every town in Italy or the book would weigh 40 pounds. He concentrates on his favorites and the places most Americans are likely to visit, i.e., the hot spots. Bologna has some great sights, famous cuisine and the historic areas make lively walking routes. As a day trip from Florence, it's perfect, easy and very fast on the Freccia trains.

That must be another Bologna than the city I know. I've come to appreciate it as one of the most agreeable larger Italian cities. And it is a perfect base for attractions around. Cities like Ferrara, Ravenna and Modena are quickly reached by frequent trains.

I really like Bologna. Some excellent restaurants, great sites, claims to have oldest university in the world although Morocco would argue, which gives it a wonderful student atmosphere. Not over loaded with people like us (tourists).

Love, love, love Bologna! Great food (find La Colombina, on a side street near the Duomo), historic sites, real city life, and a great transportation hub.

Bologna can be a base for day-trips to Pisa, Ferrari manufacturing, balsamic vinegar and other pleasant north-Italy diversions. Its history centres on centuries of rivalry with the Vatican; hence its biggest church lacks a finished façade after a prolonged feud. Good food (not just spaghetti sauce), shopping, entertainment, with more students than tourists. Particularly distinctive are the tall spires built to defend family compounds, and 40 kilometres of sidewalks sheltered by arches. Useful airport too.

Agree with all of the above posts written by people with extensive Bologna experience. It's good that you checked.

I also agree and was surprised that my husband and I liked it and went back again since one day wasn't enough. I think we had very low expectations due to the comment in RS book. Train station is great for connections to Parma, Ferrara etc. There are not crowds of tourists as in other cities and when you walk along Indipendenza for the weekend stroll it is jam packed with locals which is fun. I just came back from 4 weeks there and loved it.

I mentioned great cuisine in my first response, but here's some exciting news from a recent blog:

What better place than Bologna, Italy’s foodie capital, to open a theme park dedicated to the best of Italian food? The 80,000-square-meter space, called FICO Eataly World, is scheduled to open in October, and will include 40 ‘fabbriche’, shops showcasing Italy’s extraordinary regional biodiversity through some of its best artisanal products, from pasta to mozzarella, from cured meats to cheeses, to olive oil and much more. FICO will house four acres of pastures and fields growing essential regional crops, such as olives, grape varietals and truffles, and will be a great place to learn about Italian food – how it is made, how to best savor it, how to be sustainable in its production.

I like Bologna for many things. Clearly RS has never visited the place in any detail.

Bologna is great. Not at par with Venice, Florence, or Rome of course, but I wouldn't follow all advice on Rick's books in all circumstances as if they were the gospel. Some of his choices are truly questionable in my opinion (Castelrotto as top choice in the Dolomites? Really?), but as you know, de gustibus non disputandum est.

As far as San Marino is concerned, I truly went out of my way to visit it multiple times since I had a Sanmarinese girlfriend from there when I was a teenager (always loved foreign girls). I enjoy the place, and it's interesting, with a rich history and gorgeous views too. If you are nearby, why not? If you are far and have many more interested places to visit, then it might be a stretch since it's not that easy to reach (unless you happen to get a boyfriend from there, in which case you will find a way to sacrifice).

Have you or will you already see most of the other Italian destinations that Rick covers/prioritizes that are along your basic route? Have you or will you already see Padova, another historic university city? You will be trading off something for the time you spend in Bologna. So what's the other option you're comparing? Is your current itinerary leisurely or rushed, in your opinion?

Despite the positives, I could see quite readily why Rick doesn't promote Bologna to a first-time visitor. There's no one blockbuster sight (but several of interest), it's known for graffiti (some of it creative), and the newer construction surrounding the old town is of a brutalist architecture (maybe not the technical use of that term) that I find depressing.

See San Marino in Rick's Little Europe TV show. He says that he went so that you don't have to .

I seem to be one of the few people who actually went to Bologna and didn't like it, but most people do like it a lot. It's certainly a break from the heavy tourism of other Italian cities.

If you do go and don't like it, it's easy to "escape." I took day trips to Parma/Modena, Ravenna, and Ferrara (all of which I not only liked better than Bologna itself, but liked a lot, period). Just be aware that the trains to these cities are erratic. For instance, there may be one at 8:30 AM (a bit too early for me), and the next one at 11 AM (too late, particularly since sights in these smaller cities do close for several hours for lunch). As long as you can get up early enough to make the early train, you can have great day trips from Bologna - even if you end up not liking it.

Bologna may not be a top-tier destination, (really who can compete with Venice, Rome and Florence?) however, when you get tired of the endless days of visiting of museums and churches, Bologna is a relief.

I visited back in Oct for the express purpose of eating, and boy did I. While those other top-tier locations have their individual food specialties, Bologna is in a class all by itself. I did not have a single bad meal there, the sheer variety of food that exists is overwhelming, from the classics to the unfamiliar, there's more than enough to satisfy any food curiosity. While RS strength is seeking solid accommodations and putting history into perspective, food destinations and interests is one of his short comings. Spend at least an overnight in Bologna; Ravenna and Ferrera should also be visited, an overnight in each is advised as they really show a different side of Italy compared to the more well worn tourist destinations.

What Laura writes is true.

Rick Steves target market is the first time visitor to a country who spends 3-4 weeks max visiting that country. Obviously Italy has so much to offer, that in the context of such a short vacation, Bologna can hardly make the cut. Other places would necessarily come before Bologna. Nevertheless, there is a great dose of subjectivity in the choices he makes, and some of his top choices that he does include in his must do list would not necessarily be my top choices. For example for me the Val Gardena would come before Castelrotto (and Pienza or San Gimignano would probably come before Montepulciano in my book). But we all have our preferences.

We had been to Italy many times & had already been to pretty much all of the places Rick covers in his Italy book & then some. We were flying out of Bologna and spent an enjoyable day and night here. If Bologna isn't out of your way, go for it!

I liked Bologna as a train hub, with great connections to surrounding cities. Like Ravenna and Ferrara. I spent my 1st day in Bologna and did not care for it. I spent the rest of my time traveling the area.

I think Bologna's outdoor movies were free in 2015.

Rick's books are more subjective than other guide books. That doesn't at all mean they aren't useful, but it does mean that because he likes a place (or doesn't) should not be taken as definitive. I loved it, but others - not just Harold - weren't impressed. As Harold says, it's a great base for day-tripping.

The question is whether you want to stop for a day between two other towns or whether you're looking for a town to stay in for 2-3 nights or more. I would skip it as a day trip.

Rick needs to get out more ... lol

I think Bologna's outdoor movies were free in 2015."

They were in 2014