Is Bologna worth a visit?

Yes. We not only used it for a base to visit many places in Northern Italy, but we also saw a lot in Bologna: cathedral, churches from all periods, many different museums, towers, markets. Of course, it's also famous for its cooking.

Rick Steves' books are not fully comprehensive as other guidebooks. Rather his guidebooks cater to the North American independent traveler who visits a European country for the first time for 2 to 4 weeks. Obviously Italy has so much to offer that cannot possibly cover in one trip, so Rick Steves makes a top choice list of what should be covered on a first trip, based on what HE considers the top sights of that country for a first time traveler.

Evidently Bologna doesn't make his "top choice" list for a first time tripper, and if you have never been to Italy before and you only have a couple of weeks at your disposal, I think there are other sites you should visit first.

However if you have visited the main sites of Italy before, and you would like to explore the "side B" offerings, Bologna is definitely a nice city to visit and it will keep you busy for a full day.

My top list for Bologna:
- Piazza Maggiore. The most important piazza of the city with the San Petronio Basilica, the fountain of Neptune, the Palazzo dei Banchi, and the Palazzo del Podesta'.
- The Asinelli Tower and the Garisenda Tower (next to each other).
- The Porticos of the historical center. Bologna is famous for its porticos and its red brick buildings. You can actually walk all over town and window shop without ever needing an umbrella even if it's raining. The city's sidewalk are in fact almost all covered by the porticos.
- The canals. This is not known to many, but Bologna has canals that resemble Venice. The best is the Canale delle Moline, near via Piella.
- Pinacoteca Nazionale (if you like paintings museums).
- University of Bologna. The oldest University in the world, founded in 1088. The the original University is located in piazza Galvani and is called: l’Archiginnasio. The Palace now has the City Library and the ancient Anatomical Theater of the University of Bologna.
- San Luca. If you have time you could also venture just outside of town and also visit the Hill of San Luca, with its Basilica and a view of the city.

Also don't forget that Bologna is the culinary capital of Italy, so food should be your priority there.

I enjoyed visiting Bologna's historic university district and small museums, but that was after having already seen nearly everything else in Rick's book. It was pretty obvious to me why Bologna doesn't make Rick's priority list. The old town is closely hemmed in by an ugly new town and the city is know for its graffiti (some creative, some not). For a historic university, we recommend Padova first, where you can also see the beautifully frescoed Scrovegni Chapel. You can eat well anywhere in Italy, and each area has its own specialties; you are not likely to discover one magical restaurant in Bologna to give you the ultimate dining experience.

We spent a week in Bologna and used it as a base for exploring the area. We made day trips to Venice, Ferrara (lovely!), the beach, Lucca and Modena. We also spent a couple of days just exploring Bologna. Were there in summer, very few tourists, great food, charming market. Hot as heck, but so was the entire country. We stayed in the best little hotel - possibly one of the best hotel experiences we have ever had. PM me for the info.

If you only visit what RS recommends, you will be traveling with other RS devotees most of the time - not a bad thing, but a real thing. Bologna is a great place for a couple of nights, more if you love cooking (great place to take cooking classes). Little restaurants on the side streets are great surprises, and there are a few good museums, beautiful churches, and other sights. There is an atmosphere in Bologna that appeals to travelers who want some experience of a city and its rhythm, rather than a list of things to check off.

Roberto nails it, imho. We went to Bologna on our third visit to Italy and thought it was okay. (The food was certainly good.) That said, it's not on the list of places I recommend to other travelers to Italy for their first few visits. As Laura mentions, Padova is a much more charming university town.

Bologna is well worth a visit and I can't imagine why Rick doesn't include Bologna. As for sights to see, the Piazza Maggiore is a fine place to people-watch and relax. It is the heart of Bologna and the place to meet and mingle with the locals. The Basilica Santuario di Santo Stefano is a must-see. It is 7 churches in one, full of history, and is both peaceful and otherworldly. The frescoes alone would make it worth a visit. Then there is the elegant and gorgeous Basilica di San Domenico- a stunning place built in 1221 with gorgeous art and statuary. Don't miss the Two Towers- The Towers of Asinelli and Garidenda. They are colossal and if you brave a trip up, you will see the entire city from a bird's eye view. They were built in the 12th century. The Archiginnasio di Bologna is the oldest European university and has great art, a library, and even a 16th century medical school where you can see where medical students learned by dissecting corpses. One poignant museum is the Museo per la Memoria fi Ustica and is a commemoration of the Ustica disaster when Flight 870 crashed and the mysteries surrounding it. They have made a reproduction of the wreck and even have the persona belongings of the victims in black boxes. The Fontana del Nettono has a lovely fountain and an impressive brass sculpture on the piazza of a naked Neptune. The Museum of the History of Bologna uses modern technology to display gorgeous Italian art and show the history of this very old city. The National Picture Gallery (Pina Coteca Nazionale di Bologna) has fantastic world class Italian medieval and renaissance art. Finally, the Museo Internazionale Biblioteca della Musica is a museum devoted to musical instruments, art, and manuscripts from the Renaissance through the late Romantic period. This is not an exhaustive list- there is plenty more to see and do in Bologna.

You might like to stay at the moderately priced Paradise Hotel at Vicolo Cattani 7. It has a friendly English speaking staff who go out of their way to help you, comfy beds, large rooms, nice bathrooms with shower, and a buffet breakfast. It is a short walk to the train station and to the attractions of the city. Walk to the Piazza Maggiore to get your bearings.

As for food, you can eat inexpensively and well in Bologna. Some of our favorites are Pizzartist, La Sorbetteria Castiglione (sorbet and gelato heaven), pretty little La Tana Dell 'Orso (great food and the family that owns it makes you feel like one of the family), Restaurant Donatello, and the lovely Trattoria di via Serra (where the friendly owner and the chef will both come out and go through the menu with you, explaining each dish and even each dish's origins).

There are other great things to see and do (try one of the spas, take cooking classes, etc), other good hotels, and plenty more good restaurants but these are just what our family likes and a taste of the city of Bologna.

If you go to Bologna, spend the night and take this amazing food tour with Alessandro. If for no other reason you go to Bologna, go for this tour:

http://www.italiandays.it/

Roberto always nails it.

Roberto, could I get your help on my thread regarding towns/cities in Northern Italy? We are looking to fill about a week's worth of time between Milan, Venice, and the Dolomites.

Thanks everyone for all your wonderful suggestions!!!! I can see that Italy needs to be a place we visit more than once!!

lydia,

Thanks for posting this question. I'm also considering Bologna this year, so the information has been extremely useful.

Great restaurant is La Colombina, on a side street (I think it's vicolo Colombina) along the side of the Duomo.

I see one hotel Paradise suggested. Does anyone else have one close to everything they would recommend. We will only have one night in Bologna - arriving by train and want to see as much of the city as possible. And want to try the GREAT food so many mentioned.

Glad I found this thread! My son and I will be spending 3 weeks in Italy this Sept using the train, and we want to do as little moving from one hotel to another as possisble., We were planning on spending about a week in Venice and taking day trips from there but I couldn't figure out if that was feasible. So, how long . from Bologna, to get to Venice, to Lucca, to Pisa, perhaps.

Then we would like to do the same thing in Florence and Rome. Is it best to stay in a small town outside of the larger city and can we make day tripy easily, Ostia Antica, Gimigiano, Siena, etc? How late to the trains run?

Of course, Venice, Florence and Rome have much to offer and we want to see them as well. Would 2-3 nights in Cinque Terra fit in? long or short train ride to get there????

Problem is, I also think Venice is magical at night..... Would really like to stay there but can't figure out the logistics of taking day trips:(((

I love spending time in the small cities. You get a real feel of being in Italy there, mixing with the Italians.

So any suggestions would be appreciated.

nanc1930,

You might want to start your own Thread regarding the questions you've posted.

nanc1930
I don't know if it helps but we are bouncing all over the place too. We are beginning our trip on the Amalfi coast visiting Salerno for one night just because it was the quickest place to get via train and the furthest south we were going. We found a lovely place through Airbnb. The next day we are heading to Amalfi which is close by and spending 2 nights soaking up the views and visiting Rafello and Positano for lunches. Then we head to Sorrento so we can see Pompei and see Sorrento at night and train it to Rome to meet friends who are doing the Marathon. One night in Rome with them. Then we are going Monday until Friday and staying in Florence so we can enjoy the city. Since there are 8 of us we are hiring a driver who will take us through Sienna on the way to Florence for lunch. The next day we do a wine tour in Tuscany. 2 full days to play in Florence. Then the group leaves and my husband and I are heading to Venice for Friday night. We are taking a fast train and I think it is 3.5 hours. Then back to Bologna for Saturday night. It sounds too intriguing to miss. We will stay in the historic area near the train. Ending our trip with Sunday and Monday nights in Rome, flying out Tuesday. It's Palm Sunday so I think Rome is going to be kinda crazy those 2 nights. When we didn't do Airbnb we are doing smaller B&Bs - we are more interested in the people and the food than all the great museums. And we know we will be back, so we wanted to get a quick overview of as much as we could on this our first trip.

What's happening in Bologna between Good Friday and Easter? Would that be a bad time to visit?

Another question. We're starting in Milan. Should we stop in Parma for a day and a night, then stay a couple of days in Bologna, or should we head to Bologna, then do Parma as a day trip?

We'll head back to MXP after this for our flight.

Thanks.