ItalyBologna is Italy's great food city, a handsome, red-brick university town nicknamed la Grassa (the fat), la Dotta (the learned) and la Rossa (the red) for its cuisine, its ancient university and its terracotta rooftops. Blessedly under-touristed compared with Florence or Venice, it is made for wandering: nearly 40 kilometres of porticoes shelter you from sun and rain as you drift between medieval towers, a vast unfinished basilica and the buzzing food stalls of the Quadrilatero. This is the home of tagliatelle al ragu (never spaghetti bolognese), of tortellini in brodo, of mortadella and lasagne, and eating well here takes no effort at all. Approach it slowly: climb the leaning Asinelli tower for the rooftop view, take an early-morning wander through the market lanes, and let long lunches and evening aperitivi in Piazza Maggiore set the pace. Bologna is also the perfect base for the food-rich Emilia plains, Parma, Modena and the Ferrari lands, all a short train away. Come hungry and stay a while.
Day plans
Pick your trip length. The full 1-day plan is free, members unlock the 3 and 7-day plans.
Bologna's civic heart is quietest in the morning; take in the palazzi and Neptune before the day warms up.
Free to enter; look for the long brass meridian traced across the floor, and consider the small fee to go up to the terrace.
Book the timed ticket in advance, as slots sell out; it is 498 steep wooden steps and not for the faint-hearted.
