Bologna is a historical city and capital of the Emilia-Romagna region, in the northern Italy. It is an imposing city of art, culture and business, and member of the UNESCO Creative Cities of Music Network since 2006.

The medieval town centre is on of the best-preserved in Europe, with medieval towers, rows of porticos, water courses and extravagant historical buildings.

The city is also very well known for its traditional cuisine. Mortadella, Tortellini, Lasagne and "Bolognese Ragù" are some of the products that have made Bologna so famous, together with some of the world’s luxury car and motor bike industries like Ducati, Lamborghini and Malaguti.

REASONS TO GO

The University of Bologna, founded in 1088, is the oldest existing university in Europe

The city is considered by Italians to be the nation's food capital – try the tortellini, mortadella, torta di riso and the ice-creams

The view from the emblematic Tower of the Asinelli (Torre degli Asinelli)

ORIENTATION

Bologna is the capital of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy, located midway Florence and Milan and not far from the east coast.

The city is positioned among the Po River and the Apennine Mountains and flanked by the Reno River and the Savena River.

This energetic city has its centre around the twin squares of Maggiore and Nettuno – flanked on all sides by medieval palaces. The city centre is also famous for its elegant and extensive (38 kilometres) ochre-coloured arcades (or porticos). Walk through the historic 666 Porticos, leaving from the Porta Saragozza at the end of Via Saragozza.

The university area is northeast of the two towers - Torre degli Asinelli (Tower of the Asinelli) and Torre dei Garisenda (Tower of the Garisenda).

BEST TIME TO GO

Bologna is great to visit from March/April to October, when it is warm and there is much outdoor life. During July and August it may be particularly hot and crowded.

Winter is usually quite cold, but the city is beautiful and worth visiting the two weeks before Christmas.

HOW TO GET THERE 

By Plane

Bologna's closest airport is Guglielmo Marconi (Bologna) International Airport, just a few minutes from the city centre, served by taxi and a special bus line called the Aerobus. An Aerobus Ticket costs €5.

A taxi from the airport to the centre costs about €15.

The city bus stop is about a 10 minutes walk from the airport. Buses 81 and 91 have the last stop at Bologna Central Train Station.

By train

Bologna is one of the principal rail transport hubs of northern Italy, making it very well-connected with other major Italian centres. The city is easily connected by train to Milan (65 minutes), Florence (1 hour), Rome (2 hours 45 min), Venice (2 hours), Ferrara (1 hour), etc.

TRAVELLING AROUND

Bologna is a fairly easy city to travel around. The centre is compact and most of the sights are close to each other, but the city also has a good public transport system.

The public bus system is simple and efficient. The ATC system runs from 6:30 to 11:00pm. Tickets are available at the train stations, newspaper kiosks, and most bars. You can buy the "city pass" if you plan on using the bus often.

By bicycle or motorbike is also a great way to see the city. The university website has addresses for normal bike and moped rental shops and gives links to bike paths.

INFO

www.emiliaromagnaturismo.it/