Bologna

San Petronio, the Seven Churches and the climb to San Luca

Two days in Bologna covers Piazza Maggiore, San Petronio, the Two Towers and the Seven Churches of Santo Stefano on day one. On day two walk the portico from Porta Saragozza up to San Luca, allowing a couple of hours for the round trip, then visit the Archiginnasio and its wooden anatomical theatre.

Begin the first morning at Piazza Maggiore and step into San Petronio, then walk into the Quadrilatero for a market lunch of cured meats and cheese. In the afternoon head to the Two Towers and on to Piazza Santo Stefano for the Seven Churches, a cluster of chapels and courtyards. Have dinner on Via del Pratello, where the osterie fill with students, or around the market lanes.

On the second morning, walk out through Porta Saragozza and follow the portico up to San Luca; allow a couple of hours for the round trip and wear good shoes for the final climb. Come back down for lunch, then explore the university quarter and the Archiginnasio, the old university building with its wooden anatomical theatre. Spend the evening in Piazza Verdi or back in Piazza Maggiore, where the steps of San Petronio fill up after dark.

Tagliatelle al ragù, mortadella and the osterie of Via del Pratello

Bologna's essential dishes are tagliatelle al ragù, tortellini in brodo and mortadella, sliced thin in the Quadrilatero delis with Parmigiano and a glass of Pignoletto. Via del Pratello has the cheap student osterie, which fill fast at weekends, and the bars of Via Zamboni and Piazza Verdi run late.

Fresh egg pasta is the core of the local table. Tagliatelle al ragù come with the slow meat sauce that travelled abroad as spaghetti bolognese, and tortellini in brodo, tiny filled pasta in broth, are the winter classic. Tortelloni filled with ricotta are the lighter option.

Mortadella comes from here too, and the Quadrilatero delis slice it thin to eat with Parmigiano and a glass of Pignoletto, the local white. For a casual meal, look for crescentine, puffy fried dough served with cured meats. Via del Pratello is the street for cheap student osterie, and popular places fill fast at weekends, so book ahead.

For drinks, the bars of Via Zamboni and Piazza Verdi in the university zone run late and cheap, while the Quadrilatero is better for a glass of wine before dinner.

Modena balsamic, Parma ham and three car museums

Day trips from Bologna are easy because the city sits on the main north-south rail line: Florence is under 40 minutes by high-speed train, and regional trains reach Modena and Parma. Car fans can visit the Ducati, Lamborghini and Ferrari museums. Spring and early autumn are the best months for these trips.

Bologna sits on the main line between northern and central Italy, so day trips are easy. High-speed trains reach Florence in under 40 minutes. Regional trains run west to Modena, with its UNESCO-listed cathedral and balsamic vinegar, and on to Parma for ham and Parmigiano. East, Ravenna is the place for Byzantine mosaics.

Car fans have three museums within reach: the Ducati factory museum on the edge of Bologna, the Lamborghini museum at Sant'Agata Bolognese and the Ferrari museum at Maranello, south of Modena. A car or an organised tour makes the last two much simpler.

Closer to home, the Giardini Margherita park and the hills behind San Luca are where locals escape the heat. Spring and early autumn are the best months for any of these trips, as summers on the plain are hot and humid and winter brings fog.

62 km of porticoes and the 3.8 km covered walk to San Luca

Bologna's porticoes run for about 62 km, roughly 40 km of them inside the old centre, and twelve stretches joined the UNESCO World Heritage List on 28 July 2021. The longest is the covered walk to San Luca, 3,796 metres with 666 arches, from Porta Saragozza up the hill.

Covered walkways became part of the city's building rules in the Middle Ages, when the university drew more students than the old streets could house and owners extended upper floors out over the pavement. A city statute later made porticoes compulsory on new houses, which is why almost every street in the centre has one. The result is a city you can cross in heavy rain or July sun without leaving the shade.

The twelve listed stretches show how the form changed over seven centuries: wooden porticoes on medieval houses along Strada Maggiore and Via Marsala, the grand stone arcades of Piazza Cavour, the Baroque climb to San Luca and the concrete portico of the Barca district from the 20th century. Bologna Welcome, the city tourist office on Piazza Maggiore, has maps that link them into walks.

For the San Luca walk, the arcade begins at Porta Saragozza, crosses the Meloncello arch and climbs steadily through numbered chapels to the sanctuary. The last section is steep, so take water in summer. To save the climb in one direction, the San Luca Express tourist train runs up from Piazza Maggiore.

The porticoes are also where daily life happens: market stalls in the Quadrilatero, cafe tables on Via dell'Indipendenza and the long arcade of the Archiginnasio beside San Petronio. Look up as you walk. Many of the oldest houses still rest on wooden beams and posts, and Casa Isolani on Strada Maggiore keeps a wooden portico from the 13th century. On wet days locals plan routes that stay under cover from door to door, and visitors can do the same. Most porticoes are private property open to public use, so building owners still pay for their upkeep.