Bologna Facts

Bologna's fame is closely linked to the reputation and prestige of the Alma Mater Studiorum. Renowned throughout Europe, the University of Bologna has always attracted students from all over the world. Bologna is not a city which attracts mass tourism, but instead it welcomes curious and attentive visitors.

Bologna is a city with turrets and porticos which stretch out for kilometers, but it is not ostentatious. Often, the city's most valuable treasures can be found tucked away in magnificent Renaissance palaces, in churches which have been reconsecrated and restored, beneath gateways or inside courtyards.

The city attracts a considerable amount of visitors each year to a variety of exhibitions....

...once lamented to us: "The Americans! They spend a week in Florence, a week in Venice. Why not 6 days in Florence, 6 days in Venice, and 2 days in Bologna?" That's a good question.

Bologna is one of the most overlooked gems in Italy; we've found empty room after empty room here in summer, when the hotels in Venice and Florence were packed tight. It's true that Bologna boasts no Uffizi or Doge's Palace, but it does offer a beautiful city that's one of the most architecturally unified in Europe -- a panorama of sienna-colored buildings, marbled sidewalks, and porticos. After fighting the crowds in Rome, Florence, and Venice, you might enjoy a few days away from the tourist crush.

Bologna's rise...