Best History in Bologna

Top 10 things to do in Bologna

10. Visit the Ducati Museum

The Ducati Museum brings Bologna’s motorcycle heritage into a guide otherwise dominated by medieval streets and monuments. Its focus adds a tangible industrial dimension to a city that remains an important centre for mechanical engineering. Make it the stop for a closer look at the motorcycling side of the region’s celebrated motoring culture.

9. Discover Bologna’s live music culture

Music runs through Bologna’s cultural life, from opera at the Teatro Comunale to jazz, rock and electronic performances. The city’s musical connections include composers and performers associated with its Philharmonic Academy. Choose a performance to encounter this living tradition, with established institutions and independent venues contributing distinct voices to the local scene.

8. Explore Bolognese food culture

Bolognese cuisine is central to the city’s identity and deserves time alongside its monuments. Food gives a direct introduction to a tradition celebrated well beyond Emilia-Romagna. Leave room in your exploration of the historic centre for a meal centred on local cooking, treating the table as part of understanding Bologna itself.

7. Walk through the university district

Bologna’s university district belongs to the fabric of the city, with streets and buildings integrated into the historic centre. Explore this northeastern part of central Bologna to understand how scholarship continues to shape everyday life. The substantial student presence gives the city a character that extends well beyond its monumental squares.

6. Explore Palazzo d’Accursio

Palazzo d’Accursio, Bologna’s city hall, anchors the civic side of Piazza Maggiore. The fourteenth-century palace contains collections of Renaissance paintings, sculptures and antique furniture. Its enormous main staircase, designed for horse-drawn carriages, is a particularly striking architectural feature. Visit for the combination of civic history, art and the scale of the palace interiors.

5. Follow the portico to the Sanctuary of San Luca

The long portico from Porta Saragozza leads towards the baroque Sanctuary of San Luca, a defining landmark in the hills south of the centre. With 666 arches extending for almost four kilometres, the covered route makes the approach an architectural experience in its own right. It also connects Bologna’s urban streetscape with its surrounding hills.

4. Enter the Basilica of San Petronio

San Petronio commands Piazza Maggiore with its immense scale and unfinished façade. This major example of Italian Gothic architecture rewards attention inside, where the Bolognini Chapel and the meridian line associated with Cassini and Guglielmini stand among its notable features. The basilica brings religious art, architectural ambition and scientific observation together in one monument.

3. Explore Piazza Maggiore and the Fountain of Neptune

Piazza Maggiore is the monumental heart of Bologna, enclosed by buildings that express centuries of civic life. Look across the square to Palazzo del Podestà and the Renaissance façade of Palazzo dei Banchi, then continue to the neighbouring Fountain of Neptune. The fountain’s sculpture makes it one of the city’s most recognisable symbols.

2. See the Two Towers

The leaning Two Towers, or Due Torri, form Bologna’s iconic central landmark. Their distinctive silhouettes bring the city’s medieval identity into sharp focus and provide a useful point of reference while exploring the centre. Pause to study them from street level, where their height contrasts with the surrounding streets and buildings.

1. Walk beneath Bologna’s UNESCO-listed porticoes

Bologna’s porticoes are its defining architectural experience: extensive covered walkways woven into the everyday life of the historic centre. Recognised by UNESCO as World Heritage in 2021, they give continuity to streets lined with warm-coloured buildings. Follow them through the centre to appreciate the repeated arches, changing perspectives and close relationship between buildings and public space.