Casa di Lucio Dalla
Bologna
The 15th-century Palazzo Casa Fontana poi Gamberini – the fascinating, pricier-than-the-Colosseum home of eccentric Italian singer-songwriter Lucio Dalla …
Basilica di Santo Stefano
Bologna
Bologna's most unique religious site is this atmospheric labyrinth of interlocking ecclesiastical structures, whose architecture spans centuries of…
Basilica di San Petronio
Bologna
Bologna's hulking Gothic basilica is Europe's sixth-largest church, measuring 132m by 66m by 47m. Work began on it in 1390, but it was never finished, and…
Museo Internazionale e Biblioteca della Musica di Bologna
Bologna
This mouthful of a museum inside Palazzo Sanguinetti – the former home of Napoleon's Italian minister – chronicles six centuries of European musical…
San Colombano – Collezione Tagliavini
Bologna
An absolutely stunningly restored church with original frescoes and a medieval crypt rediscovered in 2005, the San Colombano hosts a wonderful collection…
FICO Eataly World
Bologna
FICO, the world's largest agri-food park, opened in 2017 to equal parts cheering and sneering in a formerly dilapidated wholesale farmers' market 7km…
Torre degli Asinelli
Bologna
Bologna's two leaning towers are the city's main symbol. The taller of the two, the 97.2m-high Torre degli Asinelli (the tallest leaning medieval tower in…
Quadrilatero
Bologna
To the east of Piazza Maggiore, the grid of streets around Via Clavature (Street of Locksmiths) sits on what was once Roman Bologna. Known as the…
Palazzo Poggi
Bologna
Three university museums are housed inside this 14th-century palace. At Museo di Palazzo Poggi, you can peruse terracotta uteri in the Obstetrics…
Santuario di Santa Maria della Vita
Bologna
In the heart of the Quadrilatero, this 17th-century shrine is one of Bologna's most beautiful and important, not only for its 13th-century foundation by…
Museo della Storia di Bologna
Bologna
Walk in a historical neophyte and walk out an A-grade honours student in Bologna’s golden past. This magnificent interactive museum, opened in 2012 and…
Le Due Torri
Bologna
Standing sentinel over Piazza di Porta Ravegnana, Bologna's two leaning towers are the city's main symbol. The taller of the two, the 97.2m-high Torre…
Palazzo Comunale
Bologna
The palace that forms the western flank of Piazza Maggiore has been home to the Bologna city council since 1336. A salad of architectural styles, it owes…
Collezioni Comunali d'Arte
Bologna
On the 2nd floor of Palazzo Comunale you'll find the art gallery Collezioni Comunali d'Arte with its interesting collection of 13th- to 19th-century…
Basilica Santuario della Madonna di San Luca
Bologna
About 3.5km southwest of the city centre, this hilltop basilica occupies a powerful and appropriately celestial position overlooking the teeming red-hued…
Museo Civico Archeologico
Bologna
Impressive in its breadth of coverage of historical eras, this museum displays well-documented Egyptian and Roman artefacts along with one of Italy's best…
Museo Ducati
Bologna
With all the Ferraris and Lamborghinis around, it's easy to overlook Motor Valley's two-wheeled contribution to world-class motorsports. Ducati sits right…
Pinacoteca Nazionale
Bologna
The city's main art gallery has a powerful collection of works by Bolognese artists from the 14th century onwards, including a number of important…
Teatro Anatomico
Bologna
Housed in Palazzo dell’Archiginnasio, the fascinating 17th-century Teatro Anatomico is where public body dissections were held under the sinister gaze of…
Piazza Maggiore
Bologna
All roads lead to pivotal 13th-century Piazza Maggiore, flanked by Basilica di San Petronio, Europe's sixth-largest basilica, and a series of impressive…
Palazzo Fava
Bologna
This exhibition space encased in a Renaissance mansion is frequently the site of blockbuster temporary art shows, which range in price from €6 to €14 …
Basilica di San Domenico
Bologna
Built in 1238, this basilica shelters the remains of San Domenico, founder of the Dominican order. Along the right aisle, the Cappella di San Domenico…
Basilica di San Francesco
Bologna
Think Gothic. This dark mysterious church was one of the first in Italy to be built in the French Gothic style. Inside check out the tomb of Pope…
Oratorio di Santa Cecilia
Bologna
This is one of Bologna's unsung gems. Inside, the magnificent 16th-century frescoes by Lorenzo Costa depicting the life and lurid death of St Cecilia and…
Palazzo dell'Archiginnasio
Bologna
This palace was the seat of the city university from 1563 to 1805. These days its chief attraction is the fascinating 17th-century Teatro Anatomico, a…
La Terrazza Panoramica
Bologna
Basilica di San Petronio's new (and temporary) 54m-high panoramic terrace – reached from an entrance behind the basilica – doesn't hold a candle to the…
MAMbo
Bologna
Avant-gardes, atheists and people who've had their fill of dark religious art can seek solace in one of Bologna's newer museums (opened 2007), housed in a…
Palazzo del Re Enzo
Bologna
This 13th-century palace is named after King Enzo, the illegitimate son of Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II, who was held here by papal forces between 1249…
Palazzo del Podestà
Bologna
Dating to the 13th century, the Palazzo del Podestà was the original residence of Bologna's chief magistrate. Beneath the palazzo there's a whispering…
Fontana del Nettuno
Bologna
Adjacent to Piazza Maggiore, Piazza del Nettuno owes its name to this explicit bronze statue sculpted by Giambologna in 1566. Beneath the muscled sea god,…
Cattedrale Metropolitana di San Pietro
Bologna
A short walk north of Piazza Maggiore, Bologna’s cathedral, the Metropolitana di San Pietro, has suffered redevelopment many times over the centuries…
San Luca Sky Experience
Bologna
Climb 110 steps into the cupola of the city's postcard 18th-century hilltop Basilica Santuario della Madonna di San Luca for an 180-degree view back…
More destinations you need to see
- Parma
- Ferrara
- Ravenna
- Modena
- Rimini
