This finest city merits more than just a one-night visit. Bologna (pop. 422 000) has gardens, museums parks, fine buildings, churches and miles of shopping streets and don't forget the great food. Sometimes called "Bologna the fat" this city is a great place to indulge yourself. Other names for Bologna include "Bologna the learned" and "Bologna the red." The first refers to the presence of the oldest still existing university in Europe, founded in 1088 AD. The presence of the university is quite noticable, in terms of cultural activities, bars, and general life. "Bologna the red" officially refers to the red roofs of the city. If you climb the Torre degle Asinelli you can see it for yourself. However, the intellectual left had also a strong presence in Bologna, which could be another explanation of the name.
The city is alive and it is changing from year to year. It has known quite a turbulent past. In the fascist era, some awful buildings were planted in the city. Moreover, the area around the train station was bombed extensively during the war and some of the beautiful nineteenth century houses were lost.
Fortunately, Bologna is actively restoring it past and these past twenty years have been good ones. In the year 2000 Bologna was a European Cultural Capital.
Pick up a good map of the city before you begin your explorations. You can get them from any bookstore (Rizolli on Via dei Mille, open until 2am in the morning, or another halfway on Via Indipendenza that is open till late as well).
We suggest you start by climbing the Torre degle Asinelli for a great view. Most of the sights are clustered around the Piazza Maggiore, which makes a great starting point for your explorations. For just a taste of Bologna, visit the seven churches of Santo Stefano, the 16th-century Neptune Fountain whose penis had to be adjusted by its sculptor, Europe's oldest university (its museum exhibits 16th-century art). Afterwards walk along Strada Maggiore in the well-preserved medieval town center. The Pinacoteca which has an excellent collection of Italian Renaissance art. For a taste of modern Italy visit the Museo Morandi on Piazza Maggiore (opened in 1993) which houses more than 200 works by 20th-century painter Giorgio Morandi.
