Bologna, the capital of the Emilia-Romagno region of Italy. Home to parmesan cheese, tortellini and one of the most popular foods around the world…Bolognese!

It’s also got the oldest continuously active university in the world, and tonnes of history! I was only there for an afternoon/evening as I passed through on an adventure to San Marino. So I definitely won’t say I’m an expert but I got a good feel for the City and loved it. It just feels so Italian, with gorgeous old buildings everywhere you look. On the way to the library I passed some amazing statues and old buildings

I’d definitely go back and check out the art galleries, museums and libraries! One thing Bologna is known for are it’s colonnades! You definitely wouldn’t get wet here. I arrived around 1pm and knew I wanted to see the University.It’s the oldest continuously operating university in the world.

It was founded in 1088 and with 90,000 students it’s the second largest university in Italy. Unfortunately the pin I had on Google maps didn’t quite seem right. I then remembered it’s still a functioning University so I couldn’t go in to some parts. I’m sure if you do some research you can find out times or places to visit.

After the disappointment of the Uni I wasn’t disappointed again. The rest of Bologna was fab, it’s bonkers that there are just so many old buildings. From the library I passed the Basilica of San Giacomo Maggiore which was absolutely massive. It had so many interesting features as I walked beside it.

I ended up at the Two Towers, the smaller tower is actually leaning, just like the one in Pisa! Asinelli tower right next to it is the highest point in the City. You have to book your spot online for 5 euros and it takes 45 minutes to visit. They were constructed between 1109 and 1119 and are named after the families that are credited with building them.

Asinelli tower is definitely not for the faint of heart, there are 498 steps to climb up the 90m or so tower!
Suffice to say I wasn’t the only one sweating and huffing and puffing at the top. The views were absolutely worth it though. You could see for miles over the terracotta roofs of Bologna. I loved the huge buildings on the hills surrounding the City and the other towers you could see.

After climbing down I needed a rest, so I wandered over to a Piadina spot and recharged with the delicious local flatbread stuffed with veggies and blue cheese. Then I did whatever self respecting tourist does in Italy, Gelato! I found a gelateria and scoffed down a scoop of ricotta and fig and a scoop of custard flavour. Delish!

Now I had filled the energy bar back up it was a short walk to Piazza Maggiore, this square has everything. There’s the Porta Magna della Basilica di San Petronio, the Palazzo d’Accursio and the Palazzo dei Notai. My favourite part was the fountain of Neptune. Talk about daddy vibes, and don’t get me started on the women squeezing water out of their boobs!

A side note, the Mercato di Mezzo is right by this square and a great place to pick up a lunch. You might need cash to pay here, I didn’t notice many card machines. The streets around it are also filled with fruit and veg, fish and other vendors. A great place to get a real taste of the Emilia-Romagno region.

I had some time to kill, and I spotted a neon Imagine sign and was drawn to it. Upon further inspection I realised there was a whole street with the lyrics to Imagine by John Lennon. Absolutely incredible and totally unexpected. I walked the length of it before turning back to see my last Google maps pin.

As I wandered I spotted some cool bits of street art, and the walked down Via dell’Independenza which seemed to be a major shopping street. Just before the huge Garibaldi statue you take a right and then go right again down Via Federico Venturini here you’ll find a small window that looks out over an old canal, this is Finestrella.

Constructed in the middle ages it’s a small stretch of canal that hints at a bigger network of waterways. Bologna once had more than 37 miles of canal, but the majority has been built over.

Turn around and you can see more of it, it was the most popular spot on my little tour! I had a bit of time left so I did what any self respecting gay man does, googled gay bars of Bologna. Surprise surprise one popped up just around the corner, it’s Il Barattolo and it was meant to be.

I found out it opened at 5pm (It was a Wednesday) and it was just past 5 so off I toddled. It’s small and gritty which makes a change from a lot of gay bars. I liked it, there were some cool murals and a calendar for leftist events! A nice glass of ice cold Vino Blanco later and it was time to leave. So I walked to Bologna Centrale and took the Marconi express back to the airport.

If you wanted to visit Rimini and/or San Marino from Bologna check out RIMINI and SAN MARINO. Any other Italian ideas check out my other blogs HERE.

For a travel idea further afield but still in Italy, check out this blog post by Stufr all about Genoa, just a 3 hour train ride from Bologna. 

Published by Tom

Wanderluster, forever day dreaming of my next destination. Nurse by day, gay, geek, love sports and marvel comics. Determined to visit every country in the world! View all posts by Tom