City Break To Bologna
A city of millennial history that holds the secret of eternal youth
Photo by JJ_peg
Bologna, apart from being the capital of Emilia Romagna, is home to the oldest university of the Western world, founded all the way back in 1088. The Alma Mater Studiorum, as it’s known, which gave rise to its nickname “Dotta”, meaning “Learned”.
The city has found a paradoxically dynamic balance which allows youthful passions, along with the influence of students from all over Italy, to coexist with ancient traditions.
It isn’t enough to take a short walk through Bologna; just think that the porticoes that travel the city branch on for about 40 km, and that their beauty and historic value once made them candidates for becoming a Unesco heritage site. It’s a good idea to have a clear idea about what you want to see and what you’re looking for, since this capital city is capable of offering many different things to many different people, all answers to our diverse passions, from art to fine cuisine, to design and industry.
Bologna’s also known as “The City of Towers”, and of its over 100 12th Century pinnacles there are still 24 left, each one full of sights to discover. There’s an urban trekking route, which can easily allow you to learn the history, location, and secrets of every tower in about an hour and a half.
It isn’t enough to take a short walk through Bologna; just think that the porticoes that travel the city branch on for about 40 km, and that their beauty and historic value once made them candidates for becoming a Unesco heritage site. It’s a good idea to have a clear idea about what you want to see and what you’re looking for, since this capital city is capable of offering many different things to many different people, all answers to our diverse passions, from art to fine cuisine, to design and industry.
Bologna’s also known as “The City of Towers”, and of its over 100 12th Century pinnacles there are still 24 left, each one full of sights to discover. There’s an urban trekking route, which can easily allow you to learn the history, location, and secrets of every tower in about an hour and a half.
Truly, the whole city warrants this feeling of curiosity, from the symbolic heart of Bologna, Neptune Fountain, to Sala Borsa, an 18th century palace that’s now the center of economic life, as well as one of Italy’s most beautiful multimedia libraries. From Piazza Maggiore, to San Petronio’s Basilica, to Palazzo d’Accursio, the eyes search every corner for those interesting details that tell the story of ancient “Bononia”, as the city was called in Roman times.
Part of this past is kept safe in the Museo Civico Archeologico. Aside from visiting these monuments and historical archives, part of the past lives on today in the Mercato di Mezzo, another piece of Bologna worth experiencing. The city’s general market offers a veritable banquet of assorted foods, with a keen eye for typical, regional cuisine.
While it’s important to know what you’re looking for, rest assured that you’ll find a little bit of everything in Bologna.
A land of art and passion, of speed and fine dining
Photo by Mark Brennan
“Learned”, “The City of Towers”, but also “The Affectionate”, especially of speed. Yes, Bologna’s passion for racing is truly special, since anyone who thinks about motorcycles can’t help but think about the famous Ducati brand that resides in the Borgo Panigale.
The Ducati museum, inaugurated in 1998, is a testament to the company’s glorious history, from its humble origins till today, a constant presence in Bologna’s culture, as well as the world as a whole. Ducati fares well in international markets, its bikes racing at top tiers such as the Superbik and Moto Mondiale championships. Bologna is a city of industry, and the presence of a museum dedicated to its great cultural heritage is proof of its worth.
Among its innumerable qualities, Bologna’s also worth mentioning for its sweet tooth. There aren’t many places in Italy where you can find a museum dedicated to ice cream; and yet, only 12 km from the heart of the city, in the nearby Anzola dell’Emilia, stands the “Carpignani Gelato Museum”, a place dedicated to the history, culture, and technologies that changed the way artisanal ice cream was made. This exposition centre, of over 1000 square meters, is the first ice cream museum in history and earned Zagat’s recognition as one of the 7 most beautiful museums in the world.
The step from sweet to savory is short in Bologna, there birthplace of the typical Tortellino with a capital T. It’s said that Tortellini are an homage to Venus’ Navel, a tradition that hearkens back to an 18th century poem by Giuseppe Ceri in which Mars, Bacchus and Venus stopped to rest in a tavern in Castelfranco. Apparently, the innkeeper was so struck by Venus’ beauty that he made a special pasta for her in the shape of her navel.
The Ducati museum, inaugurated in 1998, is a testament to the company’s glorious history, from its humble origins till today, a constant presence in Bologna’s culture, as well as the world as a whole. Ducati fares well in international markets, its bikes racing at top tiers such as the Superbik and Moto Mondiale championships. Bologna is a city of industry, and the presence of a museum dedicated to its great cultural heritage is proof of its worth.
Among its innumerable qualities, Bologna’s also worth mentioning for its sweet tooth. There aren’t many places in Italy where you can find a museum dedicated to ice cream; and yet, only 12 km from the heart of the city, in the nearby Anzola dell’Emilia, stands the “Carpignani Gelato Museum”, a place dedicated to the history, culture, and technologies that changed the way artisanal ice cream was made. This exposition centre, of over 1000 square meters, is the first ice cream museum in history and earned Zagat’s recognition as one of the 7 most beautiful museums in the world.
The step from sweet to savory is short in Bologna, there birthplace of the typical Tortellino with a capital T. It’s said that Tortellini are an homage to Venus’ Navel, a tradition that hearkens back to an 18th century poem by Giuseppe Ceri in which Mars, Bacchus and Venus stopped to rest in a tavern in Castelfranco. Apparently, the innkeeper was so struck by Venus’ beauty that he made a special pasta for her in the shape of her navel.
Bologna is a passionate land of overwhelming beauty, taste and art.
Related articles
Between ancient and modern, fantasy and reality: Rimini is all this and much more
