Madrelingua - Italian courses in Bologna, Italy

Bologna is a city with few tourists but with lots of things to offer visitors: a long and interesting history, a compact and well-preserved city-centre, fine buildings, museums, shops for all tastes, parks, a vibrant social life, and many fantastic things to eat and drink!

The city is known as “Bologna the learned” for its university – the oldest in Europe, “Bologna the red” for the red roofs of the city but also for its politics, and “Bologna the fat” because of its rich cuisine.

Bologna is a walled city, roughly circular in shape, with a large piazza (square), Piazza Maggiore (see picture), more or less at its centre. The city’s main streets fan out like the spokes of a wheel from this central point.

Piazza Maggiore in the spring

Bologna, Piazza Maggiore

In Piazza Maggiore you will find the church of San Petronio (Bologna’s patron saint), the Tourist Information office, the statue of Neptune, and the modernised Sala Borsa, which was once a stock exchange but is now a library and bookshop, worth a visit because you can view the ancient foundations of the building through its transparent floor.

From Piazza Maggiore, walk along Via Rizzoli to visit the “two towers” (you can climb to the top of one of them, but don’t try it if you haven't finished university yet: people believe that if you do, you’ll never graduate!).

From the two towers, walk along Strada Maggiore and through Corte Isolani to Piazza Santa Stefano, where you can see the famous seven churches.

Bologna has so many museums that I won’t even attempt to describe them. See this site for further details:www.bologna.museum-guides.com

Shopping for food in Bologna

For food shopping try exploring the little streets adjacent to Piazza Maggiore and behind Via Rizzoli. You will find fishmongers, cheese shops, fresh fruit and vegetables, and all sorts of other delicacies for which Bologna is famous, mostly at reasonable prices.

Prosciutto crudo hanging Vegetable stall

Shopping in Bologna

For lovers of designer clothes and shoes, Via Farini is the place to go! Other shopping streets to visit include Via D’Azeglio and Via Indipendenza.
On Fridays and Saturdays there is a big street market in Piazza del VIII Agosto – definitely the place for those on a tight budget!
In Via Zamboni, just 100 metres from the two towers, you will find Feltrinelli International, a bookshop with a comprehensive selection of books and magazines in English and other languages.

A typical street
Typical Bologna porticoed streets

If you like walking or running you can follow the porticoed streets from the centre of town, along Via Saragozza and up into the hills to the famous church of San Luca, a local landmark which can be seen from miles away. Locals walk or run up and down the hill for exercise.
For a more relaxing time, visit the Giardini Margherita (at the end of via Santa Stefano). There’s a lake, a bar, and plenty of space to walk or run, or simply to lie on the grass and relax.