Bologna 
la Dotta, la Grassa, la Rossa. That’s what they say about her around Italy. Nicknames that list the innumerable merits of this surprising city. A city of a thousand resources, open to all lifestyles. A city that welcomes and embraces many cultures. Dotta (wise) because it was there that the first university in the western world was founded about a thousand years ago. The oldest. Founded in 1088, it is currently in the top five of the best Italian universities and has 80,000 students. Why Grassa? Because Bolognese delicacies are among the most envied in the world. And the nickname “Rossa” (red) is due to the colour of the bricks with which the buildings and towers in the historic centre are built.
It is not easy to choose a place from which to visit the city, especially if you only have a few hours to spare. Although small in fact, Bologna contains a myriad of monuments and suggestive places that deserve time and attention. We have tried to tour it in one day.
One day to visit it. To get around the city in a day, let yourself be guided by the characteristic porticos that make the city unique. A Unesco World Heritage Site, celebrated by Pupi Avati in all his masterpieces, the porticos criss-cross the entire historic centre and, with a route of no less than 40km, literally protect the visitor by acting as an umbrella or sunshade. From the railway station, walking under the arcades towards Piazza Maggiore you arrive at the 16th-century Neptune Fountain by Giambologna , one of the symbols of the city. It is located in Piazza del Nettuno (adjacent to Piazza Maggiore). Because of its majesty, the Bolognese have nicknamed it the Giant.
A few more steps and you arrive at the historic Piazza Maggiore (the Piazza par excellence) where you will find Palazzo D’Accursio, seat of the City Hall, the Basilica of San Petronio with the world’s largest sundial, and the Voltone del Podestà between Palazzo Maggiore and Palazzo Re Enzo. It is precisely under this voltone that the famous wireless telephone is located. An attraction for tourists of all ages. By positioning yourself with your forehead towards one of the four corners of the gallery and speaking towards the wall, you can hear your voice in one of the opposite corners. So don’t be surprised if, as you pass through the place, you meet people with their faces turned to the wall. They are just playing.
As you leave the square, towards the Paviglione portico, you will come across some of the most beautiful and prestigious shops in Italy, and you will also get to know the fashionable and glamorous Bologna that is home to some of the world’s most famous brands.
Continuing along the road that runs alongside San Petronio is the Museo Civico Archeologico, one of Bologna’s 43 museums that preserves not only beautiful Egyptian artefacts, but also finds from Etruscan and Roman Bologna. Also, the Palazzo dell’Archiginnasi, the historical seat of the University of Bologna with its anatomical theatre from the 17th century, used in the past for anatomy studies at the Faculty of Medicine.
A trip to the Bologna Towers is a must. It is said that the city originally possessed some 180 towers, many of which have been demolished over the years. The Garisenda Tower, known to most thanks to Dante’s quotation in The Divine Comedy, and the Asinelli Tower attract millions of tourists today.
A visit to the monumental complex of Santo Stefano alle Sette Chiese is not to be missed. Entering by the same name, through an evocative and fascinating route, you can visit four of the seven original churches.
Bologna and street music: Bologna is able to surprise visitors not only with its monuments. Walking through its streets, you cannot help but listen to and admire the artists that populate it. And while many of them are itinerant and take turns in the streets and squares of Bologna, there is one who makes a permanent stop in Piazza Maggiore, now known to everyone. Beppe Maniglia, the son of a Bolognese musician and a Hungarian pianist, performs rock songs on his Harley Davidson, which he transforms into a sort of stage for the occasion. A show that attracts thousands of people every day. And this, too, is part of the history of Bologna, a city that has given birth to some of the most famous Italian singers. So don’t be surprised if, while strolling around, you see Gianni Morandi on his bicycle, or Guccini eating in the typical osteria Da Vito (Cyrenaica district). Lucio Dalla’s presence, on the other hand, can be felt in every street, especially in his Piazza Grande (Piazza Maggiore).