Attraction in Bologna

Beaches, temples, waterfalls, viewpoints and markets — the things worth building days around. Nothing here is booked on this page: each one says what it is and how long people spend there, then points at the stays and tours in the same area.

2 places

Area

Bologna2

Kind of place

Attraction2

BolognaAttraction

Archiginnasio Palace and Anatomical Theater

The old seat of Europe's oldest university, its walls and ceilings covered in the painted coats of arms of centuries of students. The anatomical theatre upstairs is carved entirely in spruce, with two skinned figures holding up the canopy. Small, cheap and genuinely singular. Forty minutes.

About 45 minutes

BolognaAttraction

Piazza Maggiore

The centre of Bologna and the room the whole city passes through — town hall on one side, the unfinished basilica on another, and people sitting on the steps at every hour. Free, open and the natural place to start. The covered market streets run off its eastern corner.

About 30 minutes

Place data from OpenStreetMap contributors, licensed under ODbL.

Keep planning

The rest of the guides, and the catalogue behind them.

Where to stay in ItalyTwenty-two areas, who each suits, and how many to fit in.Best time to visitMonth by month — heat, crowds, prices and what closes.Knowing the formCoffee, churches, tipping and the small courtesies.Trip ideasReady-made routes you can hand straight to the planner.

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