Overview
With a city centre encased within the remnants of its medieval walls,
Bologna is a perfect place for walking around.
A good way for visitors to get orientated with the city is to ascend
the Torre degli Asinelli, one of the two towers
that lean drunkenly at the foot of Via Rizzoli, just to the south
of the old Jewish Ghetto, offering a wonderful view of the city’s
red rooftops.
On ground level, Piazza Maggiore and the connecting
Piazza Nettuno form the city’s vibrant heart.
This is where people-watching is as much of an attraction as the
rusticated palaces and the unfinished facade of the Basilica
di San Petronio, with the piazza active and busy all year
round.
The city’s famous porticoes line Bologna’s
streets like sentinel guards and provide a handy shelter for window
shoppers. It is easy and often a pleasant pursuit to lose one’s
bearings in the hotchpotch of medieval streets that radiate from
Piazza Maggiore in a maze of cafes, fruit markets,
bars and restaurants.
The university area is to the northeast of the
Two Towers. Energetic visitors can also walk the 666 arches to the
hilltop Santuario de Madonna di San Luca and breathe
in the fresh air from the Apennines. To the east are the Adriatic
beaches, a perfect escape during the hot and steamy summer months.
Tourist Information
Informazioni
e Assistenza Turistica
Centro di Informazione Comunale, Palazzo d’Accursio at Piazza
Maggiore 1
Telephone number: (051) 246 541. Fax number: (051) 639 3171.
E-mail: touristoffice@comune.bologna.it
Opening hours: Daily 0900 hrs-2000 hrs.
Other branches are located at the train station, open Monday-Saturday
0830 hrs-1930 hrs, and at the airport, open Monday-Saturday 0800
hrs-2000 hrs, Sunday 0900 hrs-1500 hrs.
Passes
The Biglietto Unico per I Musei (telephone number: (051) 203 040)
allows free and/or discounted admission to the city’s many
museums, depending on the museum in question. One-day passes costing
€6 and three-day passes costing €8 are available for purchase
at participating museums.
Key
Attractions
Le Due Torri (Two Towers)
The Two Towers are among the city’s most recognisable landmarks.
During the 12th and 13th centuries, the noble families of Bologna
raised over 100 towers across the city in successive attempts to
outdo each other. Of the 20 medieval skyscrapers that survive today,
the Asinelli and the Garisenda towers are Bologna’s most famous.
Situated at the end of Via Rizzoli, they lean precariously like
a couple of proud old dowagers. The taller of the two, the 97.6m
(320ft) Torre degli Asinelli (built either in 1109 or 1119), can
be climbed and offers fabulous views of the city. Her stumpy companion,
the 48m (157ft) Torre Garisenda, was cut down to size in the 14th
century, at the request of Giovanni Visconti da Oleggio, when her
stoop threatened to topple her.
Piazza di Porta Ravegnana
Transport: Bus 10, 11, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 27, 29, 30, 37,
90 or 96.
Opening hours: Daily May-September 0900 hrs-1800 hrs; October-April
0900 hrs-1700 hrs.
Admission: €2.
Pinacoteca Nazionale (National
Gallery)
The National Picture Gallery, tucked away under the arcades in Via
Belli Arti, celebrates the city’s artistic and spiritual past
from the 14th to the 16th century. Although often overlooked, the
Counter-Reformation prompted an exceptional school of Bolognese
artists, most notably Guido Reni and the Carracci brothers. Among
the Italian old masters, Raphael’s Ecstasy of St Cecilia and
El Greco’s Last Supper should not be missed.
Via Belli Arti 56
Telephone numbers: (051) 421 1984 or 420 9411 or 423 222. Fax number:
(051) 251 368.
E-mail: info@pinocotecabologna.it
Transport: Bus 20, 32, 33, 36, 37, 89, 93, 94 or 99.
Opening hours: Tuesday-Sunday 0900 hrs-1900 hrs.
Admission: €4 (concessions available).
Basilica
di San Petronio (Basilica of St Petronius)
Named after the city’s patron saint, the Basilica of St Petronius
is Bologna’s largest house of worship and dominates Piazza
Maggiore with its imposing pockmarked façade. Begun in 1392,
the basilica was originally intended to be larger than St Peter’s
in Rome. Plans came to a halt, however, when the pope refused permission
for such a grandiose scheme. The unfinished façade stares
across the Piazza like a jilted bride, her rosy complexion topped
by a heavy frown of bare brick. Carvings in the central door, depicting
scenes from the Old and New testaments, are by Sienese artist Jacopo
della Quercia. Inside, a brass meridian in the floor of the north
aisle forms an ingenious solar clock – a small hole in the
roof allows the sun to shine on the correct spot. Tradition has
it that when the sun’s rays fall in the shape of a heart,
it is time to seek a husband. Models of the ‘finished’
church can be seen in the Basilica Museum, Wednesday-Monday 1030
hrs-1230 hrs and admission is free.
Piazza Maggiore
Telephone number: (051) 225 442.
Transport: Bus 10, 11, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 27, 29, 30, 37,
90 or 96.
Opening hours: Daily 0715 hrs-1330 hrs and 1430 hrs-1830 hrs(April-September);
daily 0715 hrs-1300 hrs and 1400 hrs-1800 hrs(October-March).
Admission: Free.
Fontana del Nettuno (Fountain
of Neptune)
This fountain is the work of Flemish sculptor Jean Boulogne de Douai
– known to posterity as Giambologna – and is based on
a design by the Palermitan painter Tommaso Laureti. Lit up at night,
the shadow of the mighty bronze Neptune looms across the Piazza,
his trident clasped firmly in his left hand and a fish squirming
beneath his foot. At his heel, four angels representing the four
winds playfully blow water through their pipes. Below, the four
voluptuous sirens symbolise the four continents (as speculated at
the time). Visitors should look out for the spectacular audiovisual
installation that was opened in summer 2002, just across from the
fountain. British director Peter Greenaway was involved in the high-tech
project, with various stages in the story of Bologna triggered off
by passers-by, using a system of sensors.
Piazza Maggiore
Transport: Bus 10, 11, 13 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 27, 29, 30, 37,
90 or 96.
Basilica di Santo Stefano (Basilica of
St Stephen)
Standing in the Piazza of the same name, the Basilica di St Stefano
is a jumbled complex of interconnecting churches, cloisters, courtyards
and crypts. The bulk of the building dates from the fifth century,
including the city’s oldest church, San Vitale e Agricola.
To the right is the Romanesque Chiesa di Crocifisso, which houses
the bones of St Petronius, and the Chiesa del San Sepolcro, whose
octagonal shape suggests it began life as a baptistry. The Chiesa
della Santa Trinità leads into a colonnaded cloister, with
a beautiful portico and loggia. The adjoining museum houses a small
collection of painting and frescoes.
Via Santo Stefano 24
Tel/Fax number: (051) 223 256.
Transport: Bus 11, 18, 25 or 27; a short walk from the Two Towers.
Opening hours: Daily 0900 hrs-1200 hrs and 1530 hrs-1800 hrs.
Admission: Free.
The Archiginnasio
Behind San Petronio, in Piazza Galvani, is the Archiginnasio, a
gracious old building that was formerly the university and is now
one of the largest municipal libraries in Europe. Its painted halls
are stacked high with rare leather-bound volumes too delicate to
touch and entry is strictly limited, to avoid overloading the sagging
floors. Fans of Rossini should take a look at the Stabat Mater Room
(open in the morning only), named in honour of the famous composition
by Rossini that was performed here for the first time on 18 March
1842. The main reason to make the trip, however, is to see the wood-panelled
medical faculty dissection theatre, the Teatro Anatomico, which
originally dates from the 18th century. It was destroyed by wartime
bombing and has been completely restored, using as much of the original
wood as possible. Photos on display show the extent of the war damage.
The town’s gentry used to have to pay to attend the world’s
first public dissections but today entry is free of charge.
Piazza Galvani
Telephone number: (051) 276 811. Fax number: (051) 261 160.
E-mail: archiginnasio@comune.bologna.it
Website: www.comune.bologna.it/archiginnasio
Transport: Bus 11,13, 19x, 31, 90 or 96.
Opening hours: Monday-Friday 0900 hrs-1830 hrs, Saturday 0930 hrs-1300
hrs.
Admission: Free.
San Domenico
The 1251 church of San Domenico was built to house the relics of
St Domenic, the founder of the Domenican Order. Nicolo Pisano was
principally responsible for the 13th-century Arca di San Domenico,
which houses the saint’s bones, although many Bolognese artists
contributed to it. The reliefs illustrating the saint’s life
are by Pisano and his pupils. Pisano also was responsible for the
statues on top, Nicola dell’Arca (1469-73) for the canopy
and a young Michaelangelo for the angel on the right and the figures
of Sts Proculus and Petronius.
Piazza San Domenico 13
Telephone number: (051) 640 0411.
Transport: Bus 30; a short walk east of Via Garibaldi.
Opening hours: Daily 0730 hrs-1300 hrs and 1430 hrs-2000 hrs.
Admission: Free.
Museo Ebraico (Jewish Museum)
The new Jewish Museum was opened in time for Bologna’s year
as a European City of Culture in 2000 and represents an important
element in the system of Jewish Museums in Emilia Romagna. Although
Bologna was the second city of the Papal States to force Jewish
people to live in a particular part of the city (the ghetto), their
historical and cultural contributions to the region were extensive.
The state-of-the-art museum presents an awareness of both the greater
Jewish identity and that within Emilia Romagna.
Via Valdonica 1/5
Telephone number: (051) 291 1280. Fax number: (051) 235 430.
E-mail: info@museoebraicobo.it
Website: www.museoebraicobo.it
Transport: Off Via dell’ Inferno, north of Due Torri; bus
10, 11, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 27, 29, 30, 37, 90 or 96; Via
Zamboni, bus 32, 36 or 37.
Opening hours: Sunday-Tuesday and Thursday-Friday 1000 hrs-1800
hrs, Wednesday 1000 hrs-1400 hrs.
Admission: 4 euros, concessions available.
Further
Distractions
Santa Maria della Vita
Tucked away down Via Clavature is the church of Santa Maria della
Vita, which shelters one of Bologna’s most dramatic works
of art. When one steps into the gloomy interior of the church, the
bustle of the lively street is immediately muted. Nicolo dell’Arca’s
Pieta, known historically as the Mourning Marys around the Dead
Christ, stands inside the church – a silent ‘scream
in stone’, as it was once memorably described by the Italian
poet, Gabriele D’Annunzio.
Via Clavature 10
Telephone numbers: (051) 236 245 or 224 002.
Transport: Bus 10, 11, 13 or 14; a short walk from Piazza Maggiore.
Opening hours: Monday-Saturday 0800 hrs-1230 hrs and 1430 hrs-1830
hrs, Sunday 1630 hrs-1800 hrs(April-September); Daily 0730 hrs-1800
hrs(October-March).
Admission: Free.
Santuario di San Luca (Sanctuary
of San Luca)
The 18th-century sanctuary in the hills three and a half kilometres
(two miles) from the city centre, is only of moderate interest in
itself but the 666 arches alternating with 15 chapels of the portico
leading to it are impressive. The icon of the Virgin Mary is attributed
to St Luke and every year, in May, it is brought down to the city
for a week. The view from the sanctuary a dramatic one and the hills
are cool and calm compared to the city centre. For those looking
to work off some of the worst effects of ‘Bologna, La Grassa’,
walking at least one way is good exercise and opens up a cross-section
of the city.
Via di San Luca, Colle della Guardia
Telephone number: (051) 614 2339.
Transport: Bus 20 from Via Indipendenza stops at the start of the
portico by Porta Saragozza, southwest of the city centre.
Opening hours: Monday-Saturday 0700 hrs-1230 hrs and 1430 hrs-1700
hrs, Sunday 1230 hrs-1430 hrs(November-February); Monday-Saturday
0700 hrs-1230 hrs and 1430 hrs-1800 hrs, Sunday 1230 hrs-1430 hrs
(March and October); Monday-Saturday 0700 hrs-1230 hrs and 1430
hrs-1900 hrs, Sunday 1230 hrs-1430 hrs(April-September).
Admission: Free.
Museo Civico Archeologico (Archaeological
Museum)
This excellent museum – greatly improved in honour of Bologna’s
being one of the European Cities of Culture for 2000 – is
located in the 15th-century Ospedale della Morte, the old mortuary.
The new Egyptian rooms in the basement are well presented and feature
paintings from the tomb of Horemhed. The Roman section is also first
rate. Nevertheless, this museum has always been best known for having
one of the finest Etruscan sections outside Lazio, featuring finds
from the city of Felsing (from the ninth century BC to the Gallic
invasion in the mid-fourth century BC). Besides important works,
such as the Askos Benacci sculpture of a man on a horse that is
in turn riding upon another llama-like animal, the collections are
strong on aspects of daily life. There is also an excellent Numismatic
section with Greek, Roman, Renaissance and Papal coins and medals.
Via dell’Archiginnasio 2.
Telephone number: (051) 233 849.
E-mail: mca@comune.bologna.it
Website: www.comune.bologna.it/musei/archeologico/index.html
Transport: All buses to Piazza Maggiore go past the museum.
Opening hours: Tuesday-Saturday 0900 hrs-1830 hrs, Sunday and holidays
1000 hrs-1830 hrs.
Admission: €4.
Sala Borsa (Stock Exchange)
It is tribute to both the strength of Bologna’s cultural life
and the forward thinking of the local authorities that the Sala
Borsa has turned its back on the world of high finance to serve
as a meeting point and source of reference for the citizens of the
city. This grand old building now forms Italy’s largest multimedia
library, with over 180,000 volumes, 5000 DVDs, 10,000 CDs, 130 multimedia
terminals and free Internet access. The borsa reopened after its
big makeover in 2001 and has already proved popular with Bologna’s
large student community, although tourists will be as impressed
by the grand interior and the Roman remains below floor level as
they will by the amenities.
Piazza del Nettuno
Telephone number: (051) 204 400. Fax number: (051) 204 420.
E-mail: salaborsa@commune.bologna.it
Transport: Bus 10, 11, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 27, 29, 30, 37,
90 or 96.
Opening hours: Monday 1430 hrs-2130 hrs, Tuesday-Friday 0900 hrs-2130
hrs, Saturday 0900 hrs-1900 hrs.
Admission: Free. |
