Things to Do in Bologna: Towers, Porticoes, and Pasta
Bologna catches you off guard. I expected a stopover between bigger cities and instead found a university town that practically runs on good food and red brick. It is old, walkable, and full of corners that reward a slow pace and an empty stomach. Here is how I spent my days, and what I would do again without hesitation.
Climb the Asinelli Tower
The Two Towers lean at the edge of the old center, and the taller Asinelli one is the climb that defines the city. I took the narrow wooden stairs all the way to the top, more than four hundred steps of them, and looked out over the sea of terracotta rooftops. The city spreads flat to the hills, which means the view goes for miles. Go on a clear morning when the air is still and the queue is short.
Walk the UNESCO porticoes
Bologna has around forty kilometers of covered walkways, enough to make the city the world capital of porticoes. I used them without thinking, staying dry in the rain and shaded in the sun while the city went about its business above me. Some date back centuries and carry the mark of a scheme where houses paid for their arcades. To me, they make Bologna feel like a city that was always designed to be walked.
Sit in Piazza Maggiore and see San Petronio
The main square is the beating center of the old town. I drank a coffee there, watched the pigeons and the strollers, and then stepped into San Petronio, the enormous basilica whose facade was never finished and whose interior holds one of the largest sundials in the world. It is a strange, unpolished masterpiece, and the more I looked, the more it won me over.
Find the anatomy theatre in the Archiginnasio
Bologna’s university is the oldest in the Western world, and its historic home, the Archiginnasio, is worth an hour. The highlight is the anatomy theatre, a small wooden room ringed by rising benches where students once watched dissections. Carved figures stare down from the walls, and the whole space feels like a stage for the history of learning. It is small, so the details reward a slow look.
Eat tagliatelle al ragù
Order this once, because it is the local pride. In Bologna, ragù is a slow braised meat sauce served over fresh tagliatelle, and the city treats the pairing with serious respect. My first bowl came at a family trattoria near the market, and I understood immediately why people argue about the recipe. It is the dish that made me cancel my afternoon plans.
Browse the Quadrilatero food market
Behind the main square, the Quadrilatero packs a feast of a marketplace into a few tight streets. I wandered stalls of mortadella, parmesan, and fresh egg pasta, and came away with a picnic that cost about the same as one restaurant plate. The vendors hand out samples with genuine pride. Go early and hungry, and let the lanes decide your lunch.
Meet the Fountain of Neptune
At the edge of the square, the Fountain of Neptune is the bronze landmark that locals call by a joking nickname. I passed it a dozen times, and every time people were clustered around it, pointing at the details in the bronze. It is one of those monuments that you photograph once and then grow fond of for the way it anchors the whole piazza.
Try tortellini in brodo and mortadella
Two more local shorthand dishes belong on your table. Tortellini in brodo, small stuffed rings served in a clear broth, show off the city’s patience for detail. And mortadella, that big pink cured sausage, is far better than the sad sandwich versions you have tried elsewhere. I had both within a single day and considered it a triumph of planning.
Chase the hidden canals
People do not believe Bologna has canals, and then they find the small window near Via Piella where a sliver of water and laundry lines appears below street level. I sought it out because it felt like a secret the city was keeping. There are a few spots where the old waterways surface. Finding them is a pleasant little scavenger hunt on a quiet afternoon.
Finish with an evening in the Porta district
The streets beyond the main towers slow down at night in the best way. I ended my evenings in the quieter districts, sharing a bottle of Lambrusco and a board of local cheese with locals who seemed to know everyone who passed. Bologna is a city you taste more than you tour, and the evening walk after dinner is where it finally clicks.
Bring comfortable shoes, a healthy appetite, and a willingness to wander. Bologna rewards the traveler who treats the city less like a list and more like a long, very pleasant meal.
