Province of Bologna

Emilia-Romagna
Basilica Santuario di Santo Stefano showing a church or cathedral, a square or plaza and heritage architecture
Escape the crowds in this beautiful historic city,where you’ll find Europe's oldest university and some of the best restaurantsin Italy– and that’s saying something.

With its medieval city walls and tiled roofs thatmake the city look like a giant, beautiful red mosaic, it’s not for nothingthat Bologna is known as one of the mostphotogenic cities in northern Italy. While Florence, Milan and Venice are awashwith tourists, Bologna is pleasingly quiet with aclose knit community, giving the city an intimate character.

Bologna has the oldestuniversity in Europe, and the large number of students gives the city a great,lively nightlife with plenty of affordable bars and venues. While the historyof Bologna is long and fascinating, its modernculture is in full bloom, with some of the best restaurants, galleries andfestivals in all of Italy.

Everyone knows Italy’s reputation as a gastronomicgiant. Now take into account that Bologna isconsidered the culinary capital of Italy and surely the mouth will start tosalivate just at the thought of visiting. Here the ingredients are top qualityand a real care is taken in cooking, so it's almost impossible to find a badmeal. One of the regional specialities is a dish that you undoubtedly know pastawith a tasty meat sauce, also known as spaghetti Bolognese.

Bologna is connectedto all major Italian cities by high-speed rail and also has its owninternational airport, making it easy to reach no matter where you’re from.Once in the city, you can take a bus or taxi or walk, but you can also do whatthe locals do, rent a bicycle and explore the city with the wind in your hair.