Bologna

Likes & Dislikes

Likes

Bologna - arcades - i.k. photo

1. Enjoy the shade under the arcades on hot summer days

i. k. photo

2. The great many red brick buildings exude a warm atmosphere

3. The youthfulness and laxity due to its university city character

4. Look out from the top of the Torre degli Assinelli

5. The flea market on Sunday morning, in front of the church of San Stefano

6. Gothic chapels of the Church of Santo Domenico

7. Public transport is well-organized and on schedule

8. Piazza Maggiore with the great San Petronio church (Gothic!)

9. The almost all-wood Archiginnasio

10. Bologna is cleaner than the average of Italian cities

Dislikes

1. The pushy, stolid African street vendors with their monotonic goods

2. The staircase of the Torre degli Assinelli is narrow and dark, which makes it a bit depressing to go up and down.

3. At noon face churches with closed gates

4. It’s easy to gain weight with all those greasy (albeit yummy) mortadellas

5. The people of Bologna are very proud of their beef soup called passateli in brodo di carne, but I was not delighted with it

6. Few green areas, so dogs dont pee on grass, but on stone pillars. When the sun shines on these pillars, we smelled urine.

7. The bread selection is surprisingly poor

8. The people of Bologna speak very loudly

9. Lacks the same number of vantage points with a sweeping view that you get in Florence, Rome or Venice

10. To shamefully realize that there is no such thing as spaghetti bolognese, but there is fettuccine alla Bolognese

Opinions

“Not for nothing do they call Bologna ‘the Red City’ – everything is in shades of red, yellow, orange and terracotta. Without a doubt, the most famous sights in the city are the Two Towers (one of which leans, so Pisa doesn’t have a monopoly on leaning towers). It’s possible to walk to the top of the towers.

You could walk around the city center in a few hours, but I still had the feeling that we were just scratching the surface. We were able to see some sights, and get a sense of the atmosphere, but we didn’t find out much about it.”

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“There are a huge number of arcaded walkways in the city – it’s the characteristic Bologna solution to excessive heat. Apparently there are 38km of them altogether, so it really is possible to walk almost everywhere in the city without getting sunburned (or getting wet in the rain).

I think it’s a very charming, beautiful city, and I loved the atmosphere. After about the eighth photo I realized I’d be at this all day if I tried to photograph every beautiful thing, but I still couldn’t resist some of the more spectacular sights.

A few dirty, smelly streets bring you back to earth, but most of the city is clean and tidy – especially the areas where the shops, restaurants and cafes are.” (2018)

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“Several people asked me “why Bologna? Is there anything to see there?” Well, there certainly is. The city has a very pleasant atmosphere, with wide, charming streets and a lot – and I mean a lot – of arcades, which help shield you from the summer heat.” (2018)

Bologna - h.a.

Bologna - street scene - ata photo

Practicals

Transport

Bologna - cars in a narrow street - i.k. photo

Bologna - small land train - a.f. photo

Food

“Italian osterias are places where you can usually eat very delicious food at very reasonable prices, but in Bologna, there is a unique place, the Osteria del Sole, where you can take your food and order a drink to go with it. The area is always full of locals who want to get to know each other.
Another well-known osteria is Broccaindosso, where you can eat delicious desserts.” (2018)
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After some phone calls, we went to a restaurant on an obscure side street for lunch, where we only briefly had to wait in line. The problem with restaurants that look ‘authentic,’ ‘local,’ and ‘hidden’ from online search results is that other people also use the Internet. Still, the food was delicious – we ate lasagna and spaghetti Bolognese made from thick egg-based tagliatelle pasta.” (2022)