Nobody goes to Bologna...

Just walking along the miles of porticoed streets is worth a trip. All of the main streets and most of the side streets are covered with beautiful archways, so you can window shop and wander the city in any kind of weather. The Piazza Maggiore is the center of the city, with its beautiful cathedral, old palazzos converted to museums, and the famous fountain of Neptune. To the south and east of the Piazza, you'll find restaurants and high-end shopping (Prada, Fendi, and the like). Further east you'll see the Torre degli Asinelli, one of the tallest medieval towers in Italy, and the 900 year-old university. There's lots of nightlife, too, because of the young population. While we were there, Bologna was voted the best city to live in in Italy; if you spend some time there you'll find out why.

Quick Tips:

December is a great time to visit the city. There are concerts, festivals, lights hanging everywhere, and virtually no tourists (although there are hardly any to begin with). The University Quarter is a good place to get a cheap bite, grab a drink, and/or meet people if you're young. The food here is excellent; we never had even an indifferent meal in the city. As in most Italian cities of any size, there are at least a dozen beautiful cathedrals that are worth spending a little time in. If you're not much of a walker and you're staying near the Piazza Maggiore, you might want to take a cab from the train station; it's about a 20-30 minute walk.

Best Way To Get Around:

Once you're in the city center, you should walk everywhere. The center is very compact, and a pleasure to travel by foot. The train station, as I mentioned above, is a good walk from town. Bologna is on the EuroStar line between Rome and Venice. There is also a major airport with direct flights to and from New York.

It’s hard to find a reasonable hotel in Bologna; if you’re traveling on a budget and can get a room at the Hotel Panorama, grab it. It’s central, it’s inexpensive, and it’s very friendly. Located just a few blocks from the central piazza, about a 20-30 minute walk from the train station, the Panorama is on the 4th floor of an old building just off of Ugo Bassi (there is a lift). The rooms are clean but unexceptional; our double bed was actually two twins pushed together. Some rooms have a view of the hills, although ours looked out into an alley. For the location, though, it’s pretty quiet. The staff speaks passable English, and they were very helpful from our reservations to our checkout.

If you can find this restaurant, you'll be well rewarded. I couldn’t find it in any of the books we bought, but it was packed full of locals when we were there. To find it, go to Ristorante Diana (a very expensive and well-known restaurant in Bologna) and head south on Via dell’ Indipendenza. After a block or two, look to your right down one of the less busy streets and you’ll see a sign for a restaurant. Once you get there, look down the stairs; if you see pictures of the chef with virtually hundreds of famous people leading down the stairs to the dining area, you’re in the right place. This was easily one of the best meals we had in Italy; the ravioli stuffed with artichokes was sinfully good, and the wine list was excellent. If it’s good enough for Marcello Mastroianni and Elvis Costello (both pictured on the wall in different places), it’s good enough for you...

This is the little piazza located on Ugo Bassi, just off of the main piazza. The fountain of Neptune is justifiably famous; it’s a beautiful piece of work. For those of you whose minds are in the gutter, you can look at Neptune from a certain angle and it looks like he’s holding a certain something in his hand… On the western wall of the piazza, there is a tile mural of the Bolognese who died fighting the Nazis during their occupation of the city. It’s a very interesting and moving monument. The main piazza (Piazza Maggiore) is enormous, beautiful, and usually full of people. Upscale stores, museums, and the magnificent (unfinished) cathedral all face the piazza.

Of the 15 towers that still stand from Bologna’s glory days, this is the tallest (and the most noticeable landmark in Bologna). The richest families in the city built over 200 of these monuments in the 12th and 13th centuries. The tower itself is not very impressive architecturally (alhtough it is the fourth tallest tower in Italy from this period), but the views from the top are wonderful. Prepared to climb, though; for 5000 lire, you get to climb almost 500 steps to get to the top. This is not for the claustrophobic or agoraphobic, either, since the going gets very narrow and steep as you go up.

According to Lonely Planet, this is where the “intelligentsia” of Bologna come to sip coffee and beer. It is a very nice café just a short walk from the main piazza; it can get a little crowded, so get there early. We had a few drinks and nibbled on the food they brought to the table, potatoes and veggies and bread. The clientele is a little more upscale (and older) than most other places in town, especially around the university. If you’re traveling alone, it’s a good place to bring a book or a journal and people watch for a while; if you’re with someone else, it’s a nice romantic spot. The music stinks, though – they played Cher the entire time we were there.