Things to Do in Bologna, Italy

Piazza Maggiore

Piazza Maggiore sits at Bologna’s historic heart, framed by medieval and Renaissance civic buildings. The open rectangular square hosts markets, concerts and public gatherings and presents a panorama that includes Basilica di San Petronio, Palazzo del Podestà, Palazzo dei Banchi and Palazzo d’Accursio.

A visit reads as a compact lesson in the city’s civic life: San Petronio’s vast Gothic interior and the ornate palaces recall communal power and patronage. From the square you can reach the Fontana del Nettuno, the Sala Borsa archaeological reading room, and narrow artisan streets that reveal centuries of craft.

Le Due Torri (Asinelli and Garisenda)

Le Due Torri—the Asinelli and the Garisenda—form Bologna’s most recognizable skyline marker. Torre degli Asinelli, built in the early twelfth century, rises steeply and offers panoramic views across red‑tiled roofs toward the Apennines after a narrow climb of nearly five hundred steps.

Torre della Garisenda leans noticeably; its height was reduced in the fourteenth century for safety, leaving the famous tilt visible today. Approach the towers from Piazza di Porta Ravegnana for the classic view and check official sources for access, ticketing and any restrictions before climbing.

Basilica di San Petronio

Basilica di San Petronio dominates Piazza Maggiore and functions as Bologna’s civic temple. Built between 1390 and 1663 on a city commission, the basilica contains twenty‑two lateral chapels that once belonged to civic families and house important artworks and funerary monuments.

A striking scientific feature is the 1655 meridian line by Gian Domenico Cassini: a 67‑metre line on the nave floor that tracks the sun’s projected image through a small aperture. Some chapels and subterranean routes require special access or reservations, so consult official pages before visiting.

Official Basilica di San Petronio website →

Archiginnasio and the Teatro Anatomico

The Archiginnasio Palace was built in 1562–63 to concentrate university teaching under one roof. Its walls display thousands of carved student and teacher coats of arms, creating a visual register of Bologna’s academic life across centuries.

At the eastern end, the Teatro Anatomico (1637) is a wooden anatomy theatre with a coffered ceiling depicting Apollo and the zodiac. The carved benches, anatomical statues and painted ceiling survive as both craftsmanship and social history.

Access to the theatre and some rooms is by reservation; check visitor information for bookings.

Portico of San Luca and the Sanctuary of the Madonna di San Luca

The Portico of San Luca is a continuous covered route linking Porta Saragozza with the Sanctuary on Colle della Guardia. Built between the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries to protect devotional processions, the portico’s length is roughly three and a half kilometres and local tradition counts about six hundred sixty‑six arches.

Walking the portico is a civic and landscape experience: the route begins level through suburban streets then climbs in a series of arches and stair ramps, offering successive views back toward the city.

The Sanctuary houses a venerated icon and offers broad panoramas over Bologna and the Apennines; many visitors combine the walk with public transport.

Official Portico of San Luca and the Sanctuary of the Madonna di San Luca website →

Pinacoteca Nazionale di Bologna

The Pinacoteca Nazionale di Bologna presents Emilian painting from the thirteenth through the eighteenth centuries, concentrating Bolognese schools such as the Carracci circle and masters like Guido Reni and Domenichino. Holdings include important fifteenth‑ and sixteenth‑century works that trace stylistic shifts across central Italy.

Housed in historic palaces including Palazzo Pepoli Campogrande, the rooms are arranged to follow chronological and thematic developments. The museum also preserves a significant drawings and prints cabinet, useful for visitors who wish to study technique and workshop practice.

Check official channels for current access and temporary closures.

Official Pinacoteca Nazionale di Bologna website →

Museo Civico Archeologico

The Museo Civico Archeologico occupies a civic building near Piazza Maggiore and grew from nineteenth‑century university holdings and private collections. Its displays trace Bologna’s ancient formation from Etruscan‑Italic and Villanovan material through Greek, Roman and Gallic sections, and an especially rich Egyptian collection ranks among Italy’s notable provincial holdings.

Exhibitions include a lapidary courtyard, a gallery of plaster casts and a major numismatic cabinet. Allow time for the Etruscan funerary displays and lapidary epigraphy, and consult the museum’s official channels for current exhibitions and programmes.

Quadrilatero (historic market district)

The Quadrilatero sits immediately behind Piazza Maggiore as Bologna’s historic market quarter. Narrow medieval streets recall old trades—Via degli Orefici, Via Pescherie Vecchie, Via Drapperie and Via Clavature—and host historic botteghe alongside newer cafés and restaurants.

Mercato di Mezzo occupies a small covered block within the district, and salumerie counters, bakeries and fish shops animate the lanes. For a satisfying visit, wander without a rigid plan, sample small bites from specialist vendors, and speak with shopkeepers to learn the area’s culinary stories.

Official Quadrilatero (historic market district) website →