Torre degli Asinelli (Tower of the Asinelli) and Torre dei Garisenda (Tower of the Garisenda) - Piazza di Porta Ravegnana. The main symbols of Bologna. Torre degli Asinelli (built between 1109 and 1119) is 97.20 metres tall (330 feet), with 498 steps and an incline of 1.3 meters (4 feet). Torre dei Garisenda (closed to the public)is 47 m (162 feet) tall and has a lean of over 3m (10 feet). Both were built in the 12th century. Open: daily, 09:00 to 18:00 €3 to climb Torre degli Asinelli.
Palazzo Comunale, Piazza Maggiore 6, Tel: (0)51 203 111. Bologna's city hall, with a very rich collection of Renaissance paintings, sculptures and antique furniture, is a 14th-century palace. Don't miss its enormous main staircase, which was designed to be used by horse drawn carriages. Tuesday to Sunday - 10:00 to 18:00 children under 14 get free admission.
Tombe dei Glossatori (The Glossatori tombs), Piazza San Domenico e Piazza Malpighi. Named for the lawyers who used to add glosses (notes) to documents. The tombs, which date from the end of the 13th century, are home to many of Bologna's famous scholars.
Santuario della Madonna di San Luca (St. Luke's Basilica), Colle della Guardia (Guardia hill). Built in mid-18th century, offers a panoramic view of the City, and can be reached by walking along] the 666 arches of its unique portico. It has a peculiar layout, being of a round shape. A widely city-known icon, the Madonna di San Luca, is held there.
I Portici (The Arcades). Visitors can walk under the typical arcades of Bologna for a total of 38 km. The Portici were originally built by order of the town authorities to house temporary visitors. They had to be wide enough that a man could lie down under them to sleep.
Basilica of San Petronio, Piazza Maggiore Bologne, tel: 051/231415. Opening/Closing Time: Weekdays 9.30AM-12.30PM, 2.30PM-5.30PM; Holidays 2.30PM-5PM. The Basilica houses an invaluable number of treasures such as the sundial by Cassini and Guglielmini, which indicates the exact period of the current year at all times, the "S. Rocco" by Parmigianino and the marvelous Bolognini Chapel. From the left nave of the basilica, the visitor can gain access to the Museum where many bas-reliefs are collected.
Basilica of San Domenico, 13 Piazza di San Dominico, tel: +39 051 6400411. Open: daily, 07:30 to 13:00, 15:30-19:30
Santa Maria della Vita, 10 Via Clavature, tel: +39 051 236245 Open: M-Sa, 07:30-19:30, Su, 16:30-19:00. This Church contains "The Lamentation", a life-size terracotta group sculpture, Renaissance masterpiece by Niccolò Dell'Arca.
The Lamborghini Museum , this famous car maker in Italy has been producing some of the most sought-after luxury sports cars in the world for decades. There is a bus you can take from Bologna to the center of Sant’Agata Bolognese, which is a five minute walk from the museum location. The ATB 576 bus (direction Crevalcore) departs from the main bus station in Bologna and takes roughly 50 minutes to get to the “S. Agata Bolognese Chiesa Frati” stop in Sant’Agata Bolognese, which is five minutes on foot from the museum.
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Bologna
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in Bologna - updated May 2024
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Bologna Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.
