Bologna in 2 days, on foot

This 2-day self-guided walking plan for Bologna covers 22 narrated sights in an easy day-by-day order. Each day is split into a morning and an afternoon loop, and every stop has a two to three minute audio story in the Gingerguide app.

You set the pace: this is a suggested order, not a schedule. Walk it in 2 days, or stretch it out. Reorder freely; Bologna rewards a detour.

Day 1

Morning

1. Piazza Maggiore: The magnificent heart of Bologna, flanked by the unfinished Basilica di San Petronio, the Fountain of Neptune, and the medieval Palazzo d'Accursio.
2. Basilica di San Petronio: The world's fifth-largest church, begun in 1390, with a famously unfinished marble façade and a colossal gnomonic line inside used as a solar observatory.
3. Two Towers (Asinelli & Garisenda): Bologna's iconic medieval twin towers: the 97-metre Asinelli (climbable, 498 steps) and the shorter, more dramatically leaning Garisenda, symbol of the city.
4. Porticoes of Bologna: UNESCO World Heritage (2021): 38 km of continuous arcaded walkways weaving through Bologna, first built in the 11th century to shelter university students.
5. University of Bologna: Founded in 1088, the University of Bologna is the oldest university in the Western world, the birthplace of modern legal education, and still one of Europe's most prestigious institutions.
6. Archiginnasio Palace: The 16th-century main building of the University of Bologna, its walls covered in thousands of coats of arms of former students and professors, and home to the famous Anatomical Theatre.

Afternoon

1. Anatomical Theatre: A 17th-century wooden surgical theatre inside the Archiginnasio where Bologna's anatomists performed human dissections before audiences of students and nobles.
2. Basilica di San Domenico: Gothic basilica where Saint Thomas Aquinas studied and where the tomb of Saint Dominic, adorned with sculptures by Nicola Pisano, Niccolò dell'Arca, and Michelangelo, draws pilgrims worldwide.
3. Museo Civico Medievale: A superb collection of medieval art and artefacts housed in the 15th-century Palazzo Ghisilardi, including bronze weaponry, Gothic funerary monuments, and papal mementoes.
4. National Art Gallery of Bologna: The pre-eminent art museum of Emilia-Romagna, featuring masterpieces by Raphael, the Carracci, Guercino, and the great Bolognese school of painting.
5. Quadrilatero Food Market: Four medieval streets east of Piazza Maggiore form Bologna's legendary food market, jammed with the finest mortadella, tortellini, ragù, cheeses, and cured meats Italy has to offer.

Day 2

Morning

1. MAMbo - Museum of Modern Art Bologna: Bologna's leading contemporary art museum, housed in a converted 20th-century bread oven building, featuring the Morandi Room with the world's finest collection of Giorgio Morandi's paintings.
2. Portico di San Luca: The longest portico in the world: 3.8 km and 666 consecutive arches rising up the hillside from Bologna's city gate to the hilltop Sanctuary of San Luca.
3. Sanctuary of San Luca: A Baroque basilica perched on a hilltop above Bologna, home to a venerated Byzantine icon of the Madonna, connected to the city by the world's longest portico.
4. Santo Stefano Complex: Seven interconnected Romanesque churches spanning the 5th to 16th centuries, known as "Jerusalem in Bologna", one of the most atmospheric medieval complexes in Italy.
5. Palazzo Poggi & University Museums: A 16th-century palace now housing remarkable university museums including cosmography rooms with extraordinary ceiling frescoes, natural history, nautical instruments, and early anatomy collections.
6. FICO Eataly World: The world's largest agri-food park celebrating Italian food culture, with live production facilities, restaurants, tastings, and educational experiences for all ages.

Afternoon

1. Certosa di Bologna: A monumental Carthusian monastery turned cemetery, functioning since 1801 as an outdoor gallery of neoclassical sculpture, where Giorgio Morandi and other celebrated Bolognesi are buried.
2. Bolognese Trattoria Tradition: Bologna's beloved trattoria culture: generations-old family restaurants serving authentic tortellini in brodo, tagliatelle al ragù, lasagne verde, and gramigna con salsiccia.
3. Palazzo d'Accursio (City Hall): Bologna's medieval city hall, continuously serving as the seat of local government since 1336, containing a collection of civic art and the beautiful Sala Rossa.
4. Bologna Jazz Heritage: Italy's unofficial jazz capital: Bologna hosts one of Europe's most prestigious jazz festivals and has produced a remarkable tradition of jazz musicians, clubs, and record labels.
5. Bologna: La Rossa, La Dotta, La Grassa: Bologna's three great identities: La Rossa (the Red, for its terracotta rooftops and political history), La Dotta (the Learned, for its ancient university), and La Grassa (the Fat, for its extraordinary food culture).

Full Bologna guide and all stops → · Other itineraries: 3 days