Bologna Weekend what to visit in 1-2 days

WHAT TO SEE IN BOLOGNA DURING A WEEKEND: TWO DAYS BETWEEN THE CULTURE AND HISTORY OF THE CITY 

More than 100 museums, 60 km of arcades, 40 of which in the historic centre, about twenty towers, as well as squares, monuments, historic buildings, in which to discover the territory and the history of Bologna.

Bologna offers a wide choice of places to visit, flavors to taste and works to see, all within the historic centre, where you can get around on foot, walking under the characteristic arcades and discovering a glimpse to admire at every corner.

Where to start? When you have an enormous amount of beauty to choose from, you often don't know where to start and which activities to select from among all the possible ones. This is why SavHotel has thought of two itineraries to do on foot or by bicycle, to discover Bologna and its history.

The itineraries are designed to immerse those who spend one or two days in Bologna in the main attractions of the learned city: history, with its unique architectural elements and monuments that have made it famous all over the world, and art, through a wide choice of museums.

WHAT TO VISIT IN A DAY IN BOLOGNA 

From “via Indipendenza” to “Piazza Maggiore”

For the ones searching a tour of the city of Bologna but with little time available, follow this route designed to travel a day in the historic center starting from “via Indipendenza” , next to the SavHotel in 20 min by foot or 8 min by bicycle.

Already at the beginning of via Indipendenza it is possible to admire the “Porta Galliera” on the side of the road, built in the mid 1600s, and on the other the “Parco della Montagnola”, the oldest green area in the city.

Proceeding towards the center, if you visit Bologna on Friday and Saturday, in piazza VIII Agosto there is the “Piazzola”, the ancient market of the beasts that now is the city market and which hosts 300 more market stalls.

A few steps from the market, continuing the journey in “Via Piella”, it is possible to admire a unique and unexpected view: the river Reno that runs under the asphalt is visible in few points of the city, one of which is a small window right in this small street.

Returning to your main road, via Indipendenza, just off the “Piazza Maggiore” there is“Cattedrale di San Pietro”. The city cathedral was formerly located outside the wall, after its destruction in a fire, it was built in a historical center. The beginning of the construction is located in 910, even though it was completely completed only in the 18th century, due to the various interventions carried out in time: numerous structures, the construction of a portion of the crollated structure with the earthquake of 1222 and the addition of new sections and portals.

The “Cattedrale di San Pietro” also hosts a bell tower, 70 meters high, in from which it is possible to see the historical center of Bologna from above.

A few steps away from the Cathedral, you arrive in Piazza Maggiore, the main plaza of the city, where the City Hall is located along with several historical buildings. It is possible to see the Palazzo del Podestà, built in around the year 1200, and Palazzo Re Enzo, location of numerous events thanks to wide spaces of the historical dimor. And also the Biblioteca Sala Borsa, Palazzo dei Notai, Palazzo dei Bianchi and the incredible Basilica di San Petronio, the largest church in Bologna, as well as the most important in the city.

The Basilica is dedicated to the patron saint, San Petronio, and the construction undergoes the same fate as the Cathedral of San Pietro: it began in 1390 but the many transformations of the original project, like the one proposed by Arduino degli Arriguzzi to change its shape into a Latin cross, delayed its execution.

For the Bologna alleys: Compianto, Basilica di Santo Stefano and Giorgio Morandi

Many streets branch off from Piazza Maggiore, such as that of the Pescherie Vecchie, via degli Orefici and via delle Clavature. Here is the Sanctuary of Santa Maria della Vita within which it is possible to see the famous "Lamentation" by Niccolò dall'Arca, a work realized in the second half of the 15th century comprising seven terracotta figures.

At the end of Via delle Clavature, you reach via Santo Stefano, a large pedestrian area in which is located the Basilica di Santo Stefano, also known
as “Complesso delle 7 chiese”. It is a minor basilica and gains the name being composed by different buildings from different times and with different purposes. Yes, it is clear that the original structure was destined for a pagan temple, transformed successively into a representation of the “Sepolcro di Gerusalemme” which in turn has undergone numerous variations that bring that to what we know nowadays.

To conclude the day dedicated to the discovery of the city, what is the best place if not the house in which he has seen and created part of his work Giorgio Morandi, famous Bolognese artist of the twentieth century? You can find it in via Fondazza n.36, it is possible to visit the house, discovering the story of the artist through the stories and places that have accompanied him from the birth at the apex of the career.

WHAT TO VISIT IN BOLOGNA IN TWO DAYS

Two days in Bologna: from the center to the Bolognese hills

After the first day in Bologna, discovering via Indipendenza, the market, the famous “Finestrella”, the Cathedral of San Pietro, then Piazza Maggiore with its historic palaces and renovations in the Santo Stefano area, it is time to see other wonders of the city.

Also the suggested route for the second day aims to tour the city on foot or by bicycle, departing from the fine historic center to arrive at the Bolognese hills.

The first place to visit is the MAMbo, the Museum of Modern Art in Bologna with a collection that, after the second world war, analyzes the fine artistic historical panorama of our days. Inside the MAMbo it is possible to visit the Morandi Museum, the largest collection of the world of Bolognese artists, which has more than 250 works among which the famous “Fiori” from 1950.

The MAMbo is located next to the Cavaticcio Park, the old fluvial port area of the cit. If you visit Bologna during the summer, Parco del Cavaticcio offers numerous events and festivals there, such as Biografilm, an international festival dedicated to biographical cinematography.

For cinema enthusiasts, in addition to this initiative, there are many other places to visit in Bologna, one of the most important of which is found by crossing the park.

It is the Cineteca di Bologna, one of the most important in Europe, born in 1962 and transferred to its current headquarters in 2000, where it hosts not only the archive but also numerous workshops and cinematographic releases. Every year the Cineteca organizes the review “Il cinema ritrovato” focused on the rediscovery of little known films through the search for rare or little known films. Initially if it took place exclusively in the places of the Cineteca while today if it expands with initiative for the whole city.

Art and nature

Around the Cineteca di Bologna it's time to continue the visit of the city with Palazzo Albergati, a historic building dating back to 1519 built by the same family and some of the most famous art venues. A few steps from the Palazzo Albergati there are Porta Saragozza, to delimit the confinement behind the historic center and the zone “outside the wall”. The itinerary will end with two activities on the hills, ideal for those looking for free places to see in Bologna.

Once through the gate, if you start to walk down via Saragozza, you will enter one of the most beautiful parks of Bologna, the “Parco di Villa Spada”.

Six hectares of greenery belonging to the historic villa in which to stroll and admire glimpses of the city from above, thanks to its proximity to the centre.

A panoramic point is the Santuario della Beata Vergine di San Luca, a little distant from the town, which if it walks through the longest porch in the world, as well as one of the twelve which have become UNESCO heritage sites.

To reach the Sanctuary you have to climb 489 steps and is the first step of the Cammino degli Dei, a walking route that connects Bologna and Florence.

Located on the Bolognese hills, it is often the destination of the faithful who go up to the Sanctuary as a sign of devotion, but also of those in search of a suggestive panorama of the city.

For those who don't want to reach San Luca on foot, in Piazza Maggiore it is possible to catch the train that, other than reaching the Sanctuary at the end of its route, also offer a brief tourist tour of the city.