Bologna (in Bolognese dialect; Bononia in Latin) is an Italian
town of 394 843 inhabitants, the capital of the metropolitan city of
the same name, in turn the capital of Emilia-Romagna, located in the
center of a metropolitan area of about one million inhabitants.
Seat of the oldest university in the Western world, it hosts
numerous students who animate its cultural and social life. Known
for its towers, its long arcades, and a well-preserved historic
center, one of the largest in Italy.
The city, whose first
settlements date back to at least the first millennium BC, was an
important urban center first under the Etruscans and Celts, then
under the Romans and, in the Middle Ages, as a free municipality.
Northern capital of the Papal State from the sixteenth century, it
played a very important role during the Risorgimento and, during the
Second World War, it was an important center of the Resistance.
After World War II, like a large part of Emilia, it was governed
almost continuously by left-wing administrations.
Bologna is
an important road and railway communications hub in northern Italy,
in an area where important mechanical, electronic and food
industries reside. It is home to prestigious cultural, economic and
political institutions, and one of the most advanced exhibition
centers in Europe. In 2000 it was the "European capital of culture",
while since 2006 it has been a UNESCO "city of music".
The historic center area is easily recognizable: where the city walls
once stood, there is now a ring road of avenues, interspersed with
twelve gates which lead to some of the main roads.
Once you enter
the centre, getting your bearings, on the contrary, isn't that simple.
From the main streets branch off mazes of smaller streets among which it
is easy to get lost, also due to the architectural homogeneity of the
city. The use of a map is particularly recommended, but don't despair:
the historic center area is not that extensive, and from any point you
can quite easily reach 1 Piazza Maggiore.
With your back to the
central station, take Via Indipendenza, one of the main streets in the
centre. Going all the way you will arrive in the heart of Bologna: in
front of you you will find Piazza Maggiore, with the unmistakable
Fountain of Neptune, on the left via Rizzoli and on the right via Ugo
Bassi (these two form, together with via Indipendenza, the so-called
zone T).
Taking via Rizzoli you arrive in front of the two
towers, one of the symbols of the city. From here the five main roads of
the eastern area of the city branch off: via Zamboni (which leads to the
university area), via San Vitale, Strada Maggiore, via Castiglione and,
from the latter, via Santo Stefano.
From via Ugo Bassi we move
towards the western area of the city. Going all the way along it you
will arrive in Piazza Malpighi (do not be fooled by the fact that it
does not look like a square!), from where via Marconi branches off
(which will take you not too far from the station), via San Felice, via
del Pratello (one of the to keep an eye out for nightlife), via
Sant'Isaia and via Nosadella, which leads to the Zaragoza residential
district.
Bologna is divided into 6 districts:
Borgo Panigale - Reno;
Navile;
San Donato - San Vitale;
Savena;
Saint Stephen;
Port
- Zaragoza.
The arcades
Bologna is the city of arcades: over 38 km in the
historic center alone. They can be found in almost all the streets in
the center and their origin can in part be attributed to the strong
expansion that Bologna experienced in the late Middle Ages. Hence the
need to make the most of the spaces and increase the volume of the
houses by expanding the upper floors, first with the creation of wooden
projections supported by beams, and subsequently by porticoes supported
by columns. As in other neighboring cities, the arcades allow you to
walk most of the city streets sheltered from rain and snow. As an area
where public and private space meet, they were also a means for the
expansion of commercial and artisanal activities, as well as for
socialising.
The arcades of Bologna are an Italian asset declared
a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2021.
Churches
In Piazza Maggiore is the Gothic and imposing basilica of
San Petronio built at the behest of the Municipality between 1390 and
1659. It has a portal decorated with bas-reliefs by Jacopo della
Quercia, while inside there are some remarkably decorated chapels. In
the left aisle, on the floor, you can see the largest sundial in the
world, designed by the mathematician Giovanni Domenico Cassini and built
in 1655.
Of notable interest is the 13th century Basilica of San
Francesco (although it underwent significant interventions in the 19th
century and after World War II), the first example of French Gothic in
Italy. The church of San Domenico is coeval, where there is the ark in
which the remains of the saint are kept, made by Nicola Pisano and
workshop, Niccolò dell'Arca and Michelangelo. Adjacent to both churches
are the funerary monuments of the glossators.
In Piazza Santo
Stefano, the complex of Santo Stefano stands out, also known as "the
Seven Churches" due to its division into numerous churches and chapels
connected by a courtyard and a cloister. The original nucleus was built
in the 8th century on a 2nd century pagan temple dedicated to the
Egyptian goddess Isis, of which remains an architrave with a dedication
to the goddess, walled up on the outside, and some African granite
columns. The main architectural layout is markedly Romanesque, despite
some subsequent modifications.
The city cathedral dedicated to
St. Peter, located in via Indipendenza, was built in the 17th century on
the ruins of the ancient early Christian building. Other important
churches in the city are San Giacomo Maggiore (1263), in Gothic style
and with an elegant Renaissance portico; the Basilica of Santa Maria dei
Servi (built between the 14th and 16th centuries), with a Maestà by
Cimabue and a suggestive quadriportico; Santa Maria della Vita (the
church of the first hospital in Bologna, founded in 1260), inside which
there are the precious terracottas of the Marie Piangenti, known as
Lamentation over the dead Christ and made by Niccolò dell'Arca between
1463 and 1490.
On Colle della Guardia, south-west of the historic
centre, is the characteristic sanctuary of the Madonna di San Luca
(1765), which can be reached via a very long and suggestive 17th and
18th century porticoed street (the longest in the world, 3.796 km ).
Other buildings of worship
In via De' Gombruti n. 7 there is a
synagogue from 1954 designed by Guido Muggia. There is also an Islamic
Culture Center and a few small mosques.
Monumental cemeteries
Not far from the historic center is the monumental cemetery of the
Certosa di Bologna, which was opened in 1801 transforming the previous
Certosa di San Girolamo di Casara, built in 1350 and suppressed by
Napoleon.
At the gates of Bologna, on the border with San Lazzaro
di Savena, there is a military complex from the Second World War. The
main cemetery is the Polish cemetery, the largest of the four military
cemeteries of the Poles who fell in Italy during the Second World War.
Towers
The noble towers of Bologna, of medieval origin, are one of
the most characteristic features of the city. Of these, about a hundred
originally, only seventeen survive today. Among the surviving towers we
can mention the Azzoguidi Tower (61 meters high), the Prendeparte Tower
(59.50 meters), and the well-known two towers: the Asinelli Tower and
the Garisenda Tower.
The two towers are the symbolic monuments of
the city: the Torre degli Asinelli (97.20 meters, the tallest leaning
tower in Italy) and the Torre della Garisenda (originally 60 meters
high, now 48) built at the behest of Ghibelline nobles in the twelfth
century. The more leaning of the two, the Garisenda, was mentioned
several times by Dante Alighieri, in the Divine Comedy (Inferno, XXXI,
136-140) and in his Rhymes, as proof of his stay in Bologna.
«What seems to concern Garisenda
'under the bend, when a cloud goes
above it so that it hangs towards it
such seemed Antaeus to me who
was at bay
to see him stoop ..."
(Dante Alighieri - Hell, XXXI,
136-140)
Historic buildings and villas
Overlooking Piazza
Maggiore are the Palazzo Comunale (or d'Accursio) (13th-15th century)
and the Palazzo del Podestà (extensively remodeled in 1485), next to the
thirteenth-century Palazzo Re Enzo (whose current appearance is due to
the neo-Gothic restoration by Alfonso Rubbiani of 1905).
Most of
the palaces in Bologna mainly date back to the time when the city was
incorporated into the Papal State between the 16th and 18th centuries
and belonged to the senatorial families that ruled Bologna at that time.
Some were built others, already present, only modernized. The
Bentivoglios were previously among the first families to build their own
palace which, however, was destroyed and the ruins are located in the
Giardini del Guasto dei Bentivoglio, behind the Teatro Comunale.
The Archiginnasio di Bologna is one of the most significant buildings in
the city: it was the seat of the ancient University, from 1563 to 1803.
The building was built in 1562 to a design by Antonio Morandi (known as
il Terribilia), and is very rich in history and works of art. We mention
the mural heraldic complex (which consists of more than 6,000 student
coats of arms), and the anatomical theater (which dates back to 1637, a
room dedicated to the study of anatomy in the shape of an amphitheater,
built in fir wood, coffered ceiling , and decorated with statues of
illustrious doctors of the past and anatomical models by the artist
Lelli). Since 1838 it has been the seat of the Municipal Library.
As for the villas, in some cases they are ancient convents or places
of worship which, in the Napoleonic era, were sold to private
individuals and on occasion transformed into villas. These were and
still are homes belonging to the city's wealthiest families. Some
notable examples of these buildings can be found around the city, on the
surrounding hills or towards San Lazzaro.
Carducci house
College of Spain
Palazzo d'Accursio (or Town Hall)
Archiginnasio
Palace
Palazzo Baciocchi or of Justice
Palazzo Albergati
Bank
of Italy building
Banks Palace
Palazzo Bargellini Panzacchi
Palazzo Bevilacqua
Palazzo Bocchi
Palazzo Caprara
Palazzo Davia
Bargellini
Fantuzzi Palace
Palazzo Fava
Palazzo Fava from San
Domenico
Palazzo Felicini-Buckle (Calzolari)
Palazzo
Ghisilardi-Fava
Palazzo Grassi
Palazzo Hercolani
Isolani Palace
Legnani-Pizzardi Palace
Palazzo Magnani Salem
Palazzo Malvezzi
Campeggi
Palazzo Malvezzi de'Medici
Marescotti Palace
Marsigli
Palace
Palazzo della Mercanzia (or Loggia dei Mercanti)
Palace of
Notaries
Pallavicini Palace
Palazzo Pepoli Campogrande
Palazzo
Pepoli Vecchio
Palazzo del Podesta
Palazzo Poggi
King Enzo
Palace
Savings Bank building
Palazzo Sanguinetti
Palazzo Sanuti
Bevilacqua degli Ariosti
Viola building
Zambeccari Palace
Palazzo Zucchini Solimei
Villa Aldini
Villa Aldrovandi Mazzacorati
Villa Baruzziana
Villa Cassarini
Villa Guastavillani
Villa
Hercolani
Villa Gandolfi (or Pallavicini)
Empire villa
Villa of
Roses
Villa Spada
Lambertini villas
Fountains
One of the
best-known symbols of Bologna is the fountain of Neptune, located in the
homonymous square, adjacent to Piazza Maggiore. Commissioned by the
cardinal legate Carlo Borromeo, it was designed by Tommaso Laureti and
is surmounted by a statue representing the god of the sea Neptune, the
work of Giambologna.
The other city fountain worthy of note is
the so-called Fontana Vecchia, leaning against the Palazzo Comunale
(today Sala Borsa) in via Ugo Bassi, the work of Tommaso Laureti himself
who designed the more famous fountain of Neptune in the 16th century.
Inside the Montagnola Park is the fountain built for the Emilian
Exposition of 1888, with sculptures depicting animals, by Diego Sarti.
Walls
In historical times Bologna had at least three circles of
walls: the oldest of which traces remain was built in blocks of selenite
in the late ancient era. The second circle, called "dei Torresotti" or
"del Mille" is traditionally attributed to the mid-twelfth century, even
if historians have now taken into consideration a backdate of about a
century.
The third and last largest circle of walls dates from
the 13th and 14th centuries, and never had any defensive effectiveness.
Of it, after the questionable demolition that took place at the
beginning of the 20th century, ten of the twelve gates and some small
wall sections remained.
Within the layout of these walls, the
urban fabric of the city has remained largely intact: this makes it one
of the largest historical centers in Italy.
Lunettes and forts
An even more external defensive line to the last circle of walls was
made up of military structures not connected to each other. It consisted
of seventeen lunettes and nine forts, located peripherally in the flat
portion of the city. The construction of this defensive line began in
1860 by the will of Gen. Manfredo Fanti, minister of war of the Kingdom
of Sardinia to which Bologna, with all the legation of Romagna, had just
been annexed. Few examples remain, sometimes only in the toponymy, such
as the case of the area occupied by the public space used as a
playground, now known as the garden of the Lunetta Gamberini.
Torre degli Asinelli (Piazza Ravegnana), ☎ +39 0516583111. full price
€5, reduced price €3. From March 1st to November 5th: Every day
9.30am–7.30pm, last access at 6.30pm; from November 6th to February
28th: every day 9:30–17:45, last access at 17:00. From the top you can
see Bologna and the city of Cento, but when the sky is clear also the
Adriatic and the Venetian Pre-Alps. It was once about 100 meters high,
later it was lowered by a few meters to 97.20 m. current.
Garisenda
Tower (Piazza Ravegnana). It stands next to the Asinelli Tower; they are
known as the "Two Towers" or "Leaning Towers" and are the most famous
symbol of the city. The Garisenda is so leaning that Dante described it
in hell, recounting that a corner of the foundations of the tower
protruded from above. Precisely for this reason, the Garisenda was also
lowered by about twenty metres.
Torre Siamo
Azzoguidi Tower (via
Altabella 15).
Margaret Gardens
The main public park of Bologna was inaugurated
in 1879, about 26 hectares large, contains an artificial lake and
various fauna and flora species. Inside there is an Art Nouveau
building, an equestrian statue of Vittorio Emanuele II, a reproduction
of a Villanovan hut, an educational pond for children, a bar and a dance
club, various tennis courts, basketball, volleyball, a go kart track, a
coworking and multifunctional space born in place of the old greenhouses
of the gardens. In the past there was a small zoo, of which the lion's
cage remains, reused for other uses.
Garden of Montagnola
The
most central park and one of the oldest, it is located near the central
station and the bus station. It has two main entrances: one consisting
of the Pincio stairway, opposite the bus station, and one on via
Irnerio.
Garden of Fault
A small garden in the university
area, built on the ruins of an important noble palace, Palazzo
Bentivoglio, destroyed in 1507. The current garden, inaugurated in 1975
based on a project by the architect Gennaro Filippini, is raised above
street level and extends over an area of about three thousand square
meters, most of which covered with concrete.
Garden of Lunetta
Gamberini
In the Santo Stefano district, it is a 14.5-hectare park
inaugurated in the 1970s.
Botanical Garden
It is the botanical
garden of the University of Bologna, founded in 1568 by Ulisse
Aldrovandi and considered one of the oldest in Europe.
Carlo
Urbani Park
The Savena river park located between Bologna and San
Lazzaro di Savena is home to numerous animal species and a rich variety
of flora.
Regional Park of Gessi Bolognesi and Calanchi
dell'Abbadessa
It has an area of 3,123 hectares and develops on the
first slopes of the Bologna hill and includes territories of the
municipalities of Bologna, San Lazzaro di Savena, Ozzano dell'Emilia and
Pianoro, at altitudes between 70 and 400 m a.s.l., around important
outcrops gypsum that have given rise to a karst complex of considerable
interest.
Municipal Art Collections (The Collections are inside Palazzo
d'Accursio and can be accessed from the Sala Farnese on the second
floor), Piazza Maggiore 6, ☎ +39 051 2193998. Full price €6; €3 reduced
(September 2020).
Civic Archaeological Museum, Via
dell'Archiginnasio, 2 (Set up inside Palazzo Galvani), ☎ +39 051
2757211, mca@comune.bologna.it. €3 (February 2018). Tue-Fri 9:00-18:30,
Sat-Sun 10:00-18:30. The Civic Archaeological Museum of Bologna houses a
rich collection of antiquities. Inaugurated in 1881 in the suggestive
seat of Palazzo Galvani, the Museum was initially formed thanks to the
contribution of eminent collectors (primarily the eminent Bolognese
artist Pelagio Palagi, whose collection was acquired by the Municipality
of Bologna in 1861), then through the collection and display, in
successive moments, of the finds discovered during the excavations in
the urban area, which from the second half of the 19th century have
progressively brought to light the Villanovan, Etruscan, Celtic and
Roman phases of the city and the territory of Bologna. The sections of
the Museum are: the Egyptian section on the lower floor, the Roman
lapidary on the ground floor and in the cloister, the pre-protohistoric,
Villanovan, Etruscan, Greek, Celtic and Roman sections on the upper
floor. Until spring 2019 the upper floor of the Museum is not accessible
due to major renovation works on the roof.
Medieval Civic Museum, Via
Alessandro Manzoni 4, ☎ +39 0512193930. Housed in Palazzo Ghisilardi
Fava, one of the most illustrious examples of Renaissance palace in
Bologna.
Civic Museum of Industrial Art and Davia Bargellini Picture
Gallery, Strada Maggiore, 44. The museum is housed inside Palazzo Davia
Bargellini
International Museum and Library of Music, Strada
Maggiore, 34.
Civic Museum of the Risorgimento, Viale Carducci 5.
Museum of Modern Art of Bologna (MAMbo), Via Don Minzoni, 14 - 40100
Bologna, Italy. One of the main Italian museums of modern and
contemporary art
Casa Morandi, Via Fondazza 36, ☎ +39 051 6496611.
Apartment in Via Fondazza
National Art Gallery of Bologna, Via delle
Belle Arti, 56. The National Art Gallery is housed in the former
novitiate and Jesuit church of Sant'Ignazio. Inside there is a rich
collection of works of art by Bolognese artists such as Vitale da
Bologna, the Carraccis and Guido Reni and by Italian artists who have
worked for religious buildings in the city. Of notable interest are the
polyptych by Giotto and the Ecstasy of Santa Cecilia by Raphael.
Jewish Museum, Via Valdonica, 1/5.
Museum of the History of Bologna -
Palazzo Pepoli, Via Castiglione, 8.
Palazzo Fava - Palazzo delle
Esposizioni, via Manzoni 2 (Set up inside the noble Palazzo Fava
Ghisilieri), ☎ +39 051 19936305.
Genus Bononiae - Museums in the
City, Via Farini 15. Cultural itinerary.
University Museums - Museum
of Comparative Anatomy, Via Selmi, 3, ☎ +39 051 2094243, +39 051
2094140. Mon-Fri 9am-5pm; Sat-Sun 10am-6pm.
Museums of Palazzo Poggi,
via Zamboni 33. The building houses the headquarters of the University
of Bologna. the interior is decorated with frescoes by Pellegrino
Tibaldi. On the ground floor is the Sala dell'Ercole adorned with the
statue of the hero sculpted by Angelo Piò in 1730. On the north side of
the building is the monumental Aula Magna from 1756. Also inside
Numerous University Museums have been set up inside Palazzo Poggi. The
"Quadreria" with over 600 valuable portraits from an iconographic
collection begun in 1754 is kept in the University Library of Bologna.
Museo della Specola, ia Zamboni 33. The museum is set up inside the
astronomical tower erected at the beginning of the eighteenth century on
Palazzo Poggi, the historic headquarters of the Department of Astronomy.
Botanical garden, Via Irnerio 42. Managed by the University of Bologna,
it was founded in 1568 by Ulisse Aldrovandi and is among the oldest
botanical gardens in Europe.
By plane
Guglielmo Marconi Airport, Via Triumvirato 84, ☎ +39 051
6479615. Bologna airport offers connections to the major European and
international locations. It is about 6 km from the city center and is
directly connected to the Central Station thanks to the Aerobus BLQ
shuttle at the price of €6 (as of January 2018). To reach the station it
is also possible to take bus number 81/91 towards Stazione Centrale at
the Birra stop, 950 meters from the airport, at the price of €1.30 (as
of February 2018).
Bologna airport is also a convenient point of
arrival for visiting Florence because the two cities are directly
connected by a convenient shuttle service called the Appennino Shuttle,
which has a competitive price (20€ one way in February 2018) compared to
the classic railway connection (€25 for the train plus €6 for the bus;
also in June 2013).
On the train
Bologna railway station,
Piazza Medaglie d'Oro. Trains from Milan,
Turin, Venice, Florence,
Rome,
Naples and Rimini stop in Bologna.
Bologna Central Station, an
important connection node for the entire Italian railway system, is
easily accessible as it offers direct connections with almost all the
largest Italian cities. Located in the city center, it offers
connections with numerous urban and extra-urban bus lines.
Bologna is served by the High Speed railway line. Trenitalia's
Frecciarossa trains connect it with Florence, Milan, Naples, Rome and
Turin. The Italo trains instead connect Bologna with Milan, Florence,
Rome, and Naples.
By bus
Bologna bus station, Piazza XX
Settembre 6. It offers numerous national and international bus
connections, as well as being the terminus for many extra-urban and
regional bus lines, as well as urban school lines.
The main departure
points of the urban lines are Bologna Central Station, Via delle Lame,
Via dei Mille and Piazza Cavour. Urban and suburban services are
guaranteed by Tper.
By car
Bologna is a very important
motorway junction for Italy, and can be reached very easily, as various
roads and motorways depart and arrive there.
Highways
A1
Milan-Naples motorway. Also known as the Autostrada del Sole, it allows
you to reach Florence, Rome, Naples by traveling south, or Modena,
Piacenza, Milan by traveling in the opposite direction.
A13
Bologna-Padua motorway. From Bologna you can reach Padua passing through
Ferrara and Rovigo, and then to the rest of the Veneto thanks to the
A13.
A14 Bologna-Taranto motorway. Also called Autostrada Adriatica,
it begins in Bologna and ends in Taranto: it allows you to cross all of
Italy on the side of the Adriatic Sea.
Carpooling
Many of
those who decide to reach Bologna by car opt for Carpooling Bologna. An
innovative and ecological way of moving, saving time and money.
Parking lots
In Bologna the white stripes do not indicate free
parking but are reserved for residents: parking is not recommended.
Apcoa car park, Piazza 8 Agosto 33 (downtown). Open all day.
Unguarded multi-storey paid underground car park controlled by cameras.
Apcoa Riva Reno car park, Via Azzo Gardino 61b - Via del Rondone 2
(center). Unattended paid underground parking controlled by cameras.
Saba S. Orsola car park, Via Pietro Albertoni 8 (center). Paid
multi-storey car park.
Staveco car park, Via Enrico Panzacchi 10
(center). Unattended paid parking.
Tanari parking, Via Luigi Tanari
17 (Near the railway station. Decentralized but connected to the center
with the 29 B shuttles and with the station with the C shuttle). rate is
€0.5/h (maximum daily rate €5). Unattended paid parking.
The vast majority of interesting places are concentrated within the
ring roads, which follow the path of the no longer existing medieval
walls; although not a small area, an ideal visit takes place on foot,
perhaps with the help of public transport.
From 12 May 2012 every
weekend - from 8.00 on Saturday to 22.00 on Sunday - and on all public
holidays - from 8.00 to 22.00 - the T zone (via Rizzoli, via
Indipendenza and via Ugo Bassi) remains open exclusively to pedestrians
and bicycles, therefore many urban bus lines are diverted and follow a
different route from Monday to Friday. During T-Days, the historic
center is accessed only via the two shuttles "T1" and "T2", which
connect the main bus stops, arriving comfortably as far as the entrances
to the pedestrian area.
Arriving by car, considering that the
center is partly pedestrianized or with limited traffic (with Sirio
electronic control at the access gates), you can take advantage of the
nearby car parks well connected to public transport. Some are free if
you take the bus, taxi or bicycle.
By public transport
TPER, ☎
+39 051 290 290. €1.50 ordinary ticket (75 minutes), €5 day ticket
(urban area). The Bolognese bus company offers a widespread service with
frequent trips throughout the day. The ticket can also be purchased on
the bus in the urban area for €2.00 and is valid for 75 minutes, through
special vending machines that accept coins of 10, 20, 50 cents, €1 and
€2 - the machine does not give change, take precautions of change. On
more modern vehicles, a recorded voice signals the stops along the way.
In any case, if you need clarification, the drivers are available.
By bike
Dynamo the Bologna velostation, Via Indipendenza, 71/Z, ☎
+39 051 1990 0462, info@dynamo.bo.it. Mon-Fri 06:00-22:00. It is
possible to rent city bikes, mountain bikes and children's bikes a
stone's throw from the bus station and the train station.
By taxi
C.A.T. Radiotaxi Bologna, ☎ +39 051 4590, +39 333 333 0749 (Mobile),
info@taxibologna.it. You can book a taxi by making a call, by sending an
SMS with the street and house number where you are, or online.
Availability of minibuses equipped for disabled transport.
COTABO
Taxi Bologna, ☎ +39 051 372727. You can book a taxi by making a call or
online. Availability of minibuses equipped for disabled transport.
By car
bologna.airport-rent-car.net - Low cost car rental in
Bologna.
Here you can see all the car rental offers in Bologna.
Bologna is located in the southern foothills of the Po valley, close to the first hills of the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines, between the mouths of the valleys of the Reno river and the Savena stream, which flow longitudinally, respectively to the west and east. The altitude of the municipal area ranges from 29 m a.s.l. from the Corticella district to 54 meters from the center of the capital, up to about 280 meters from Colle della Guardia which dominates the urban area, and about 390 meters from Monte Sabbiuno on the southern borders of the municipal area.
Bologna has a temperate humid climate, with very hot and humid
summers and rather cold and humid winters.
The absolute minimum
temperature, recorded at Guglielmo Marconi airport, is −18.8 °C recorded
in 1966 while the absolute maximum was +40.1 °C recorded on August 4,
2017. Longer and hotter than normal summers they occurred in 2003, 2012,
2015 and 2017, in which there were also long periods of drought. Average
rainfall in the city ranges from 600 to 900 mm depending on the year and
is usually concentrated in spring and autumn.
In winter there can
be snowfalls, sometimes even very abundant and frequent night frosts:
the one of February 1929 and more recently that of February 2012 (when
119 cm of fresh snow fell in the city) has remained in the memory of
many Bolognese.
The modest wind contributes to the formation of
mists and mists and to the permanence of a high level of atmospheric
pollution resulting from both local and transit traffic. Occasionally,
however, there have been days with gusts of up to 120 km/h (for example
on December 26, 1996) due to the effect of north winds; during the
summer, strong gusts can be recorded, even exceeding 100 km/h during
storms and other storm events of a local nature.
Markets
On Fridays and Saturdays, you can visit the largest market
in Bologna, called by the Bolognese "Piazzola", which really offers any
type of goods, and is located in Piazza VIII Agosto, and in the
Montagnola park, near the station and on Independence Street.
La
Piazzola, Montagnola Park and Piazza VIII Agosto, ☎ +39 335 496292. Fri
and Sat from sunrise to sunset.
At the Piazzola market you can really
find everything. Clothing items dominate (from shoes to accessories,
from ethnic to made in Italy through vintage and low-cost fashion), but
there are also household items, gift items and cosmetics.
City of
Bologna Antiques Market, Square in front of the Basilica of Santo
Stefano and in the adjacent streets. The second Saturday and the second
Sunday of the month.
Collecting Market (formerly Celò Celò Mamanca),
Piazza VIII Agosto. Thurs 8:30-17.00 in winter and 8.30-18.00 in summer.
edit
Antique market. First March of the month (July-August excluded)
and third March of the month (January-February and July-August
excluded). 8:30-17.00 in winter and 8.30-18.00 in summer.
Vintage
market, Piazza Puntoni. Tuesday from 9.00 to 16.00.
DecoMela Art, Via
San Giuseppe. From 9.30 to 19.30, according to a calendar defined
annually.
San Giuseppe Colors, Piazza San Giuseppe. From morning to
sunset, according to a calendar defined annually.
Kurbis, Via Del
Monte. From morning to sunset, according to a calendar defined annually.
Mercato di Mezzo, Via Drapperie, ☎ +39 051 2960801. Mon-Wed Fri-Sat
7:00-13:00 and 16:15-19:30; Thurs 7am-1pm (times are flexible).
Herb
Market, via Ugo Bassi. Mon-Sat 7:00-13:15, Mon-Wed and Fri 17:30-19:30.
Closed on Sundays and holidays.
Campagna Amica, via del Gomito, 30, ☎
+39 051 6388648. Wed 2.30pm-6.30pm in winter, 4.00pm-8.00pm in summer.
Piazza San Francesco Market, Piazza San Francesco. Tues 8:00-13:00.
Book Fair, Piazza XX Settembre. March-May and October-November
9:00-19:00.
Antiques Fair, Voltone del Podestà, Piazza Re Enzo side.
12-24 December 8:30-19:00.
Christmas fair, via Altabella. From the
penultimate Thursday of November to January 7 (closing date may vary
slightly) 9:30-20:00.
Fair of Santa Lucia, Strada Maggiore
(monumental portico of the Chiesa dei Servi). Saturday before November
25th to January 1st (closing date may vary slightly) 9.30am-8pm. To
visit to buy some Christmas gifts: you can find objects, handicrafts,
accessories and the like, at generally reasonable prices. There are also
several stalls selling sweets, candies and snacks of various kinds, to
refresh yourself while shopping - you must try the fried pizza!
Signature food and wine shopping
Atti, Via Capraie, 7. A historical
place in Italy, it is one of the best addresses for buying local
specialities.
Italian Enoteca, Via Marsala, 2/B. Not only a wine bar
but also a wine bar, where you can stop for lunch or an aperitif while
enjoying the high quality cold cuts and cheeses.
Majani, Via de'
Carbonesi, 5. A must for chocolate lovers.
Sfogline, Via Belvedere,
7/B. One of the most popular egg pasta craft shops.
Simoni, Via
Drapperie, 5/2A. Delicatessen pillar of Bolognese cuisine.
Banks,
shops, boutiques
Via Pescherie Vecchie. Every meter is a shop.
The
Pavillion. We move at a slow pace in front of jewelry and clothing
showcases.
Via d'Azeglio. The historic pedestrian street of Bologna.
Via San Felice. Central, but away from the great traffic flows.
Clothing, accessories, and modern art.
Via Santo Stefano. An
interesting shopping area, very crowded on weekends.
The Bologna area has been inhabited since the 3rd millennium BC, but
it is above all from the 9th century BC. that there are significant
settlements. In this period, and until the 6th century BC, the area
where Bologna stands today was occupied by settlement nuclei from the
Iron Age belonging to the Villanovan civilization. In the VII-VI century
BC. we have evidence of an opening to the cultural and artistic models
of Tyrrhenian Etruria, during which the city was called Felsina (in
Etruscan Felzna or Felsna).
Subsequently (V-IV century BC), with
the descent of the Gauls into the peninsula, the Etruscans lost control
of the area. Gallic dominion over the area lasted until 196 BC, the year
in which the Boi Gauls were subjugated by the Romans. In 189 BC. the
latter founded a colony of Latin law on the site to which they gave the
name of Bononia.
After the fall of the Empire, it was subject to Odoacer, to Theodoric
the Great (493-526), to Byzantium and finally, in 727, to the Lombards,
for whom it mainly constituted a military centre. In 774 the city
capitulated to Charlemagne, who handed it over to Pope Adrian I.
Repopulated in the 10th century, Bologna began to nurture communal
aspirations, which it managed to affirm on the death of Matilda of
Canossa in 1115, obtaining a series of jurisdictional and economic
concessions from the emperor Henry V the following year.
The
founding of what is recognized as the first university in the western
world (the Studium) is conventionally traced back to 1088. Among the
first teachers were the jurists Pepone, Accursio and Irnerio, who made
the Bolognese school of law famous throughout Europe.
The
municipality participated in the fight against Barbarossa, which ended
with the Peace of Constance in 1183, after which it experienced a strong
expansion, including construction (period of the tower-houses): it was
one of the main commercial exchange centers thanks to an advanced system
of canals that allowed the transit of large quantities of goods and
provided the energy needed to power numerous industrial mills. At the
end of the 13th century it had 50,000, perhaps 60,000 inhabitants.
In the thirteenth century Bologna was involved in the struggles
between Guelphs and Ghibellines, with mixed success. In 1249 the
Bolognese managed to capture King Enzo of Sardinia, son of Frederick II
of Swabia, who was held prisoner until his death (1272) in the
homonymous palace.
In 1257, for the first time in Italy and
perhaps in the world, the podestà Bonaccorso da Soresina promulgated the
Liber Paradisus which abolished slavery and redeemed the serfs, paying
the former owners with public money and at market prices.
Between
the end of the 13th and the beginning of the 14th century internal
struggles weakened the municipal institutions and the city progressively
subjected itself to papal authority. In 1327 the papal legate Bertrando
del Poggetto took the city, only to be driven out by popular acclaim in
1334. In 1337 the lordship of the Pepoli began. Upon the death of Taddeo
Pepoli, the government of the city passed to the Visconti of Milan, then
again to the Church. After an ephemeral municipal period, in 1401 the
lordship of the city passed to the Bentivoglios, who kept it (between
ups and downs) until the expulsion by Pope Julius II in 1506.
In 1507 Bologna passed to the Papal States and in 1530 the coronation of Emperor Charles V was celebrated in the Basilica of San Petronio by Pope Clement VII. The city remained in the Papal States until 1796, when French troops arrived in Bologna with Napoleon. However, after the Congress of Vienna (1815) the city returned to the Papal State. The Austrians settled there, to then be annexed, with the plebiscite of 11-12 March 1860, to the Kingdom of Sardinia which will become the Kingdom of Italy exactly twelve months later.
The city of Bologna was exposed to numerous bombing actions during
the Second World War. The air raids had devastating effects on the city,
including the loss of over 3,000 lives, the destruction of monuments,
the upheaval of neighborhoods in the historic center and extensive
damage to the main railway station.
Bologna paid a heavy price in
blood for its opposition to the Republic of Salò and the invading Nazi
troops. The most famous episode of the Bolognese Resistance was the
battle of Porta Lame, fought on November 7, 1944.
On April 9,
1945, the battle for the city began. On the morning of April 21, in a
Bologna now abandoned by the Germans, the soldiers of the II Polish
Corps of the British VIII Army, the advanced units of the 91st and 34th
US divisions, the vanguards of the Italian Combat Groups entered the
city to the jubilation of the population "Friuli" and "Legnano", and
partisans of the "Maiella Brigade".
From 1945 to 1999 the city continuously had leftist mayors, the most
famous of which was Giuseppe Dozza. The great alternative movement
expressed by Bologna in the seventies and eighties made the city the
point of reference in Italy for various sectors of art.
During
the administration of Renato Zangheri, on 2 August 1980 a bomb exploded
at the central station of Bologna causing eighty-five deaths and over
two hundred injuries: this event has gone down in history as the Bologna
massacre. Subsequent trials ascertained the matrix of black terrorism.
Between 1987 and 1994 the band of the white Uno raged in
Emilia-Romagna, and in particular in the Bologna area. The gang's
bloodiest action, known as the Pilastro massacre, took place on January
4, 1991, when three carabinieri were killed in an ambush.
In
1999, the tradition of left-wing mayors was interrupted with the
electoral affirmation of Giorgio Guazzaloca, a centre-right civic
candidate, who is still the only exponent of this coalition to have
taken office in Palazzo d'Accursio. During his mandate, on 19 March
2002, the labor lawyer and labor consultant Marco Biagi was killed by
the New Red Brigades. The experience of the centre-right ended in 2004
when the former trade unionist Sergio Cofferati was elected mayor. The
next mayor, Flavio Delbono, elected in 2009 again from the centre-left,
resigned in January 2010 following judicial investigations. In 2011
Virginio Merola of the Democratic Party was elected, reconfirmed in 2016
for a second term. In 2021, the exponent of the Democratic Party Matteo
Lepore, former councilor of the Merola councils, was elected mayor.
The Coat of Arms of Bologna consists of an oval shield divided into
four parts, two containing a red cross on a white background surmounted
by a head of Anjou and the other two the gold-coloured inscription
LIBERTAS on a blue background, all surmounted by a head of facing lion.
The city flag is a red cross on a white field, derived from the
municipality's weapon, i.e. from the first and fourth quadrants of the
city's coat of arms. The flag flies together with the European and
Italian flags in all the institutional offices of the municipal
administration.
Honours
The City and the inhabitants of
Bologna are awarded the following honours:
the People of Bologna is
"Meritorious of the Roman Republic and of Italy" by the Roman
Constituent Assembly of the Roman Republic.
the tenth among the 27
cities decorated with a gold medal as "meritorious of the national
Risorgimento" for the highly patriotic actions carried out by the city
during the Risorgimento. Period, defined by the House of Savoy, between
the insurrections of 1848 and the end of the First World War in 1918.
among the cities decorated for military valor for the war of liberation
because it was awarded the Gold Medal for military valor on November 24,
1946 for the sacrifices of its populations and for its activity in the
partisan struggle during the Second World War.
Gold Medal to
Meritorious Cities of the National Risorgimento
«As a reward for the
value demonstrated by the citizens in the military episode of 8 August
1848. In the summer of 1848, the Austrians invade the Emilian territory
and enter Bologna on 4 August. Provoked by the soldiers, the Bolognese
rise up four days later, conquer the Montagnola, overlooking the Piazza
d'Armi, and force the enemy to leave the city. On May 7, 1849, the
Austrians besieged Bologna again, bombarding it and depriving it of its
water supply until it capitulated on the 15th of the same month»
—
November 13, 1898
Gold Medal for Military Valor
«Partisan
city, faithful to ancient traditions, did not want to submit to the
arrogance of the German invader, and with the pure blood of thousands of
its best sons, with its houses destroyed and in epic, diuturnous battles
sustained with weapons snatched from the enemy, it was all vanguard in
the unequal struggle and in the insurrection which, in the radiant dawn
of April 1945, led the country to regain its freedom. September 1943 -
April 1945»
— November 2, 1946
Gold Medal for Civil Valor
«Following the criminal terrorist attack that severely devastated the
city, the entire population, although emotionally involved, gave
exceptional proof of democratic firmness and civil courage. In a
spontaneous contest of solidarity he actively collaborated with the
State bodies, lavishing himself with exemplary enthusiasm in rescue
operations. In this way, thanks to his timeliness and efficiency, he
contributed to saving numerous human lives from death, arousing the
applause and unconditional admiration of the whole nation".
— July
13, 1981
Bologna, also due to its geographical location, has always been a
crossroads of migratory currents. In modern times, a population
explosion occurred between the end of the 19th century and the early
1970s, going from around 100,000 to almost 500,000 inhabitants. The
massive demographic increase was largely due to immigration, first from
the surrounding rural and mountainous areas, and then - especially after
the Second World War - from other areas of Italy, in particular from the
South. The rapid increase in the immigrant population has enormously
influenced the demographic transformations of the city, coming to
greatly exceed the native population in number (already in the 1980s, 2
out of 3 residents were immigrants from other parts of Italy). The
demographic explosion was also the main cause of the intense
urbanization of the suburbs, which occurred in the first half of the
1900s and continued in the 60s and 70s.
After a decrease in
residents in the 1980s - generally to the benefit of the municipalities
of the so-called metropolitan area, some of which even doubled their
population - the late 1990s saw a recovery in migratory flows, this time
with the inclusion of flows from abroad. This, together with a recovery
in births, meant that the demographic balance turned positive again in
the early 2000s. Since 2008 we have witnessed a renewed and constant
demographic impetus, driven by a positive migratory balance (against a
negative natural balance) so as to bring the population steadily above
380,000 units. At the same time, the urban agglomeration, including by
convention the first ring of neighboring municipalities, reaches 600,000
inhabitants, while the extended metropolitan area (also including other
municipalities not bordering the municipality of Bologna such as Budrio
and Castel San Pietro Terme) exceeds one million inhabitants.
In
2017 Bologna was the city in Italy to have received the highest number
of internal immigrants (i.e. new residents transferred from other areas
of Italy, mainly from the South). Today immigrants from other parts of
Italy make up the majority of the resident population (55% in 2021),
largely coming from the metropolitan city (22% but steadily decreasing)
and from the south and the islands (15% and steadily increasing ), in
particular from Puglia, Sicily and Campania. The resident population
from birth is constantly decreasing (33%) while immigration from abroad,
which is also on the rise, stands at 11%.
The average age, down
slightly since 2008, stands at 46.8 years (2021).
According to ISTAT data, as at 31 December 2020 there were 62,422
foreign citizens in Bologna (15.9% of all residents).
The top ten
communities are those from:
Romania, 9 726
Bangladesh, 4 990
Philippines, 4 966
China, 4 547
Pakistan, 4 368
Ukraine, 3 815
Morocco, 3 439
Moldova, 3 381
Albania, 2 657
Sri Lanka, 1 297
One of the first Italian Chinatowns was born in Bologna, with the
first settlements of Chinese citizens dating back to the 1930s, which
expanded in the 1950s and 1980s. The area where the Chinese communities
were concentrated from the outset includes the areas of Bolognina and
Corticella (especially around Via Ferrarese). Bolognina and Pilastro are
statistically the districts where the foreign population of Bologna is
mostly concentrated.
Dante Alighieri in his De Vulgari Eloquentia, there were once
differences in speech even among the inhabitants of the centre, i.e.
between Borgo San Felice (corresponding to the Pratello area) and those
of Strada Maggiore (area where the Lombards).
Starting from the
1960s and 1970s, with the stigmatization of the use of the dialect and
the progressive outnumbering of the native population due to the
increase in immigration from other Italian regions, the use of Bolognese
gradually disappeared, surviving almost exclusively in its airy versions
in the municipalities of the province. A renewed interest occurred in
the eighties, with the organization, supported by the Municipality and
by artists such as Andrea Mingardi, of the Bolognese song festival.
Although this has not reversed the trend towards a marginalization of
the Bolognese dialect, interest in it has increased - especially
academic - with the publication of dictionaries, grammars, studies, and
the establishment of Bolognese dialect courses by local associations. As
regards the use of the Bolognese language in everyday life, although
local associations work to promote it through the organization of
theatrical performances, readings and concerts, the general disinterest
of the institutions and of a large part of the population, mostly
non-native, suggest the near extinction of the Bolognese, so as to be
classified by UNESCO as "seriously endangered".
Institutions,
organizations and associations
Bologna is among the Italian cities
with the highest rate of active citizenship, with more than 570
associations registered in the municipality, a strong diffusion of
non-profit institutions, equal to 58.3 per 10,000 inhabitants (second
metropolitan city in Italy after Florence) and citizens engaged in
voluntary work, equal to 11.4% (third after Florence and Genoa).
Bologna is the pioneering Italian city of the LGBT rights movement.
The first gay movement, the "Circle of homosexual culture 28 June", was
activated in the city as early as 1978 and in 1982 it obtained spaces
for aggregation from the Municipality. Arcigay, the largest national
association for the protection of LGBT rights in Italy, was established
in Bologna in 1985 with headquarters at the Cassero di Porta Saragozza.
Also based in the city is MIT-Movimento Identità Trans, a non-profit
organization founded in 1982, of which Marcella Di Folco was president
until her death, the first association of this type in Italy.
In
addition to Pride, which takes place every year in the city, there are
events related to LGBT issues, such as: the Gender Bender, an
international festival that offers contemporary art and culture events
on gender identity and sexual orientation.
In popular culture Bologna is known as "la grassa" (for the cuisine),
"la dotta" (for the university), "la rossa" (for the color of the bricks
of the buildings in the historic centre, although often the adjective
refers to the "red" political thought widespread among the population of
the city) and "la turrita" (due to the high number of towers built in
the medieval period, even if only twenty-four have survived to date).
In 2000 Bologna was the European Capital of Culture and actively
participates in two "networks" proposed by UNESCO: the "Network of
creative cities" and the "Network of European cities against racism and
xenophobia". In 2008 the Zecchino d'Oro dell'Antoniano di Bologna became
"UNESCO Heritage for a culture of peace", the first television broadcast
in the world to receive recognition of this type.
In 1988 the
Biennial of young artists from Europe and the Mediterranean was held in
Bologna, considered the most important Mediterranean showcase of
youthful creativity.
Many cultural institutions and universities
are based in the Manifattura delle Arti, an area recovered in the spaces
of the former Tobacco Factory and former slaughterhouse.
University
The University of Bologna is considered the oldest
university in the western world. The date of its foundation was
conventionally fixed in the year 1088 by a commission chaired by Giosuè
Carducci. The life of the city and that of the university have been
intimately connected since the Middle Ages, making Bologna deserve the
appellation of the learned. In the 2019/20 academic year, it hosted more
than 87,000 students. According to the world ranking of universities
compiled by Quacquarelli Symonds, the University of Bologna is the
second Italian university and the 160th in the world. The high number of
students, coming from all over Italy and the world, has a significant
impact on the life of the city. If on the one hand this influx
contributes to significantly livening up the historic center (where the
average age of the residents would otherwise be very high) and the
cultural offer, on the other hand local administrations often have to
deal with problems of public order and dirt related to the lively
nightlife of the university area.
Bologna is one of the
headquarters of the American university Johns Hopkins University - The
Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), which has
more than 6,000 students of over one hundred different nationalities in
the Emilian school centre. In the city there is also a seat of Dickinson
College, with an active program since 1964, where about a thousand
mainly American boys study.
There are also other branches of
foreign universities or study programs, such as the Alliance Française,
the Bologna Consortial Studies Program (BCSP) of Indiana University,
Brown University, the Eastern College Consortium (E.C.CO.) of Vassar
College, the German Cultural Institute and the University of California.
The longest-lived example of a foreign academic institution is the
Collegio di Spagna, the oldest college in the world open to foreign
students, heir to the phenomenon of the nationes in the tradition of the
medieval university, and it is also the only one of this type to have
survived in the 'Continental Europe (other examples have only survived
in the UK).
In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries Bologna was the seat of
numerous academies, such as the literary one of the Oziosi, the artistic
one of the Incamminati founded by the Carracci in 1582, and the musical
one of the Floridi.
The Bologna Academy of Fine Arts has its
roots in the Clementine Academy founded in 1710. Important masters have
taught at the Bolognese school, including: Donato Creti, Giuseppe Galli
Bibiena, Gaetano Gandolfi, Francesco Rosaspina, Virgilio Guidi, Giorgio
Morandi, Pompilio Mandelli, Paolo Manaresi, Umberto Mastroianni, Milton
Glaser. It hosts about fifteen hundred students each year.
The
Giovanni Battista Martini Conservatory of Bologna is one of the oldest
Italian state conservatories. The foundation of the conservatory
(Bologna Liceo Musicale, which inherited the legacy of the Bologna
Philharmonic Academy) dates back to 1804 and is considered the first
public music school in Italy. Among his notable students, Gioachino
Rossini is numbered.
The Academy of Sciences of the Institute of
Bologna was founded in 1714. The institution continued the previous
"Accademia degli inquieti" which had been founded around 1690 by
Eustachio Manfredi. It is therefore considered one of the oldest Italian
scientific academies still in existence.
There are several high schools and colleges, both public and private.
The high schools are:
Francesco Arcangeli art school
Luigi Galvani
state high school
Marco Minghetti state high school
Laura Bassi
humanistic linguistic high school
Augusto Righi state scientific high
school
Marcello Malpighi scientific high school
Enrico Fermi
scientific high school
Niccolò Copernico scientific high school
Albert Bruce Sabin Scientific High School
The high schools are:
Crescenzi-Pacinotti-Sirani Institute of Higher Education
Rosa
Luxemburg State Technical Commercial Institute
Odone Belluzzi
Industrial Technical Institute
Aristotile Fioravanti professional
institute for industry and handicrafts
Aldini Valeriani Industrial
Technical Institute
Aldrovandi - Rubbiani State Professional
Institute for Crafts and Services
State professional institute for
the Marcello Malpighi handicraft industry (dental technician section)
Arrigo Serpieri Agricultural Technical Institute
IPC Manfredi Higher
Education Institute - ITC Tanari
Istituto Comprensivo Collegio San
Luigi, the oldest school in the city.
In Bologna there are more than one hundred libraries, including 4
municipal, 11 neighborhood and more than 70 university libraries,
located in different areas of the city. Among the best known and most
popular are the Municipal Library of the Archiginnasio (former seat of
the University) and the Sala Borsa Library (inaugurated in 2001). The
most well-stocked, with over 1,300,000 volumes, is the University
Library of Bologna. Of considerable interest, and of capital importance
at national and European level, is also the Cineteca di Bologna, a
municipal institution dedicated to cinema and filmography. There are
also several thematic libraries such as the one on the history of the
twentieth century of the Parri Emilia-Romagna historical institute, that
of the Gramsci institute, the Italian Women's Library, the library of
the International Museum of Music, the MAMbo newspaper library and
numerous others.
In July 2020 Bologna obtained the recognition of
"City that reads" 2020-2021.
Bologna has over forty museums in which temporary exhibitions are
organized alongside the permanent collections. The most important civic
museums are: the Municipal Art Collections, the Archaeological Civic
Museum, the Medieval Civic Museum, the Morandi Museum, the Davia
Bargellini Civic Museum of Industrial Art, the Industrial Heritage
Museum of Bologna, the MAMbo of modern art in Bologna) and the
International Museum and Library of Music. The Pinacoteca Nazionale di
Bologna, born in 1802 within the Academy of Fine Arts, is a state museum
with management autonomy.
To these are added the religious
museums and those of private foundations such as the Museum of the
History of Bologna and the MAST. Manufacturing of Arts, Experimentation
and Technology.
The University also has its own museums, often
linked to individual departments, all gathered in the University Museum
System. The main university museum is the Palazzo Poggi Museum which
includes numerous collections of natural history, anatomy and
obstetrics, physics and chemistry, military architecture, geography and
nautical science, oriental art.
A lively school of painting flourished in Bologna in the fourteenth
century, headed by Vitale da Bologna, Dalmasio Scannabecchi and Simone
dei Crocifissi, together with the pupils Jacopo di Paolo, Cristoforo da
Bologna, Andrea de' Bartoli, "Jacobus", the so-called Pseudo Jacopino by
Francesco, Lippo di Dalmasio and others. The Tuscans Cimabue and Giotto
have also left few but important testimonies in the city.
During
the Renaissance, especially under the rule of the Bentivoglios, Bologna
was the homeland of the painters Amico Aspertini and Francesco Francia,
while the Ferrarese Francesco del Cossa and Lorenzo Costa also worked
there. But it is between the second half of the sixteenth century and
the beginning of the eighteenth century (i.e. from Mannerism to Baroque)
that the Bolognese school of painting reached its peak with artists of
the caliber of Domenichino, the Carraccis (founders of the Accademia
degli Incamminati), Domenico Tibaldi, Guercino, Guido Reni, Elisabetta
Sirani, Prospero Fontana, Lavinia Fontana and many others, while
Parmigianino and Donato Creti also worked there. The works of these
artists can be admired in the city's churches and palaces, as well as in
the Pinacoteca Nazionale of Bologna.
In modern and contemporary
times, Bologna has given birth to Luigi Serra, Giorgio Morandi (to whom
the homonymous museum is dedicated), Mario Bonazzi, Ilario Rossi, Aldo
Borgonzoni, Carlo Gajani, Sergio Romiti, Vasco Bendini, Pirro Cuniberti,
Sergio Vacchi, Vittorio Mascalchi, Valerio Adami, Pier Paolo Calzolari
and Piero Manai, while artists such as Giovanni Romagnoli, Germano
Sartelli, Concetto Pozzati, Luciano De Vita and many others worked and
still work there.
In the sculptural field, artists such as
Arnolfo di Cambio, Nicola Pisano, Pierpaolo dalle Masegne, Niccolò
dell'Arca, Jacopo della Quercia, Michelangelo, Giambologna, Alfonso
Lombardi, Properzia de' Rossi and, more recently, Umberto Mastroianni,
Quinto Ghermandi worked in Bologna , Roberto Tirelli, Mario Ceroli,
Nicola Zamboni and Luigi Mainolfi.
Since 1974, Arte Fiera, a
modern and contemporary art fair, has been held annually in the month of
January at the Bologna Fair. From 1977 to 1982 the International Week of
Performance curated by Renato Barilli, Francesca Alinovi and Roberto
Daolio was held annually, an event of high cultural value, involving the
public space of the city. Since 1986, to commemorate the tragic death of
Francesca Alinovi, the Prize named after her has been established, to
which the dedication to the art critic Roberto Daolio, who also died
prematurely, has been added since 2013. Every year the Alinovi Daolio
Prize is awarded to a contemporary artist.
Literature
Bologna
is the birthplace, native or adopted, of many great Italian writers and
poets, such as Guido Guinizelli, Giosuè Carducci (the first Italian to
win the Nobel Prize for literature at the beginning of the 20th
century), Giovanni Pascoli and Pier Paolo Pasolini. It is also the
cradle of some of the best Italian crime writers, including Loriano
Macchiavelli, considered the dean of crime writers in Bologna; other
exponents of the genre are Grazia Verasani, Danila Comastri Montanari,
Giampiero Rigosi, Marcello Fois etc. Italian and foreign literary works
are also set in Bologna, such as The Broker by John Grisham, Jack
Frusciante left Enrico Brizzi's group, Almost Blue by Carlo Lucarelli,
The Mysterious Hunchback by Antonio Faeti and Scipio's Army by Giuseppe
D'Agata .
There are numerous other writers and poets linked to
Bologna, both from the past such as Ludovico de Varthema and Giulio
Cesare Croce, and from the contemporary such as Umberto Eco, Valerio
Evangelisti, Pino Cacucci, Stefano Benni, Ermanno Cavazzoni, Simona
Vinci and the Wu Ming.
Bologna has a long and deep-rooted tradition in comics. Since the
post-war period, comics have taken hold in the city, also thanks to the
numerous designers, screenwriters and publishers who have worked there
and have established themselves as some of the most important exponents
of Italian comics, such as Magnus, Bonvi, Silver and Vittorio Giardino,
considered the pioneers of Bolognese cartoonists.
Among the
Bolognese publishing houses dealing with comics are Coconino Press and
Kappa Edizioni.
The Academy of Fine Arts in Bologna opened the
experimental school of comics and illustration in 2004, the first in
Italy, which has some of the best illustrators on the Italian scene
among its teachers. The BilBolbul comic festival has been held since
2007, featuring Italian and foreign artists with exhibitions, meetings,
debates and workshops.
Music
In 2006 Bologna obtained the
UNESCO recognition of "creative city for music"
In Bologna there are the International Museum and Library of Music,
the Giovanni Battista Martini Conservatory, the Philharmonic Academy of
Bologna and the Teatro Comunale di Bologna, home of the authoritative
Orchestra of the Fondazione Teatro Comunale di Bologna, active since the
post-war period. The Bongiovanni music house has been active since 1905,
one of the most important in the field of publishing and classical music
discography. The "2 August" international composition competition has
been organized in Bologna since 1995: one of the most important musical
composition competitions in the world. Every year on the evening of
August 2, the winning operas and others commissioned ad hoc are played
in Piazza Maggiore in a large free concert.
Among the numerous
examples of musical formations, the Coro Euridice, a polyphonic choir
founded in 1880 and which remained continuously active, and the
Orchestra Mozart, founded in 2004 by Carlo Maria Badini and conducted by
Claudio Abbado until his death, are mentioned.
Bologna is the
birthplace of well-known musicians, such as the contralto Antonio Maria
Bernacchi, the tenors Luigi Antinori, Matteo Babini and Gianni Raimondi,
the baritone Ruggero Raimondi, the composers Giovanni Paolo Colonna,
Giacomo Antonio Perti and Ottorino Respighi. The famous Farinelli lived
and died in Bologna, and the very young and already brilliant Wolfgang
Amadeus Mozart stayed here (on two occasions, from March to October
1770). As a guest of Count Gian Luca Pallavicini, Mozart had the
opportunity to meet musicians and scholars (from the aforementioned
Farinelli to the composers Vincenzo Manfredini and Josef Mysliveček, up
to the English music historian Charles Burney and Father Giovanni
Battista Martini). Mozart took counterpoint lessons from Father Martini,
at the time regarded as Europe's greatest music theorist and greatest
expert in Baroque counterpoint. The fourteen-year-old Amadeus was
aggregated to the Philharmonic Academy of Bologna in 1770: the difficult
and rigid exam test on "a cantus antiphon" by the still young Mozart was
not particularly brilliant. There are two versions of the exam, both
preserved in the International Museum and Library of Music in Bologna,
one of which is incorrect. Given that both are autographed by Mozart,
this is the evidence that Father Martini passed his reworking of the
exam text to Amadeus, to encourage its promotion. Mozart was always
grateful for Father Martini's teachings, to the point of writing:
“I devoutly revere all Sgri. Philharmonic: I recommend you always be
in your good graces and I do not cease to afflict myself at seeing
myself far from the person in the world whom I most love, venerate and
esteem, and of whom I inviolably protest Your Paternity very Reverend
most humble and most devoted servant"
(W.A. Mozart, Letters (1776))
"Bologna is an old lady with slightly flabby hips,
with the breast
on the Po plain and the ass on the hills.
(Francesco Guccini,
Bologna)
The city has a great tradition in contemporary light
music, with many successful musicians and songwriters and a myriad of
emerging artists, enough to define a Bolognese music scene. Among the
Bolognese singers, by birth or by adoption, there are Raffaella Carrà,
Lucio Dalla, Francesco Guccini, Gianni Morandi, Luca Carboni, Samuele
Bersani, Andrea Mingardi, Cesare Cremonini, Dodi Battaglia, Paolo
Mengoli, Dino Sarti, Cristina D'Avena , Claudio Lolli, Beppe Maniglia,
Fio Zanotti, Silvia Mezzanotte, Neffa. Also in Bologna, groups such as
the Pooh, the Stadio, the Skiantos, the Gaznevada, the Lùnapop, the
Massimo Volume, the Avvoltoi, the Marta sui Tubi, the Gem Boy, the
Mariposa, the Canzoniere delle Lame, the Datura, the Garden House and
the Social State. Vasco Rossi, originally from Zocca, has his residence
in Bologna.
Bologna was among the first Italian cities to spread the culture of jazz, also thanks to highly popular festivals such as the Bologna Jazz Festival and the more recent Alma Jazz, and to musicians of international caliber who were born here or have settled or trained there , such as Paolo Fresu, Jimmy Villotti, the Doctor Dixie Jazz Band, Moris Fabbri, the Bassesfere collective etc. The great trumpeter Chet Baker often played in the city, as evidenced by his 1985 recording entitled Chet Baker in Bologna, and many other great international names such as Miles Davis, Dexter Gordon, Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald, Charles Mingus, Gato Barbieri etc. Numerous establishments continue to successfully offer this genre, including some specialized ones. On 17 September 2011 the Strada del jazz was inaugurated in Bologna, consisting of via Caprarie and via degli Orefici, with a public event that hosted numerous concerts. The first star of the jazz myths is dedicated to Chet Baker and is placed on the sidewalk in front of the door where Alberto Alberti's Musiclub once stood.
At the end of the seventies, and in particular in the context of the
Movement of '77 and the first experiences of free radio stations such as
Radio Alice, Bologna became a key place for punk rock and new wave in
Italy. The rock scene in Bologna, which included groups such as
Skiantos, Gaznevada, The Stupid Set, Confusional Quartet, Hi-fi Bros,
Luti Chroma, Central Unit, Windopen, Rusk und Brusk and many others,
marked the "rebirth" of Italian rock in a punk and new wave key, but
often characterized by ironic and irreverent tones: this is how demented
rock was born, a term coined by Freak Antoni, lead singer of Skiantos.
The key event of this "rebirth" was the bizarre concert Bologna Rock:
Dalle cantine all'asphalt, held at the Bologna sports hall on April 2,
1979. Labels such as Harpo's Bazar and Italian Records (both founded by
Oderso Rubini) were among the first in Italy to propose this new
approach to music.
In the early eighties Bologna was also one of
the nerve centers of hardcore punk, thanks to bands such as RAF Punk,
Nabat, Irha, Stalag 17, Anna Falkss, Bacteria, Sottocultura and Rip Off
and to labels such as Jumpy's Attack Punk Records Poison. Famous was the
protest organized by the Bolognese punks during the Clash concert in
Piazza Maggiore in 1980, an event identified by many as the birth
certificate of the entire hardcore movement in Italy.
Since the end of the eighties, Bologna has been one of the most
important cities for hip hop culture, hosting artists and groups such as
Neffa, Sangue Misto, Joe Cassano, Deda, Inoki and thanks to places where
this culture was supported and widespread since the early nineties, such
as the Isola social center in the Kantiere. In the 2000s hip hop in
Bologna saw active groups such as the Porzione Massiccia Crew, one of
the first multi-ethnic hip hop crews in Italy founded by rapper Inoki,
and Fuoco negli occhi.
During the nineties, a meeting point
dedicated to electronic music emerged in Bologna, the Link, within which
Distorsonie, the first electronic dance music festival organized in
Italy, and Netmage, one of the major Italian live media festivals, now
merged into the Live Arts Week.
Theater has been a widespread form of entertainment in Bologna since
the sixteenth century. The first public theater was the Teatro della
Sala, active from 1547 in the Palazzo del Podestà.
A very
important figure of the Bolognese and Italian theater was Alfredo
Testoni, the playwright author of Il cardinale Lambertini, a great
theatrical success since 1905, then revived on the screen by the
Bolognese actor Gino Cervi.
In 1998 the Municipality of Bologna
gave life to the "Bologna dei Teatri" project, an association that
brings together the main theater structures of the city. It is a circuit
of theaters with a varied cultural offer, which ranges from Bolognese
dialect comedy to contemporary dance, but with a unitary communication
and promotion strategy. Specifically, the shows on the bill in the
various theaters participating in the project are advertised weekly
through a single poster.
The main theaters in Bologna are the
Arena del Sole and the Teatro Comunale.
The prestigious Cineteca is located in Bologna, formerly presided
over by the director Giuseppe Bertolucci, and subsequently by Carlo
Mazzacurati and then by Marco Bellocchio. Thanks to the contribution
provided by the DAMS students, several independent film productions are
active in the city.
In Italy, Bologna is the second city with the
highest number of seats in cinemas per inhabitants (surpassed only by
Campobasso, which however has a much smaller population), and the
nineteenth in Europe.
There are numerous festivals dedicated to
cinema held in the city, including: Future Film Festival, Biografilm
Festival, Il cinema ritrovato, Immaginaria. Every summer an open-air
cinema is set up in Piazza Maggiore, with one of the largest cinema
screens in Europe, where every evening some of the best restorations
from the Cineteca and other films among the novelties of the season are
shown, in a program of over fifty appointments called Sotto le stelle
del cinema.
Films shot in Bologna
The children of Italy are
all balilla - 1916, Alfredo Testoni
How love ends - 1917, Alfredo
Masi
Black and White - 1918, Alfredo Masi
Marinella - 1918,
Raimondo Scotti
Rebus - 1918, Alfredo Masi
The Mysterious Trial -
1922, Franco Primitivi
Bertoldo, Bertoldino and Cacasenno - 1936,
Giorgio Simonelli
Totò at the tour of Italy - 1948, Mario Mattoli
Beauties on bicycles - 1951, Carlo Campogalliani
They stole a tram -
1953, Aldo Fabrizi
Bertoldo, Bertoldino and Cacasenno - 1954, Mario
Amendola
Cardinal Lambertini - 1954, Giorgio Pàstina
The Casaroli
gang - 1962, Florestano Vancini
The outlaws of marriage - 1963,
Valentino Orsini
A nice grit - 1964, Giuliano Montaldo
Love
rallies - 1964, Pier Paolo Pasolini
Oedipus the King - 1967, Pier
Paolo Pasolini
The subversives - 1967, Paolo Taviani
Balsamus, the
man of Satan - 1968, Pupi Avati
Plagiarism - 1968, Sergio Capogna
Facts of good people - 1974, Mauro Bolognini
Salò or the 120 days of
Sodom - 1975, Pier Paolo Pasolini
The Landlord - 1976, Mariano
Laurenti
Pleased to see you again - 1976, Marco Leto
Decadence -
1976, Antonio Maria Magro
Scipio's army - 1977, Giuliana Berlinguer
The last three days - 1977, Gianfranco Mingozzi
The police are
defeated - 1977, Domenico Paolella
Jazz Band - 1978, Pupi Avati
Dishonor the father - 1978, Sandro Bolchi
Sarti Antonio Brigadier -
1978, Pino Passalacqua
Cinema!!! - 1979, Pupi Avati
Thunderstorm
Rosy - 1979, Mario Monicelli
Save whoever wants - 1980, Roberto
Faenza
Zeder - 1982, Pupi Avati
The eyes, the mouth - 1982, Marco
Bellocchio
Rock bewilderment - 1982, Luciano Manuzzi
A school trip
- 1983, Pupi Avati
Acapulco, first beach... on the left - 1983,
Sergio Martino
L'orchester noir - 1984, Stéphane Lejeune
Employees
- 1985, Pupi Avati
One Sunday yes - 1986, Cesare Bastelli
History
of boys and girls - 1989, Pupi Avati
Music for old animals - 1989,
Umberto Angelucci
Everyone is fine - 1989, Giuseppe Tornatore
The
tenth illegal immigrant - 1989, Lina Wertmüller
The move - 1991,
Renato De Maria
Face of a hare - 1991, Liliana Gianneschi
Rossini!
Rossini! - 1991, Mario Monicelli
Dreaming of California - 1992, Carlo
Vanzina
Declarations of love - 1994, Pupi Avati
Strange stories.
Stories from the end of the century - 1994, Sandro Baldoni
Wood's
lamp - 1994, Lavinia Capogna
Inspector Sarti 2 - 1994, GiulioQuesti
If there is a remedy why are you worried? - 1995, Carlo Sarti
Jack
Frusciante left the group - 1996, Enza Negroni
Purchase advice -
1997, Sandro Baldoni
Weddings - 1998, Cristina Comencini
Blue
Jolly - 1998, Stefano Salvati
Forbidden Encounters - 1998, Alberto
Sordi
The power of love - 1998, Vincenzo Verdecchi
The war of the
Antò - 1999, Riccardo Milani
And then mambo! - 1999, Lucio Pellegrini
pauper! - 1999, Francesco Merini
See you tomorrow - 1999, Gianni
Zanasi
Face of Picasso - 2000, Massimo Ceccherini
Almost Blue -
2000, Alex Infascelli
Tandem - 2000, Lucio Pellegrini
Bastiani
Fortress - 2002, Michele Mellara and Alessandro Rossi
Peace! - 2002,
Renato De Maria
Paris, Dabar - 2003, Paolo Angelini
The heart
elsewhere - 2003, Pupi Avati
Distinguishing marks - Notes for a film
on Emilia-Romagna - 2003, Giuseppe Bertolucci
Cavedagne - 2003,
Francesco Merini
The secret of success - 2003, Massimo Martelli
The revenge of Christmas - 2004, Pupi Avati
Working slowly - 2004,
Guido Chiesa
The wind, in the evening - 2004, Andrea Adriatico
But
when do the girls arrive? - 2005, Pupi Avati
The second wedding night
- 2003, Pupi Avati
Love me - 2005, Renato De Maria
Out of vein -
2005, Tekla Taidelli
Quo vadis, baby? - 2005, Gabriele Salvatores
One Hundred Nails - 2007, Ermanno Olmi
Commissioner De Luca - 2007,
Antonio Frazzi
Giovanna's father - 2008, Pupi Avati
Fairy tales
come home - 2013, Max Mazzotta
After the war - 2017, Annarita
Zambrano
Luigi - 2017, Stefano Usardi
The return of Captain Kluz -
2018, Stefano Folletti
The boys of the Zecchino d'Oro - 2019,
Ambrogio Lo Giudice
Diabolik - 2020, Manetti Bros.
The incredible
story of the Isola delle Rose - 2020, Sydney Sibilia
The international fame of Bolognese cuisine dates back to the Middle
Ages, when the powerful noble families employed the most celebrated
cooks of the time at their courts, while the city's taverns were already
numerous in the fourteenth century. The gastronomic tradition of Bologna
is closely linked to the University: the mixing of numerous students and
professors of different nationalities enriched the gastronomic culture,
and made a good organization of the food supply necessary.
Bolognese cuisine, as well as that of all of Emilia, is distinguished by
the abundance of meat, especially pork, and egg pasta, so much so that
the city deserves the nickname of Bologna la fat. The use of dairy
products also abounds, such as butter, soft cheese and Parmigiano
Reggiano. The numerous recipes of Bolognese origin, spread throughout
the world as excellences of Italian cuisine, and the proliferation of
food-related commercial activities in the city, have often led the
Italian and foreign press to attribute the nickname of Food City to
Bologna ( city of food).
Among the typical products of the
Bolognese cuisine we find:
Tagliatelle
Tortellini
Bolognese
sauce
Green Lasagna Bolognese
The Imperial Soup
Passatelli
The friggione
Bologna mortadella
Chicken galantine (or capon)
Bolognese cutlet
The crescents
The growing Bolognese
The
Carthusian of Bologna
The Bolognese pliers
English soup
The
mascarpone cream
On the Bolognese hills there are numerous
wineries that produce various types of typical wine, including the
Pignoletto DOCG.
from all over the world. In 1988, the Biennial of Young Artists of
Europe and the Mediterranean was held.
Music festivals
Alma
Jazz Festival (held in autumn): it is the first Italian festival
dedicated to university jazz orchestras from all over Europe.
AngelicA - international music festival (held in May/June): it has been
held for over twenty years and aims to represent every form of musical
research that moves in unconventional fields and that freely uses the
many materials offered by the different musical traditions.
Bologna
Jazz Festival - The Autumn Jazz Event (held in November): the oldest
Italian jazz festival, since 1958 a stage for the greatest world
musicians of the genre.
RoBOt Festival - Digital Paths into Music and
Art (held in September/October): review of electronic music and digital
art.
Zecchino d'Oro (held in November): historic international song
festival of music for children, which takes place at the Antoniano.
Film Festivals
Biografilm Festival - International Celebration of
Lives (held in June): it is the only worldwide event dedicated to
biographies and life stories.
Future Film Festival - International
Festival of Cinema, Animation and New Technologies (held in April): the
first and most important Italian festival dedicated to animation cinema
and new technologies.
Human Rights Nights International Film Festival
(held in October): festival on cinematic expressions on the subject of
human rights.
The rediscovered cinema (held in June/July): film
festival dedicated to the rediscovery of resurfaced silent and sound
films and restored classics; it is directed by Peter von Bagh and also
hosts the Film Publishing Fair.
Some Prefer Cake (held in September):
Lesbian film festival.
Visioni Italiane (held in February): festival
of independent Italian short film productions screened at the Cinema
Lumière.
YoungAbout International Film Festival (held in March):
international youth and cinema festival
Visual Arts Festival
Art City Bologna - It is a set of cultural initiatives, exhibitions and
events that propose a contamination between contemporary art and the
places and artistic heritage present in the area
BilBOlBul -
International Comics Festival (held in March): review dedicated to
comics, presents works by great artists and young people on the national
and international scene, with a look at the most innovative production,
also relating comics to other languages of contemporary culture.
Cheap Festival - Street Poster Art festival that takes place annually in
May
Frontier (runs June-July) - street art festival.
Performing arts festival
Danza Urbana - International dance festival
in urban landscapes (held in September): the first Italian festival of
dance in urban landscapes, it offers shows and dance workshops in the
city squares.
Live Arts Week - Multidisciplinary appointment
dedicated to the crossroads between electronic, visual, musical and
performing arts, born in 2012 from the merger of Netmage and F.I.S.Co..
PerAspera - contemporary performing arts festival.
Culinary
festivals
MortadellaBO' (held in October) - festival dedicated to
Mortadella Bologna PGI.
Cioccoshow - The magic of chocolate (held in
November): chocolate fair.
More events
Descent of the Madonna
di San Luca (takes place in May): every year the ancient tradition of
the "descent of the Madonna di San Luca" is celebrated, which takes
place on May 12 through a procession from the Sanctuary of the Madonna
di San Luca to the center of the city.
Smell - Festival dell'Olfatto
(held in May): meetings, events, laboratories, presentations, workshops
entirely dedicated to the world of perfumes.
International History
Festival, takes place in the third week of October, with events from
September to December
Bonfire of the old man, traditional New Year's
celebration consisting of the burning of a large puppet representing the
old year.
Participation in the 2010 Shanghai Expo
The city of
Bologna, together with 45 other cities in the world, participated, after
selection and invitation, in the 2010 Shanghai Universal Exposition
entitled Better city, better life, held from 1 May to 31 October 2010 in
the Chinese metropolis. The international jury of the Expo included the
city of Bologna in the Liveable city area, judging it as an example of
excellence in the categories: Culture and creativity; Technological
innovation; Social inclusion; Urban planning and infrastructural
transformations. The other two Italian cities invited to this edition of
the Universal Exposition were Venice (Protection and Utilization of
Historical Heritages area) and Milan (Sustainable Urbanization area).
Metropolitan area
The metropolitan area of Bologna is one of the
top ten Italian metropolitan areas and has a population of over 1
million inhabitants, with a significant economic and cultural influence
on neighboring cities and regions.
According to the
classification known as FURs (perimeter based on commuter flows) the
urban nucleus of the city of Bologna has a population of 991,385
inhabitants (as of January 2013).
The city and its metropolitan
area, also measured on an economic, cultural, commercial, industrial,
congress, exhibition, financial and social scale, therefore have an
importance, at national and European level, much higher than that
expressed by the simple demographic parameter ( let alone that of the
population officially residing in the restricted municipal area).
Confirmation of this comes from a study conducted in 1989 by the Reclus
group of Montpellier and commissioned by DATAR (Délégation à
l'Amenagement du Territoire et à l'Action Régionale), which formulates a
classification by degree of importance of cities with more than two
hundred thousand inhabitants of fourteen Western and Mediterranean
European states: Bologna, with Florence and Venice, was situated in a
more advanced position than more populous cities, such as Dublin, Leeds,
Liverpool, Lille, Nuremberg, Essen, Dortmund, Bremen, Hanover ,
Zaragoza, Malaga, Bilbao, Thessaloniki, Palermo, etc.
Despite the
small municipal population, Bologna was also included, by the GaWC study
group, among the hundred global cities (or World Cities), by virtue of
its cultural and economic importance (actually in category D, i.e.
global cities in the making, with low evidence).
Administrative
subdivisions
The municipality is administratively divided into six
decentralized districts, to which the statute gives the name of
"districts": Borgo Panigale-Reno, San Donato-San Vitale, Savena, Navile,
Porto-Saragozza, Santo Stefano.
Urban planning
The historic
center of Bologna is one of the oldest and largest in Europe. By virtue
of a careful restoration and conservation policy started at the end of
the sixties of the last century, it has preserved a large part of the
medieval city, despite the serious damage caused by the urban
demolitions of the end of the nineteenth century, including that of the
central Mercato di Mezzo, and from the war destruction of the Second
World War. In some houses the foundations of the Roman city dating back
to the 2nd century BC are still found, and in other houses it even seems
that there are traces dating back to the Iron Age. The structure of the
historic center made up of the superimposition of two planimetric
models, the Roman orthogonal one and the medieval one with a radial
pattern, with Piazza Maggiore placed in the middle and the "rays",
starting from the two central streets of the Via Emilia - via Rizzoli
and via Ugo Bassi - which develop up to the various doors that open
along the remains of the walls.
The main feature of the houses,
inherited from the architecture of the past and also re-proposed in a
modern key in almost the entire city, is that of having porticoes on the
outside. In fact, the city has the highest concentration of arcades in
the world, approximately 42 km.
The demographic expansion due to
the strong immigration from the province and from the regions of
southern Italy led, especially in the sixties and seventies of the
twentieth century, to an intense urbanization of the once rural areas
outside the city walls. Populous suburban districts such as Barca
(1962), Pilastro (1966) or Fossolo (1968) were thus created, and large
public housing projects were carried out, such as the San Vitale
skyscraper (1958-60), the settlement "Levante Emilia" in via Napoli
(1961), the Treno (1957-62) and the Steccone (1968) at the Barca, the
Virgolone (1976) at the Pilastro.
In an area destined for the
development of the city, between via Stalingrado and the San Donato
district, in 1967 the municipal administration commissioned the
well-known Japanese architect Kenzō Tange to design the business center
in the fair area, the construction of which began in 1975. Thus was born
the Fiera District, destined to become the headquarters of the
Emilia-Romagna Region, the Palazzo degli Affari, the Fiera di Bologna
and other important economic institutions. At the center of the Fiera
District, a pedestrian zone was designed, Constitution Square, the
construction of which was entrusted to Isamu Noguchi.
Among the
latest examples of contemporary architecture and urban interventions
(often the subject of heated discussions) we find the Porta Europa by
the architect Ettore Masi in via Stalingrado, the complex of the new
town hall in the Bolognina area (Palazzo Bonaccorso and piazza Liber
Paradisus) and the Torre Unipol, a 127-metre-high skyscraper located on
the eastern outskirts of the city.
Bologna hosts an important network of mechanical, electronic and food
industries and a large number of handicraft enterprises. The
metropolitan city hosts, in proportion, the largest number of businesses
per inhabitant in Italy. At the beginning of 2007, the CNA (National
Confederation of Crafts and Small and Medium Enterprises) recorded a
number of 16,500 member enterprises, a number lower only than those of
Milan and Rome.
With a per capita GDP at purchasing power parity
of 36,941 euros (2013), Bologna is the 44th richest city in Europe and
the second richest in Italy after Milan. According to data from the
European Regional Economic Growth Index (E-REGI) of 2016, Bologna is the
third Italian city in terms of economic growth index (after Milan and
Rome) and the 53rd in Europe.
The mechanical industry flourished in Bologna as early as the
fifteenth century, mainly the silk industry, thanks to the numerous
mechanical silk mills powered by the city's canals, which represented a
highly advanced technology for the time. The number of silk machines
reached 100 at its peak, centuries before the industrial revolution.
Today Bologna is located at the center of a very important
mechanical and electromechanical (and more recently mechatronic)
industrial district, which has established itself in particular in the
automotive and packaging fields. In the field of engines, companies such
as Ducati, Industria Italiana Autobus and the Italian headquarters of
Volvo are based there. Furthermore, in the metropolitan area there are
Lamborghini (in Sant'Agata Bolognese) and the Italian headquarters of
Saab (in Casalecchio di Reno). Maserati, Malaguti and Moto Morini were
founded in Bologna.
In the packaging sector, which developed
starting from the 1920s, the Coesia group stands out (G.D - A.C.M.A.
Volpak - Cima - Sasib), and, in the metropolitan area, IMA (in Ozzano)
and the Marchesini Group (in Pianoro).
In the engineering sector
there is Cesab, while in the metropolitan area there are Malossi and
Minarelli (both in Calderara di Reno), Marzocchi and Viro (in Zola
Predosa), Paioli (in Sant'Agata Bolognese). In the broader sector of
industrial production there is the Maccaferri Industrial Group. In the
sector of electronic machinery and automatic machines, Saeco, Datalogic,
Beghelli and FAAC.
Among the agro-food industries of great
importance, in Bologna we find: in the food sector, Granarolo, Fabbri,
Valsoia and Eridania. There are many companies scattered throughout the
metropolitan area: in San Lazzaro di Savena the Conserve Italia group
(which owns Cirio, Valfrutta, Derby Blue, Yoga and Jolly Colombani); in
Pianoro Segafredo Zanetti; in Zola Predosa Montenegro, Alcisa; in
Crespellano the Majani; Carpigiani in Anzola dell'Emilia; in Cereglio
the Cerelia Mineral Water. Lastly, there are the national offices of the
Conad and Sigma food cooperatives, while the Coop and Despar are located
in the adjacent municipality of Casalecchio, and SISA is located in Funo
di Argelato.
The Bologna area is a commercial hub of primary importance (with
Centergross in the metropolitan area, which for a long time was the
largest wholesale commercial citadel in Europe since its foundation in
1977, and the Interporto).
It is an important exhibition center
which, together with the Bologna Fair, hosts numerous international
fairs (Arte Fiera, Saie, EIMA, Cersaie, Cosmoprof, Sana, Children's Book
Fair, Music Italy Show, etc.). In Italy, BolognaFiere is the second
largest trade fair after Milan in terms of turnover.
Thanks to
the great culinary tradition, food shops are very widespread in Bologna.
Separated from Piazza Maggiore by the Palazzo dei Banchi, is what
remains of the ancient Mercato di Mezzo, where the streets still bear
the names of the craftsmen who had set up their shops here in the Middle
Ages: via degli Orefici, via Drapperie (tailors ), via Pescherie
Vecchie, via Clavature (blacksmiths), via Caprarie (butchers). Another
historic city market is the Mercato delle Erbe.
There are also
many clothing, jewellery, handicrafts, bistros, as well as numerous high
fashion boutiques, concentrated especially between Galleria Cavour, via
Farini, the Pavaglione and via D'Azeglio. To these is added Corte
Isolani, a medieval gallery that connects Piazza Santo Stefano to Strada
Maggiore, home to small boutiques, cafes, restaurants and a puppet
workshop. Other streets dedicated to shopping, but of a more mainstream
nature, are the three streets that form the so-called "T": via
dell'Indipendenza, via Rizzoli and via Ugo Bassi.
The second-hand
trade is growing considerably. The metropolitan city of Bologna is the
province in Italy that records the greatest increase in shops of this
type, up by 8.3% compared to 2009.
Some of the great fashion and leather goods houses are also based in
the Bologna area: Borbonese, La Perla, Les Copains, Bruno Magli, Furla,
WP Lavori in Corso (Baracuta brand), A.Testoni, Elisabetta Franchi,
Mandarina Duck, the Italian branches of Nike and Ralph Lauren etc.
In addition to the clothing and furnishing activities, Bologna is
also renowned for the production of ceramics, mosaics, art furniture,
copper processing and for the workshops of carvers and furniture
restorers, goldsmiths, weaving of silk flowers, crocheted lace,
luthiers.
In the environmental services sector, the leading company in the area
is Hera. In the real estate sector, IGD with its operational
headquarters; in the graphics and printing sector, Poligrafici
Editoriale; in e-commerce the Yoox Net-A-Porter Group.
Important
national and regional financial institutions have their headquarters in
the Emilian capital, including Unipol, UnipolSai, Carisbo, Banca di
Bologna, EmilBanca - Credito Cooperativo.
In recent years,
numerous start-ups in the field of information and communication
technologies have been born in the capital of Emilia. Here he opened
Working Capital in 2013, one of Telecom Italia's business accelerators.
This proliferation of activities related to the IT sector has led some
media to define Bologna as the Italian Silicon Valley.
Tourism in Bologna has seen a strong surge since 2015, reaching a
record 2.4 million arrivals in 2019, with a growth of 118% compared to
2014. In 2019 foreign tourists, mainly Europeans, represented the 47% of
the arrivals, while the remaining 53% were Italian tourists.
Such
an increase in tourist attendance occurred following the signing of
commercial agreements with the low-cost airline Ryanair, the
establishment in 2014 on the initiative of the Chamber of Commerce of
the tourism promotion company "Bologna Welcome srl", to which numerous
marketing campaigns focusing on "food, music and motors" followed.
However, the rapid and massive increase in tourist presences has
also brought with it the typical negative effects of mass tourism, such
as the congestion of the centre, the proliferation of tourist
restaurants of dubious quality and mini-markets (even to the detriment
of historic shops), the establishment of entrance fees for several
monuments, as well as a marked increase in real estate costs.
In Bologna and in the metropolitan area there are several spas. The first plants in the area date back to the times of the ancient Romans.
The city and its metropolitan area are placed at the center of the
traffic of productive Italy. In general it can be said that this
function of crossroads is made possible by the particular geographical
position which, although placing it on the southern edge of the Po
Valley, places it, almost as an obligatory point of passage, at the
center of the communication routes that connect the North of the Italy
with the South, both through the "Adriatic" route from Turin, Milan, the
Veneto region to Puglia, much more relevant for traffic than the
"Tyrrhenian" route from Genoa to Rome, and through the so-called
"Apennine ridge" to Florence and Rome (which exploits, at least in the
first section, the historic and important Apennine penetration route
represented by the valley of the river Reno): in fact, these two routes
meet in Bologna.
Streets
The main motorway junction in Italy,
the following flow into the Bologna junction: the A1 "Autostrada del
Sole" Milan-Florence-Rome-Naples; the Adriatic axis A14
Bologna-Ancona-Taranto; the A13 Bologna-Padua. The motorway junction
that surrounds the city to the west, north and east is flanked for about
22 km by the ring road. The traffic density is one of the highest in
Italy and also the environment and air quality are strongly affected by
it: to the pollution typical of the traffic of an urban area of one
million inhabitants is added that of a traffic " of transit" that has no
equal in Italy, especially in relation to the size of the agglomeration.
In order to relieve traffic congestion and enhance the motorway and ring
road junction, a dynamic third lane was created on the A14 and the
traffic lights at the junctions of the ring road with urban roads
replaced with roundabouts. Furthermore, the construction of the
so-called Passante Nord is being studied which, detaching itself from
the A14 in the area of Castel San Pietro Terme, should connect to the A1
before Castelfranco Emilia, passing north of the city, in order to
distance the transit traffic only.
Other important roads that
touch the city are the Via Emilia state road 9, which connects it with
numerous capitals of Emilia-Romagna, as well as with Lodi and Milan; the
former state road 253 San Vitale which connects it with Ravenna; the
former Futa state road 65 which connects it with Florence and the
Porrettana state road 64 which comes from Pistoia and continues to
Ferrara.
Railways
Bologna is a railway hub of national
importance, through which it is estimated that more than 85% of national
traffic transits between North and South, excluding traffic via La
Spezia (for Milan and France) and traffic via Ravenna - Ferrara and via
Ferrara - Suzzara - Parma. The railways offer, in addition to the
regional, national and international connection service, also services
at the metropolitan level.
The railway lines of national
importance that serve Bologna Centrale are:
the Bologna-Milan line
(which connects the capital cities of Emilia, with the exception of
Ferrara, as well as Genoa and Turin), which, since December 2008, has
been joined by the corresponding high-speed line;
the
Bologna-Ancona-Bari (which heading towards Romagna touches all the
capitals with the exception of Ravenna, and then follows the entire
length of the Adriatic coast southwards as far as Puglia);
the
Bologna-Florence-Rome (called "Direttissima"), joined since December
2009 by the new high-speed line between Bologna and Florence, which
continues to Naples and Calabria;
the Bologna-Verona, which also
connects it to Trentino-Alto Adige and Northern Europe;
the
Bologna-Venice, which also connects it to Friuli-Venezia Giulia and
Eastern Europe;
The other lines of regional importance connected
to Bologna Centrale are:
the Bologna-Porretta Terme-Pistoia line
(called "Porrettana"), built in 1864. Up until the construction of the
"Direttissima" in 1934, it was the main connection line between Northern
and Southern Italy;
Bologna–Portomaggiore;
the
Bologna-Casalecchio-Vignola, which shares the infrastructure of the
Bologna-Porretta from Bologna to Casalecchio.
The city also has a
beltline railway.
The main railway station is Bologna Centrale
station, one of the largest Italian stations in terms of passenger
traffic (about 58 million a year) and the number of trains in transit
per day.
Metropolitan railway service
The Bologna metropolitan
railway service is a high-frequency suburban railway service, which uses
railway lines converging in the city of Bologna. It is identified by the
acronym SFM or even just with the letter "S". This service offers
several stops within the urban center of Bologna and the metropolitan
city, and is therefore also useful for travel within the city.
Airports
In 2019, Guglielmo Marconi Airport in Bologna was the eighth
Italian airport by number of passengers. The importance of the airport
(whose catchment area is estimated at at least ten million people) is
mainly due to its position in the "production centre" of Italy. In
addition to its function at the service of the entire production area of
Emilia and the Marches, the increase in routes by low cost airlines and
the construction of the high-speed line to Florence have led to a
massive increase in tourist users. The airport is connected to Bologna
Central Station via the Marconi Express, an elevated people mover.
Urban mobility
Urban public transport is managed by TPER, which
offers a bus and trolleybus service, with urban, suburban and intercity
lines. Some lines have been contracted out by Tper to some companies
including Autoguidovie, SACA, COSEPURI and other minor companies.
In Bologna there are car sharing services (Io Guido and Enjoy, with
petrol cars, and Corrente, with electric cars) and two bike sharing
services (managed respectively by Mobike and TPER). Since spring 2010, a
free bike taxi service, called Bi-Bo, has been operating in the centre.
Cycle paths
Bologna has a dense network of cycle paths. As of
June 2022, the urban cycle network measures approximately 200 km, of
which 120 km in a protected area, 50 km of cycle paths on the roadway
and 30 km of green paths (in green or river areas). By 2024, the
construction of an additional 50 km of cycle paths is already planned
and financed.
The cycle path network is identified by the routes
of the Bicipolitana, the cycle path network of the metropolitan city of
Bologna. Of the 32 routes identified by the Bicipolitana, 10 are radial
routes starting from the center of Bologna and the other 2 are
tangential routes that surround the city of Bologna, including the
Bicycle Ring Road, inaugurated in 2015, which follows the route of the
ring roads around to the historical centre.
Line 2 of the
Bicipolitana includes the Bologna section of the Ciclovia del Sole, part
of the EuroVelo 7 European cycle corridor, which runs through Europe
from north to south.
The Urban Plan for Sustainable Mobility sets
as a goal, for 2030, that 18% of journeys within the municipality of
Bologna take place by bicycle.
Throughout its democratic history, the city administration has been
distinguished by its left-leaning political orientation. In 1914 the
Socialist Party won the first administrative elections by universal male
suffrage with a large majority with the electoral motto "Bread and the
alphabet", leading to the first socialist junta of Francesco Zanardi.
The advent of the fascist regime led to the abolition of the municipal
democratic bodies, re-established only after the Liberation with the
introduction of universal suffrage. The first post-war mayor was
Giuseppe Dozza, appointed in 1945 by the Emilia and Romagna regional
national liberation committee and confirmed in the first local elections
by universal suffrage in 1946. Since then, with only the parenthesis of
1999-2004 (which saw him as head of the centre-right council Giorgio
Guazzaloca), the citizens elected left-wing or centre-left
administrations, so much so that the appellation "Bologna the red"
assumed a political meaning.
Bologna has been characterized by a
high political participation of citizens, which can be seen in the high
electoral turnout, historically oscillating between 80% and 70%. A
strong setback occurred in the municipal elections of 2016, in which
there was a turnout of less than 60%, which dropped further in the next
electoral round in 2021, stopping at the historic low of 51%. Bologna
ranks well above the national average also for the participation of
women in the administration, with 60% of women elected to the City
Council in 2016.
Soccer
The Bologna Football Club 1909, seven times Italian
champion, twice winner of the Italian Cup and three times of the Central
European Cup, is based in the city. His palmarès also includes an
Intertoto Cup, an Italian-English League Cup and an International
Tournament at the 1937 Paris Universal Expo. He plays in Serie A.
Basketball
In Bologna basketball is a very rooted sport. In the
nineties the city earned the nickname of Basket City ("the city of
basketball") thanks to the simultaneous militancy at the top of Europe
of the two Bolognese teams: Virtus, winner of 16 Scudetti and 2
Euroleague-Cup Champions, and Fortitudo, which won the Italian
championship twice.
Women's basketball is represented at high
levels by the women's selection of Virtus militant in the top flight and
by Libertas Basket Bologna, in Serie A2 since 1993.
The main
bodies that organize the Italian basketball championships and the
All-Star Game are based in the capital of Emilia: the Basketball League
and the National Basketball League.
Volleyball
Zinella Volley
won the Italian championship in 1984/85, the Italian Cup in 1983/84, the
Cup Winners' Cup in 1986/87 and a League Cup in 1985/86. It was later
acquired by the Pallavolo San Lazzaro company, which in turn, at the
beginning of 2019, merged into the new Geetit Pallavolo Bologna together
with 6 other companies in the area. In the 2021-2022 championship it
plays in Serie A3.