Bologna 7-day itinerary

Start at Piazza Maggiore. Basilica di San Petronio (free) — fifth-largest church in the world with a 67m meridian line. Walk to the Due Torri — climb the Asinelli Tower (498 steps, €5) for terracotta rooftop views to the Apennines. The leaning Garisenda tower tilts 3.2° — more than Pisa.

The Quadrilatero — medieval market streets with delis, cheese shops, and fresh pasta vendors. Italy's food capital in miniature. Lunch at Osteria dell'Orsa — handmade tagliatelle al ragù (€9). Try mortadella (not "bologna") from a market stall — the real thing is extraordinary. Buy parmigiano reggiano aged 24+ months.

Via del Pratello for aperitivo (6–9pm) — a drink (€5–8) with free buffet at many bars. Camera a Sud and Marsalino have the best spreads. The street fills with students, artists, and locals every evening. Walk the porticoes at night — the 40km of covered arched walkways are atmospheric when lit.

Walk the Portico di San Luca — 3.8km of continuous portico (666 arches) climbing to the Sanctuary of the Madonna di San Luca. Hilltop views over Bologna and the Po Valley. The 45–60 minute walk is a Bologna rite of passage — join the locals who do it as a morning exercise routine.

Europe's oldest university (1088) keeps the streets buzzing. Visit the Archiginnasio (free) — the original university with an anatomical theatre (€3) of carved wooden physician figures. Walk Via Zamboni — street art, bookshops, student bars. Lunch at Trattoria Anna Maria on Via Belle Arti for legendary tortellini in brodo (€10).

Osteria del Sole on Vicolo Ranocchi — open since 1465, BYO food (buy from the Quadrilatero), wine from the house (€3/glass). Communal tables, local character, and a tradition that hasn't changed in centuries. Then Cantina Bentivoglio on Via Mascarella for live jazz in a medieval wine cellar (free–€10 entry).

Visit the Basilica di Santo Stefano (free) — seven interconnected churches dating from the 5th century, with a cloister and Pilate's Basin. Then find the secret canal window on Via Piella — a tiny window revealing the hidden Canale delle Moline beneath the city. Bologna was once a city of canals like Venice — most were covered over in the 19th century.

Visit MAMbo — Bologna's Museum of Modern Art (€6) on Via Don Minzoni. The permanent collection features Arte Povera and Italian post-war art. Walk to the nearby Manifattura delle Arti — a cultural district of galleries, a cineteca (film archive), and restaurants. Lunch at Berberè on Via Petroni — gourmet pizza from local sourdough with seasonal toppings (€8–12).

Via Zamboni — the university street — comes alive in the evening. Start at Libreria Modo Infoshop for the alternative scene, then Cantina Bentivolgio for jazz, or Bar Senza Nome (literally "Bar Without a Name") for its hidden speakeasy vibe. Dinner at Drogheria della Rosa on Via Cartoleria — a pharmacist-turned-restaurateur's intimate trattoria (mains €12–16).

Join a pasta-making class (from €40, 2 hours) — learn to make fresh tagliatelle, tortellini, and ragù from a Bolognese nonna. La Vecchia Scuola Bolognese and Le Cesarine run excellent sessions near the centre. You'll learn the exact thickness of sfoglia (pasta sheet), the perfect fold for tortellini, and the secret to a 3-hour ragù. The best souvenir you'll take home.

Mercato delle Erbe on Via Ugo Bassi — a local covered market with produce, seafood, and a packed bar-restaurant at lunchtime. Walk a self-guided food trail: Tamburini on Via Caprarie for the best mortadella, Majani on Via Carbonesi for cioccolato (Bologna's oldest chocolate shop since 1796), and Paolo Atti on Via Caprarie for fresh tortellini to take home.

Dinner at Trattoria dal Biassanot on Via Piella — near the secret canal window. Start with crescentina (fried bread) with mortadella and squacquerone cheese, then tortellini in brodo, then the cotoletta alla bolognese (veal cutlet with ham, cheese, and truffle). Walk to Cremeria Cavour on Via Castiglione or Stefino on Via Galliera for Bologna's best gelato (€2.50 for two scoops).

Regional train to Modena (25 min, €4.60). Visit the Mercato Albinelli — Modena's beautiful covered market where you can taste traditional balsamic vinegar (aceto balsamico tradizionale, aged 12–25 years — nothing like the supermarket version). The Duomo and Ghirlandina tower (€3) are a UNESCO-listed Romanesque complex. Modena is the birthplace of Pavarotti — the Teatro Comunale has a small museum.

Car enthusiasts: the Ferrari Museum in Maranello (€22, bus from Modena station) or the Enzo Ferrari Museum in Modena (€22). Foodies: visit a parmigiano reggiano dairy (book ahead through the Parmigiano Reggiano Consortium) — watch the morning make and taste cheese aged 12, 24, and 36 months. Lunch at Osteria Francescana (if you booked months ahead) or Trattoria Ermes for €10 home-cooked lunch.

Train back to Bologna. Farewell-to-the-day dinner at Sfoglia Rina on Via Castiglione — a sfogline (pasta-making women) workshop turned restaurant serving fresh pasta made before your eyes. The tortelloni with ricotta and herbs (€10) and ragù (€9) are exceptional. Walk the illuminated porticoes of Via dell'Indipendenza — Bologna's main shopping street under arches.

Walk or bus to Giardini Margherita — Bologna's largest park, popular with joggers, families, and students. Continue uphill into the Bolognese hills (colli) — the residential hill district south of the centre has villas, views, and quiet trattorias. Walk to the Santuario di San Michele in Bosco for panoramic views over the city — less crowded than San Luca and equally beautiful.

Bus to FICO Eataly World (free entry, 15 min) — the world's largest food theme park with cooking demonstrations, tasting experiences, and producers from across Italy. The parmigiano reggiano aging rooms, the truffle market, and the gelato workshops are highlights. Allow 2–3 hours. Lunch at one of the restaurants inside — quality is high and prices fair (€10–18 for mains).

Bologna has Italy's best live music scene outside Milan. Check listings at Locomotiv Club on Via Sebastiano Serlio (indie and rock), Estragon Club for bigger acts, or return to Cantina Bentivoglio for jazz. Dinner at Osteria Bartolini on Via delle Moline for unpretentious Bolognese home cooking (mains €10–14) with local Lambrusco wine — the sparkling red that pairs perfectly with rich Emilian food.

Final visit to the Quadrilatero market — buy vacuum-packed mortadella, aged parmigiano reggiano, dried tortellini, and traditional balsamic vinegar as souvenirs. Paolo Atti on Via Caprarie has the best fresh pasta to take home (they'll pack it for travel). Majani on Via Carbonesi for chocolate — they've been making it since 1796.

Visit the Pinacoteca Nazionale (€6) on Via Belle Arti — Bologna's finest painting collection with works by Raphael, Giotto, and the Bolognese school (Carracci, Guido Reni). Walk the porticoes one final time — the UNESCO-listed covered walkways that define Bologna. Each stretch has its own character, from the grand Via dell'Indipendenza to the intimate lanes of the Quadrilatero.

Final dinner at I Portici on Via dell'Indipendenza — a Michelin-starred restaurant in the grand Hotel I Portici with contemporary Bolognese cuisine (tasting menu from €80). Or stay traditional at Trattoria Serghei on Via Piella — generous portions, local wines, and the warmth of a family-run kitchen (mains €12–18). One last gelato, one last aperitivo, one last portico. Bologna never says goodbye — it says "a presto."