Bologna, Italy is a beautiful city in northern Italy that provides tourists with the best of several worlds. It has many beautiful piazzas, churches, museums, good food and friendly people.

Bologne, Italia, as Italians refers to it, is situated in northern Italy at the foot of the Apennine Mountains. This thriving metropolis has an area of 3,702 sq km and a population of almost 400,000. Bologna is a very prosperous commercial and industrial center and an important transportation link between southern and northern Italy.  

Bologna has a very diverse history that is as colorful as its people. Bologna was originally an Etruscan town called Felsina until it became a Roman colony in about 200 BC. The city was passed from ruler to ruler when it was finally made a free commune in the 12 century. Over the next hundred years Bologna became known as an intellectual center. Many of the first university courses such as medical, theological and liberal arts classes were taught in Bologna. Bologna was united with the kingdom of Sardinia in 1860 and since then has become one of the most successful cities in all of Italy.

One of the reasons that Bologna has attracted tourists for generations is that the city has successfully retained a medieval aspect; many streets in Bologna are arcaded. Other points of interest in Bologna are the Palazzo del Podesta, Palazzo Comunale, the palace of King Enzio, the Basilica of San Petronio, the Church of San Domenico and the Archiginnasio.  Bologna also has an amazing archaeological museum, an art gallery, with works by many famous Italian artists, and a nuclear research institute. 

Bologna is famous for having some of the best food in all of Italy. Bologna has numerous restaurants and cafes that offer a wide variety of delectable food that anyone will enjoy. Bologna is most famous for it’s pasta, sausage, cheese, wine and gelato.

The city of Bologna is a breath of fresh air compared to the crowed streets and constant stream of tourists that you will find nearly year round in Florence, Venice and Rome. Bologna is a wonderful city that has remarkably kept a small town feel. Bologna is so original and interesting because much of the city’s center is still as it was during the Renaissance. You will find historic red-colored buildings, wide piazzas and covered walkways with floors laid with marble. If you wish to stray from the hustle and bustle of other cities in Italy, you will not want to miss the beautiful city of Bologna.