666 arches and 3.8 kilometers uphill to the Sanctuary of San Luca: the world's longest portico and Bologna's favorite pilgrimage.
Explore → Get Early AccessThe classic Bolognese constitutional: espresso at Porta Saragozza, then 3.8 uphill kilometers under the arches with the locals — joggers, nonne, students bargaining with saints before exams — and the view as the payoff.
The portico was a century-long civic crowdfunding project: every arch bears its donor's mark, from noble crests to guild symbols — the hillside as a ledger of who Bologna was in the 1700s.
The Bolognese treat it as sacred gym: the record-runners do it in under 20 minutes, the pilgrims on their knees take rather longer, and the CityRedBus cheats up the road for those saving their legs for the descent.
Bologna's elegant old Roman road: leaning towers at one end, porticoed palazzos and hidden courtyards along…
Bologna's grandest portico: the sweeping arcade beside the Archiginnasio where the city has promenaded for centuries.
Walking Through 40km of Covered Medieval Arcades
Walking Through 40km of Covered Medieval Arcades
Bologna's cathedral, and the tower-within-a-tower almost nobody climbs
Bologna's Grand Medieval Square
Alma Mater Studiorum - Since 1088
Our favourite gelato in Bologna, on Via Castiglione since 1994
Medieval Skyscrapers Since 1109
Join food lovers discovering authentic Bologna. Get our guide to real ragù, traditional osterie, and local markets.
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