Bologna's elegant old Roman road — leaning towers at one end, porticoed palazzos and hidden courtyards along the way.
Explore → Get Early AccessThe old Roman road out of the city is Bologna's most elegant straight line — wooden-beamed porticoes, palazzo courtyards, the Santa Maria dei Servi arcade, and the Garisenda leaning into view at the end.
This is the Via Emilia itself entering the city — the 187 BC Roman highway became the medieval pilgrim and market road, and its palaces record every century of Bolognese money since.
Casa Isolani's portico here rides on nine-meter oak beams from the 1200s — among the oldest surviving in the city. Legend hides three arrows in its ceiling, shot (the story goes) by assassins distracted by a naked lady at a window; visitors squint for them daily.
666 arches and 3.8 kilometers uphill to the Sanctuary of San Luca — the world's longest…
Wine poured before menus arrive, shared tables, and rooms that have fed students since the 1400s…
Walking Through 40km of Covered Medieval Arcades
Medieval Skyscrapers Since 1109
From the medieval Quadrilatero to the Mercato delle Erbe — where the food capital does its…
Ragù as Bologna actually makes it — tagliatelle not spaghetti, hours not minutes, and the osterie…
Join food lovers discovering authentic Bologna. Get our guide to real ragù, traditional osterie, and local markets.
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