BOLOGNA - CODE: TEDBOL

Non mi poriano già mai fare ammenda

el lor gran fallo gli occhi miei, sed elli

non s’accecasser, poi la Garisenda

torre miraro co’ risguardi belli,

e non conobber quella (mal lor prenda)

ch’è la maggior de la qual si favelli [...]

(Le Rime)

 

Qual pare a riguardar la Carisenda

sotto ’l chinato, quando un nuvol vada

sovr’essa sì, ched ella incontro penda;

tal parve Anteo a me che stava a bada

di vederlo chinare, e fu tal ora

ch’i’ avrei voluto ir per altra strada.

(If., canto XXXI)

 

A Provincial and Regional Capital of Emilia Romagna, Bologna is located between the Tuscany-Romagna Apennines and the heart of the Po Valley. A meeting point between north and south, east and west: from Bologna you can easily reach the Adriatic Riviera, as well as Venice, Florence, Milan and Rome.

A city of art and culture, Bologna has many nicknames: "The Learned one", due to one of the oldest universities in Italy that even today continues its role as a very active cultural centre, always open to new and creative ideas. "The Red one", due to the colour the roofs and houses lend to the city, typical colours of the Middle Ages. Bologna "the Fat one", due to its tasty and excellent cuisine: Bologna's dishes are renowned throughout the world and have won over even the  most demanding palates.

The perfect combination between modernity and tradition is one of the elements that charm tourists when they arrive in this beautiful city, that boasts the title of "UNESCO Creative City of Music" and features one of the most extensive medieval historical centres (a distinctive feature are the nearly 40 km of porticoes that border the streets, the longest in the world) and one of the best preserved in Europe, teeming with pubs, taverns, theatres and shops.

This is the home town of great artists, including Giorgio Morandi, Guido Reni, the Carracci, Guercino, Aspertini; its charm even captured famous people such as Mozart, Carducci, Dante, Rossini and the Nobel laureate for Physics, Guglielmo Marconi.

 

 

The monuments:

A visit to the city can only begin with the beautiful PiazzaMaggiore, where the medieval palaces that witnessed an exciting public life and intense economic activity, merged perfectly with modernity, preserving their old world charm. An example of this is the Palazzo D'Accursio, seat of Town Hall: inside, there is the Salaborsa modern multi-media Library, in Art Nouveau style, and the Roman archaeological excavations visible from a modern glass floor. The square is also home to the magnificent and unfinished San Petronio Basilica, the Palazzo del Podestà, the Palace of the Notaries and the 16th century Fountain of Neptune, the work of Gianbologna.

Among the symbols of Bologna, we also find the medieval towers. Out of all of them the Two Towers rise majestically: the Asinelli (98 metres) and its twin, the Garisenda (48 meters, mentioned by Dante in the Inferno).

The Alma Mater Studiorum is the oldest university in the west. Its first prestigious venue, the Archiginnasio, has walls painted with the coats of arms of the students, and the Anatomy Theatre, where in the past, anatomy lessons--including dissections--were held.

Along the old streets and endless porticoes, there is a completely unexpected wonder: the canals, which date back to the 12th century and which can be visited even in the underground passageways.

You can also find a rich heritage of artworks in the various Museums and Galleries, as well as multiple religious buildings, among which the most important ones are: the Santo Stefano Complex; the San Domenico Complex that houses the marble sarcophagus with the Saint's remains, the work of Nicolò dall'Arca with sculptures by Michelangelo; and lastly, the Sanctuary of Santa Maria della Vita, which boasts of another masterpiece of Nicolò dall'Arca, the sculptural group of the Pietà.

 

 

Places to visit:

You can't leave Bologna without visiting Palazzo Poggi, seat of the University and some of the more interesting University Museums, or without seeing the 17th century sundial and the beautiful chapels of the San Petronio Basilica; the portico and the organ of Santa Maria dei Servi; see the canal from the Via Piella window; and the Manifattura delle Arti.  Not to be missed the art and museum route Genus Bononiae. Also recommended: the National Art Gallery (with works by artists such as Raffaello, Guido Reni, Carracci) and Mambo (Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art).

 

In the cultural programme--which includes lots of exhibitions, theatrical events and jazz and contemporary music festivals--the Opera and Ballet Season at the Municipal Theatre, the Mozart Orchestra Concerts, the Bologna Festival and cinema festivals (Il Cinema Ritrovato, Future Film Festival, Biografilm Festival) stand out.

The various large events of note also include “BilBolBul” Comics Festival, the Children’s Book Fair, ArteFiera, ArteLibro and Cioccoshow.

 

Dante and Bologna:

Dante came to Bologna as a young man, in 1286-87, to study rhetoric, grammar and philosophy. In 1287, a notary, Enrichetto delle Quercie, transcribed one of Dante's sonnets dedicated to Garisenda (one of the two Bologna Towers) and added it to the City Memorials (the act is preserved in the State Archives of Bologna). The sonnet is part of the Rime, and is called No me poriano zamai far emenda. In Canto XXXI of the Inferno, Dante finds himself in the "Giants' well",  punished for their opposition to God, between the eighth and ninth circle. To describe the giant Antaeus, who sticks out of the well by several meters, Dante compares him to the Garisenda tower.