Our backpacking in Bologna was super-mega-hyper-flash! Even so, the little time we had to visit it was enough to enjoy it ... Especially since we did an unforgettable gastronomic tour (1kg we gained weight!).
But not only tortellini lives the backpacker so we will tell you everything there is what to see and do in Bologna if you have, like us, only 24 hours of time!
The first thing that every worthy visitor has to do is disembark at Maggiore square, the most loved by bolognesi and approach the statue of neptune that hides a very funny story ...
The legend says that, unlike his friend David, the Neptune was much more "gifted." The Church complained about it and demanded that Giambologna, its sculptor, fix the small-big problem. Said and done, but Giambologna, who had a lot of sense of humor and who did not like orders, made a very innocent joke: he designed the statue in such a way that when viewed from a certain perspective the thumb of his left hand seems to come straight from there , yes from there, you understand, right? Where the sun does not shine! If you look at the floor of the square, you will notice a small black square. If you get there you can see the statue in all its “greatness”.
Do not leave the square before going around the Basilica of San Petronio, the Palazzo d'Accursio or Palazzo del Comune, the Palazzo del Podestà, the Palazzo Re Enzo and the Palazzo de 'Banchi. We only entered the Basilica that was free, jiji.
Casualties of life just this weekend in Bologna was the choccoshow, a fair dedicated to chocolate! So we also toured the sweet stands, although we just looked, I swear!
From here we decided to get to know closely another of the typical monuments of Bologna: the Torres degli Asinelli and the Grisenda!
The truth is that there are more towers in the city: in the past the large Bolognese families raised them as a symbol of power. It is best to arrive from Via Rizzoli to see them in all their majesty. The Asinelli degli tower It measures 97.20 meters and if you dare you can climb its 500 steps to see Bologna from the top! The Grisenda Tower today it measures 43 meters, since in 1300 they had to reduce its size, a bit like the Neptune, only in this case the problem was not the church but the risk of it falling apart ... you will notice a slight resemblance to the tower of Pisa!
Admired the towers, we got into the old Jewish quarter of the city where we wander aimlessly between their porches huge (here in Bologna is the longest in the world with 666 arches) and houses that earned him the nickname of red city: The walls are all of this hue, although many say it is due more to the political tendency of most of its inhabitants. We come across lovely streets and little squares full of life ... here the student neighborhood also emerges, so the places to go are not missing!
After eating, and with a very full belly, we decided to wander via Zamboni, which reaches the university and I don't know how we ended up in the Santo Stefano Square We loved it!
Only a few spritz were missing and listen to a song from Basque, Guccini or Dalla, the 3 most famous singers in the city. We left Bologna with a full belly and happy ... it was time to go see Lety's daddies!
Do you know more stuff what to see and do in Bologna?
How to get to the center of Bologna from the airport?
We had been told that the cheapest way to get from the airport was to catch the aerobus, which for the 'modest' figure of € 6, leaves you in the center of Bologna. But there is a cheaper way: catch an urban bus that costs € 1.30. Most likely, you will have to change, but the same ticket can be used as many times as you want for 75 min! The bus number is 54 and it is taken outside the airport after the taxi stop (ask for information, you can also buy tickets there, on the bus they cost € 1.50). Ask the driver to notify you when you arrive at the coincidence with bus 13 (which goes through the center, where you will surely have the hotel!). You will have to take it at the stop on the other side of the street.
More info here.
What to eat
Bologna is a city where you can eat luxury: we were lucky to try the cuisine of l'Osteria dell'Orsa and Bolpetta and we were delighted! The most typical dishes are tortellini, ravioli, tagliatelle col ragú mmm that good everything! If you travel with budget super low cost there is no shortage of fast food or cheap dining options (panini, pizze, aperitivi with drink and food-free buffet for € 6) although I would not leave Bologna without trying tortellini!
Where to sleep in Bologna? There are many accommodation options. We stayed (thanks to a bonus that Rober won) at the Gran Hotel Elite, where we only had to pay a fee of € 2 (municipal fees) hehe: a bargain! In the center there are several cheap hostels and there is always the option of Couchsurfing: the Bolognese are very nice, also in a university city there are always those who are willing to open your house!
