World Travel Guide

Home -  City Guide  - Bologna  - Key Attractions
Key Attractions

Le Due Torri (Two Towers)
The Two Towers are among the city's most recognisable landmarks. In the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, the noble families of Bologna raised over 100 towers across the city in successive attempts to outdo each other. Of the twenty medieval skyscrapers that survive today, the Asinelli and the Garisenda towers are Bologna's most famous. Standing at the end of Via Rizzoli, they lean precariously like a couple of proud old dowagers. The taller of the two, the 97.6m (320ft) Torre degli Asinelli can be climbed, offering spectacular views of the city. Her stumpy companion, the 48m (157ft) Torre Garisenda, was cut down to size when her stoop threatened to topple her.

Piazza di Porta Ravegnana
Transport: Bus 10, 11, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 27, 29, 30, 37, 90 or 96.
Opening hours: Daily May-Sep 0900-1800; Oct-Apr 0900-1700.
Admission: L3000.

Pinacoteca Nazionale (National Gallery)
The National Picture Gallery, tucked away under the arcades in Via Belli Arti, celebrates the city's artistic and spiritual past from the fourteenth to the sixteenth century. Although often overlooked, the Counter-Reformation prompted an exceptional school of Bolognese artists, most notably Guido Reni and the Carracci brothers. Among the Italian old masters, Raphael's Ecstasy of St Cecilia and El Greco's Last Supper should not be missed.

Via Belli Arti 56
Tel: (051) 243 222. Fax: (051) 251 368.
E-mail: sbas-bo@iperbole.bologna.it
Transport: Bus 20, 32, 33, 36, 37, 89, 93, 94 or 99.
Opening hours: Tues, Wed, Fri, Sat 0900-1400, Thurs 0900-1930, Sun 0900-1300. Closed Mon.
Admission: L8000.

Basilica di San Petronio
Named after the city's patron saint, the Basilica of St Petronius, Bologna's largest house of worship, dominates Piazza Maggiore with its imposing pock-marked façade. Begun in 1392, it was originally intended to be larger than St Peter's in Rome. Plans came to a halt, however, when the pope refused permission for such a grandiose scheme. The unfinished façade stares across the Piazza like a jilted bride, her rosy complexion topped by a heavy frown of bare brick. Carvings in the central door, depicting scenes from the Old and New testaments, are by the Sienese artist Jacopo della Quercia. Inside, an ingenious sundial lines the floor of the north aisle. Tradition has it that when the sun's rays fall in the shape of a heart, it is time to seek a husband.

Piazza Maggiore
Tel: (051) 225 442 or 231 415.
Transport: Bus 10, 11, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 27, 29, 30, 37, 90 or 96.
Opening hours: Daily April to September 0715-1330 and 1430-1830; October to March 0715-1300 and 1400-1800.
Admission: Free.

Fontana del Nettuno (Fountain of Neptune)
The fountain is the work of Flemish sculptor, Jean Boulogne de Douai, known to posterity as Giambologna, based on a design by Palermitan painter, Tommaso Laureti. Lit up at night, the shadow of the mighty bronze Neptune looms across the Piazza, his trident clasped firmly in his left hand, a fish squirming beneath his foot. At his heel, four angels, representing the four winds, playfully blow water through their pipes. Below, the four voluptuous sirens symbolise the four continents (as imagined at the time).

Piazza Maggiore
Transport: Bus 10, 11, 13 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 27, 29, 30, 37, 90 or 96.

Basilica di Santo Stefano
Standing in the Piazza of the same name, the Basilica of St Stefano is a jumbled complex of interconnecting churches, cloisters, courtyards and crypts. The bulk of the building dates from the fifth century, including the city's oldest church, San Vitale e Agricola. To the right is the Romanesque Chiesa di Crocifisso, which houses the bones of St Petronius, and the Chiesa del San Sepolcro, whose octagonal shape suggests it began life as a baptistry. The Chiesa della Santa Trinita leads into a colonnaded cloister with a beautiful portico and loggia. The adjoining museum houses a small collection of painting and frescoes.

Piazza di Santo Stefano
Tel/Fax: (051) 223 256.
Transport: Bus 11, 18, 25 or 27 (a short walk from the Two Towers).
Opening hours: Mon to Sat 0900-1200 and 1530-1800, Sun and holidays 0900-1300 and 1530-1830.
Admission: Free.

The Archiginnasio
Behind San Petronio, in Piazza Galvani, is the Archiginnasio, a gracious old building that was formerly the university and is now one of the largest municipal libraries in Europe. Its painted halls are stacked high with rare leather-bound volumes too delicate to touch and entry is strictly limited to avoid overloading the sagging floors. Fans of Rossini should take a look at the Stabat Mater Room (mornings only), named in honour of the famous composition by Rossini, performed here for the first time on 18 March 1842. The real reason to make the trip, however, is to see the wood-panelled anatomical theatre. The theatre, which originally dates from the eighteenth century, was destroyed by war-time bombing and has been completely restored with the original wood.

Piazza Galvani
Tel: (051) 276 811. Fax: (051) 261 160.
E-mail: archiginnasio@comune.bologna.it
Website: www.comune.bologna.it/archiginnasio
Transport: Bus 11,13, 19x, 31, 90 or 96.
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 0830-1900, Sat 0830-1400.
Admission: Free.



Copyright © 2001 Columbus Publishing
    
GENERAL
City Overview
City Statistics
Cost of Living
History
Language
Accommodation
 
GETTING THERE
Air
Road
Rail
 
GETTING AROUND
Getting Around
 
BUSINESS
Business
 
SIGHTSEEING
Sightseeing
Key Attractions
Further Distractions
Tours of the City
Excursions
 
ENTERTAINMENT
Nightlife
Sport
Shopping
Culture
Food and Drink