Bologna is the capital and largest city of Emilia-Romagna in Northern Italy, situated on the edge of the Po Plain at the meeting of the Reno and Savena river valleys.
It is the seventh most populous city in Italy with about 390,000 inhabitants and is often ranked as one of the top cities in terms of quality of life in the country.
Here you can find traces of both ancient Villanovan and Etruscan civilisation, but it’s due to the city’s Roman heritage that large parts of central Bologna are pedestrianised and follow a grid pattern laid down centuries ago. Other signs of Bolognas heritage are that twenty medieval defensive towers built in the 12th and 13th centuries still remain, the most famous are the central “Due Torri” (Asinelli and Garisenda), whose iconic leaning forms have become a symbol of the city.
The city is famous for its elegant and extensive porticoes, which are roof structures covering many walkways. There are in total about 38 kilometres of porticoes in the city’s historical centre, allowing you to walk for long distances sheltered from the elements.
Bologna is very well known for its culinary tradition, and you will for example be able to enjoy many different kinds of fantastic locally cured pork meats such as prosciutto, salami and mortadella everywhere. There are also a number of high-quality vineyards nearby, including Pignoletto dei Colli Bolognesi, Lambrusco di Modena and Sangiovese di Romagna – just to name a few.
Last but not least, you cannot visit Bologna without tasting the original version of one of the world’s most famous dishes – pasta Bolognese. It is different here compared to what you will find in most other places in the world, the famous meat-based pasta sauce (“ragù”) is in Bologna only used as a kind of dressing for tagliatelle, serving it in ”larger” quantities and with another type of pasta, such as spaghetti, would be considered strange. Any which way – the original is delicious and having eaten it in Bologna is something you can brag about your entire life!
Tourist tax in Bologna:
The tax is related to the room price per person per night (exclusive of VAT and supplementary services). The rates as of 1st January 2019 are the following:
Price Range 1 -70.99 €, rate 3.00 € per person per night
Price Range 71-120.99 €, rate 4.00 € per person per night
Price Range over 121 €, rate 5.00 € per person per night
Camping sites and hostels, rate 1.50 € per person per night
Children under 14 are tax-free.
The tax is paid directly to the hotel, at the latest on departure.