Piazza Maggiore, the heart of Bologna, is an essential stop on any visit. This lively square is surrounded by historic landmarks, including the Palazzo dei Banchi, the Palazzo del Podestà, and the magnificent Basilica of San Petronio. It's a favorite gathering spot for both tourists and students.

The Fountain of Neptune is a monumental civic fountain located in the eponymous square, Piazza del Nettuno, next to Piazza Maggiore, in Bologna, Italy The fountain is a model example of Mannerist taste of the Italian courtly elite in the mid-sixteenth century.

Basilica Santo Stefano, hailed as one of Bologna's most beautiful, is a complex of 7 churches spanning various historical periods. Referred to as Seven Churches (Sette Chiese) or Holy Jerusalem, this minor basilica on Piazza Santo Stefano boasts a labyrinth of interlocking structures, incorporating Romanesque, Lombard, and ancient Roman elements.

Everyone knows the Leaning Tower of Pisa. But have you heard of the Two Towers of Bologna? The Torre degli Asinelli and the Torre Garisenda are iconic landmarks of the city. The Torre degli Asinelli, impressive at 97.2 meters tall, is the tallest medieval leaning tower in the world.

The Santuario Madonna di San Luca sits picturesquely atop the Colle della Guardia, offering stunning panoramic views of the city and the surrounding countryside. This Baroque basilica, dating back to the 18th century, is connected to the city by a unique arcade that stretches nearly four km, providing pilgrims with shelter from wind and weather.

Located right next to Piazza Maggiore, the gothic Basilica di San Petronio dates back to 1390. Dedicated to Saint Petronius, the city’s fifth-century bishop and patron saint, the basilica features an incomplete facade that adds to its charm. Notably, Emperor Charles V chose this site for his 1530 coronation by Pope Clement VII. Inside, visitors can admire the basilica’s 22 side chapels and experience the enchanting sounds of its ancient organs, among the oldest still playable in the world.

The Cattedrale Metropolitana di San Pietro impresses with its Baroque architecture. Originally constructed in the 10th century, the cathedral has undergone multiple rebuilds following a devastating fire in 1141 and a powerful earthquake in 1222. The current facade, crafted by Alfonso Torreggiani, dates to the 18th century.

The porticos of Bologna, partially declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2021, stretch over an impressive 62 kilometers and stand as a unique symbol of the city. Dating back to the 12th century, these arcades provide shelter from the sun and rain, playing an integral role in the daily life of Bologna's residents. Among them, the Portico di San Luca is particularly remarkable. Extending nearly 4 km with 666 arches, it holds the title of the longest portico in the world, guiding visitors from the city center to the pilgrimage church Madonna di San Luca.

The Basilica of San Domenico is considered one of the most beautiful churches in the city. A highlight is the Arca di San Domenico, a magnificent tomb for the founder of the Dominican Order, crafted by renowned artists like Nicola Pisano and the young Michelangelo. Inside, the church boasts masterful artworks and numerous chapels. Among these is the impressive Rosary Chapel, which features paintings by Guido Reni and frescoes by Filippino Lippi​. Visitors can also admire three statues by Michelangelo: St. Petronius, St. Proculus, and an angel.

The National Art Gallery of Bologna is a museum in Bologna, Italy. It is located in the former Saint Ignatius Jesuit novitiate of the city's University district, and inside the same building that houses the Academy of Fine Arts. The museum offers a wide collection of Emilian paintings from the 13th to the 18th century and other fundamental works by artists who were in some way related to the city.

Palazzo Re Enzo is a palace located on Piazza del Nettuno, 1 in the historic center of Bologna, northern Italy. The palace takes its name from Enzio of Sardinia, Frederick II's son, who was prisoner here from 1249 until his death in 1272. The palace is presently used to sponsor cultural events and exhibitions.

The Archiginnasio of Bologna is one of the most important buildings in the city of Bologna; once the main building of the University of Bologna, it currently houses the Archiginnasio Municipal Library and the Anatomical Theatre. In the heart of the palace is the university Chapel of Santa Maria dei Bulgari, a reflection of history.

San Giovanni in Monte is a 15th-century Roman Catholic church in Bologna, Italy.

Palazzo d'Accursio is a palace once formulated to house major administrative offices of the city of Bologna, region of Emilia-Romagna, Italy. It is located on the Piazza Maggiore, and is the city's Town Hall. The palace is also home to the Civic Art Collection, with paintings from the Middle Ages to the 19th century; the Museo Morandi, with the works by Giorgio Morandi; and the Biblioteca Salaborsa, the town libraries.

The Certosa di Bologna is a former Carthusian monastery in Bologna, northern Italy, which was founded in 1334 and suppressed in 1797. In 1801 it became the city's Monumental Cemetery which would be much praised by Byron and others. In 1869 an Etruscan necropolis, which had been in use from the sixth to the third centuries BC, was discovered here. The Certosa is located just outside the walls of the city, near the Stadio Renato Dall'Ara, at the foot of the Monte della Guardia and the Sanctuary of the Madonna di San Luca.

The Anatomical Theatre of the Archiginnasio is a hall once used for anatomy lectures and displays held at the medical school in Bologna, Italy that used to be located in the Palace of the Archiginnasio, the first unified seat of the University of Bologna. A first anatomical theatre was constructed in 1595, in a different location, but it was replaced by a bigger one built in 1637 in the current location, following the design of the architect Antonio Levanti. The ceiling and the wall decoration were completed from 1647 to 1649 but only the lacunar ceiling dates from this period, with the figure of Apollo, the god of Medicine, in the middle, surrounded by symbolic images of constellations carved in wood. The theatre underwent several modifications and reached its final shape between 1733 and 1736. In this period, Silvestro Giannotti carved the wooden statues which decorate the theatre walls. They represent some famous physicians of ancient times and of the local athenaeum. The two famous statues of the “Spellati” are the work of the well-known artist of anatomical wax displays, Ercole Lelli. The statues carry the canopy, surmounting the teacher’s chair, and topped by the allegorical image of Anatomy. In the centre of the theatre stands the white table on which the dissection of human or animal bodies took place. The theatre was almost completely destroyed during the Second World War, by an air raid on January 29, 1944. After the war the Theatre was rebuilt with exemplary philological rigour, using all of the original pieces recovered among the rubble of the building.

View from Tower of Torre Garisenda and surroundings

The Arca di San Domenico is a monument containing the remains of Saint Dominic. It is located in Dominic’s Chapel in the Basilica of San Domenico in Bologna, Italy.

The Palazzo del Podestà is a civic building in Bologna, northern Italy. The edifice was built around 1200 as the seat of the local podestà, the various functionaries of the commune. It stands on the Piazza Maggiore, near the Palazzo Comunale and facing the Basilica of San Petronio. Proving insufficient for the massive participation of the people in the city's government, it was in 1245 flanked by the Palazzo Re Enzo, over which stands the Torre dell'Arengo, whose bell was used to call the people during emergencies. The Palazzo del Podestà is a long building, with a large hall on the upper floor. The lower floor is a double open arcade, the so-called Voltone del Podestà, through which pass two lanes of shops.

Bologna Guglielmo Marconi Airport is an international airport serving the city of Bologna in Italy. It is approximately northwest of the city centre in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. The airport is named after Bologna native Guglielmo Marconi, an Italian electrical engineer and Nobel laureate.

Porta Maggiore, now known as Porta Mazzini, was the main eastern portal of the former medieval walls of the city of Bologna, Italy. It straddles the site in which the Strada Maggiore of Bologna changes name to via Mazzini, immediately west of the intersection with the Viale di Ciconvallazione. First erected in the 13th century, in 1507, under Pope Julius II a further fortification was added. By the 17th century, porticos were built leading to the church-sanctuary of Santa Maria Lacrimosa degli Alemanni further down on Via Mazzini. In 1770, the portal was partially reconstructed by designs of Giovanni Giacomo Dotti. In 1903, the gate was nearly completely dismantled, but a fierce debate shut down the work, and soon led to conservation and restoration under the direction of Alfonso Rubbiani. Further restorations occurred in 2007 and 2009, but it remains a shell of the former self, an inconvenience in the road, standing as a roofless brick structure with two ogival arches in series, devoid of its former facade and covered passageway.

The Basilica of Saint Francis is a historic church in the city of Bologna in northern Italy. Founded in the 13th century, it has been the property of the Conventual Franciscan friars since then. The church has been raised to the rank of a Roman Catholic basilica by the Holy See.

The Sanctuary of Santa Maria della Vita is a late-Baroque-style, Roman Catholic church in central Bologna, near the Piazza Maggiore.

The Teatro Comunale di Bologna is an opera house in Bologna, Italy. Typically, it presents eight operas with six performances during its November to April season. While there had been various theatres presenting opera in Bologna since the early 17th century, they had either fallen into disuse or burnt down. However, from the early 18th century, the Teatro Marsigli-Rossi had been presenting operatic works by popular composers of the day including Vivaldi, Gluck, and Niccolò Piccinni. The Teatro Malvezzi, built in 1651, burned down in February 1745 and this event prompted the construction of a new public theatre, the Nuovo Teatro Pubblico, as the Teatro Comunale was first called when it opened on 14 May 1763.

Piazza Santo Stefano also known as Piazza delle Sette Chiese is a piazza of Bologna, Italy. It is a pedestrian zone, in a triangular space near the beginning of Via Santo Stefano, both of which are named after the Basilica of Santo Stefano which is located on the piazza. Often used for cultural events, flea-markets and concerts, it has porticos along both long sides with the Basilica occupying the short side. To the left of the Basilica is a complex of buildings joined by the powerful medieval Isolani family. From the left side you can reach Strada Maggiore via the Corte Isolani passage which was created in renovations to the Palazzo Isolani in 1999. On the right is Palazzo Bolognini Amorini Salina, notable for its frieze with terracotta heads, and the Case Tacconi, a good example of Bolognese merchant houses of the fifteenth century.

The Giardini Margherita is a park in Bologna, Italy, located just south of the city centre.

The Cineteca di Bologna is a film archive in Bologna, Italy. It was founded on 18 May 1962. Since 1989, it has been a member of the Fédération internationale des archives du film. It has been a member of the Association des cinémathèques européennes since its creation. Since March 2014, its president is Italian movie director Marco Bellocchio and its director is Gian Luca Farinelli.

The Basilica of San Giacomo Maggiore is an historic Roman Catholic church in Bologna, region of Emilia Romagna, Italy, serving a monastery of Augustinian friars. It was built starting in 1267 and houses, among the rest, the Bentivoglio Chapel, featuring numerous Renaissance artworks.

The Collegio di Spagna is a college for Spanish students at the University of Bologna, Italy, which has been functioning since the 14th century. Its full original name in English translation was the College of Saint Clement of the Spaniards. It has been under the Royal patronage of the Spanish Crown since 1488, as authorized by Pope Innocent VIII.

The Fiera di Bologna is the business district of the city of Bologna, in central Italy. The area includes a trade exhibition centre and several office towers occupied by the regional government of Emilia-Romagna and various private companies.

Santa Maria dei Servi is a Roman Catholic basilica in Bologna, Italy. It was founded in 1346, as the church of the Servite Community of the Blessed Virgin Mary and was designed by Andrea da Faenza, a head friar and architect who also assisted Antonio di Vincenzo on the monumental Basilica of San Petronio. In the 20th century, Pope Pius XII granted the church the status of basilica.

The Park of Montagnola is one of the oldest and greenest public parks in the centre of Bologna, Italy. It was first opened in the 17th century. It commemorates the victory of the Italians over the Austrians in 1848. The park has a number of 19th and early 20th century sculptures. It is used for various events.

The Porta Saragozza of Bologna was one of the gates or portals in the medieval walls of this city. The gate was built in the 13-14th centuries, and by 1334 it was provided with a drawbridge crossing a moat. It was not used much until 1674, when the long Portico di San Luca was built from the center of town to the Basilica della Beata Vergine di San Luca, used in yearly procession of an icon. From then on it became also known as the “Porta Sacra” or the “Porta dei pellegrini” for its placement in the route towards the Sanctuary of San Luca. In 1859, concordant with a rising movement to restore medieval remnants in Italian cities, the architect Giuseppe Mengoli, replaced the mediaeval cassero with the present one by connecting it with two crenellated arches to the two lateral cylindrical great towers, giving it its present castle-like form. About nine of the original twelve gates remain in the third set of circumvallating 14th-century walls of Bologna. These include the Porta Maggiore, Porta Castiglione, Porta Saragozza, Porta San Felice, Porta delle Lame, Porta Galliera, Porta Mascarella, Porta San Donato, and Porta San Vitale.

The Archaeological Civic Museum of Bologna is located in the fifteenth-century Palazzo Galvani building at Via dell'Archiginnasio 2 postal code 40124 Bologna, once known as the Hospital of Death. Founded in September 1881 by the merging of two separate museums: the one belonging to the University of Bologna – heir of the Room of Antiquity belonging to the Academy of Sciences founded by Luigi Ferdinando Marsili in – and that belonging to the City of Bologna and the large amount of finds from excavations conducted in and around Bologna during these times. This museum is among the most important in archeological finds in Italy and is highly representative of the local history from prehistoric period to Roman Age. Additionally, its ancient Egyptian collection is among the most important in Europe. Between 1972 and 2012 the Museum has housed over 150 exhibitions with focus on archeology but also on arts.

The Museo internazionale e biblioteca della musica is a music museum and music library in the Palazzo Aldini Sanguinetti, in the historic center of Bologna, Italy.

The Palazzo Poggi is a palazzo in Via Zamboni 33, Bologna, Italy. It is the headquarters of the University of Bologna and of the rector of the university.

Arena Parco Nord is a natural amphitheatre located in Bologna, Italy. It is used primarily for open-air concerts. The amphitheatre has served as the venue for the Independent Days Festival since 1999. It also hosted part of the European Monsters of Rock tour in 1990.

San Michele in Bosco is a religious complex in Bologna, central Italy, including the church with the same name and the annexed Olivetan monastery. The buildings of the monastery were acquired in 1955 by the municipality of Bologna, to house an orthopedic center named the Rizzoli Orthopedic Institute.

The Oratory of Saints Cecilia and Valeriano is a religious site in central Bologna, found on Via Zamboni, contiguous to the portico of the church of San Giacomo Maggiore. The oratory was built at the site of a Romanesque church commissioned by the then ruler of Bologna Giovanni II Bentivoglio. It was frescoed starting in 1505 by series of Renaissance painters associated with the Bentivoglio court, including Francesco Francia, Lorenzo Costa and Amico Aspertini. The frescoes cover the walls flanking the oratory entrance. In ten panels, divided by pilaster strips in decorated grotteschi, scenes from the life of Saint Cecilia and her husband Valerian are described. The individual attribution of all the panels is not entirely clear; they depict:

San Martino church, also called San Martino Maggiore is a Gothic-style, Roman Catholic church located at the corner of Via Marsala and Via Guglielmo Oberdan in Bologna, region of Emilia Romagna, Italy. The church was founded by the adjacent Carmelite monastery. On 10 August 1704 via the authority of the Vatican Chapter, the venerated image of the Virgin of Mount Carmel was crowned by Pope Clement XI. On 25 August 1941, Pope Pius XII elevated it to the status of basilica.

Palazzo dei Banchi is a Renaissance-style palace façade located on the eastern flank of the Piazza Maggiore in the center of Bologna, region of Emilia-Romagna, Italy. In the 16th century when the present façade was constructed, and still, the Piazza Maggiore was the main public plaza of Bologna, surrounded by the centers of religious and political governance, represented by the cathedral and the palaces of Re Enzo and D'Accursio. Prior to the 16th century, this end of the Piazza was represented by a jumble of house and store-fronts. In 1412, the Piazza front was roofed with a portico. Amid the houses emerged small alleys: Via Pescherie Vecchie, Via Clavature, and Via degli Orefici, each with their own concentration of businesses. Underneath the porticos adjacent to the Piazza, bankers set up banchi to conduct their business. In the 15th and 16th centuries, among the families owning botteghe were the aristocratic and senatorial Malvasia, Duglioli, and Amorini families. In 1565-1568, the commune and merchants wishing to create a pleasing architectural component to this site, commissioned from the architect Vignola, the present design. The asymmetric façade has 15 rounded arches, two of which are larger and lead to the alleys mentioned above, while the others are lower. All are flanked by monumental Composite pilasters. Each floor has its own Mannerist rhythm of window placement, unifying the complex into what appears to be a single gallery of one palace. The palace is connected by a portico, known as a Pavaglione, to the Archiginnasio of Bologna, one of the main buildings of the University of Bologna. The term derives from the local dialect “ Pavajån “, meaning pavilion, in reference to a fair of silkworms held here in 1449.

Santi Bartolomeo e Gaetano is a Renaissance style, Roman Catholic church in central Bologna; it is located near the Two Towers, adjacent to the Strada Maggiore.

The Church of Corpus Domini, also known as the Chiesa della Santa is a Roman Catholic church in Bologna. It is part of an active monastery complex of the order of Clarissan nuns, that is nuns of the contemplative Second Order of St. Francis. The monastery is semi-cloistered. The complex hosts a museum dedicated to nurses and nursing, inaugurated by Cardinal Giorgio Gusmini in 1919. The museum has written and perhaps painted works of Saint Caterina de' Vigri, also known as Saint Catherine of Bologna. The church structure was built in 1478 and decorated in the 17th century, among the works are:

The Museo d'Arte Moderna di Bologna or MAMbo is a purpose-designed museum of modern and experimental art in Bologna, Italy. The, which displays a large collection of works by Giorgio Morandi, is temporarily housed in a part of it.

Porta Galliera was a gate or portal of the former outer medieval walls of the city of Bologna, Italy. It is the most ornamented of all the remaining gates. The gate was built during 1659-1661 by designs of the architect Bartolomeo Provaglia. The interior portal has a scenic Baroque facade, while the external portal accentuates the defensive military role of a gate. The road from here led to Ferrara. In 1330–1333, the Cardinal Bertrand du Pouget ordered construction of a castle near this gate as part of a siege. By the twentieth-century the walls were torn down, and the gate isolated. Restorations were pursued in 1926 and in 2001–2003.

The Palazzo Pepoli Vecchio is a Medieval palace located on Via Castiglione number 8, in central Bologna, region of Emilia-Romagna, Italy. The merlonated brick Gothic-style building is now the civic Museum of the History of Bologna. It stands across the street from the Baroque-style Palazzo Pepoli Campogrande, now a civic art gallery.

Santa Lucia is a former ancient Roman Catholic church in central Bologna, located on Via Castiglione 36. The building's facade was never completed and is made of brick, some of which is deteriorating. The interior features Baroque architecture and is used as a lecture hall by the University of Bologna.

The Palazzo Isolani is a palace located on located on Via Santo Stefano #16 facing Piazza Santo Stefano in the center of Bologna, region of Emilia-Romagna, Italy, with both Gothic and Renaissance architecture features.

The Palazzo Dall'Armi Marescalchi is a Baroque style palace in central Bologna, Italy. The palace was initially constructed in 1466, and rebuilt in 1613 by Floriano Ambrosini. The Marescalchi name was added when Eleonora D'Armi married Senator Vincenzo Marescalchi. In the 1700s, further lands and gardens were added. In the 19th century further reconstruction was pursued. The scientist Guglielmo Marconi was born in the palace. In 1961 it was acquired by the Ministry of the Treasury, and converted to house the Soprintendenza per i Beni Ambientali e Architettonici of the Province of Emilia. Some of the rooms on the main floor retain frescoes by Ludovico Carracci and Guido Reni. The large oval hall was frescoed by Felice Giani in 1780. The palace suffered during the bombardments of World War II.

The Ducati Museum is a transport museum in Bologna, Italy at the Ducati factory. It contains a collection of Ducati motorcycles and some early non-automotive products. It opened in 1998. The museum's collection of technical documentation was selected by Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities for inclusion in the national archive.

The Palazzo Pepoli Campogrande, also known as Palazzo Pepoli Nuovo, is a Baroque style palace on Via Castiglione 7 in central Bologna, region of Emilia-Romagna, Italy. In 2015, it served as a public art gallery for late-Baroque art. Across the Via, rises the medieval Palazzo Pepoli Vecchio, also once pertaining to the same family, which now serves as a museum of the history of Bologna.

The original Palazzo Bentivoglio was a palace in Bologna, which was destroyed by a mob in 1507. A second palace by the same name was built nearby, and is still standing.

The Palazzo Hercolani or Ercolani is a large Rococo or Neoclassic-style palace in Strada Maggiore in central Bologna, which now serves as the offices for the Political Science Department of the University of Bologna.

Palazzo dei Notai is a historic building in Bologna, Italy. It faces Piazza Maggiore, between the basilica di San Petronio and palazzo d'Accursio. It was built in 1381 by the city's notaries guild as their seat, under design by Berto Cavalletto and Lorenzo da Bagnomarino. Another section facing Palazzo d'Accursio was remade by Bartolomeo Fioravanti around 1437. It was again restored in 1908 by Alfonso Rubbiani. It consists of a brick rectangular building, crenellated on the top, with ground story awnings. The interior has 15th-century frescoes.

San Paolo Maggiore, also known as San Paolo Decollato, is a Baroque-style, Roman Catholic basilica church located on Via Carbonari #18 in Bologna, region of Emilia-Romagna, Italy.

The Orto Botanico dell'Università di Bologna, also known as the Orto Botanico di Bologna, is a botanical garden operated by the University of Bologna. It is located at Via Irnerio, 42, 40126 Bologna, Italy, and open daily except Mondays. Established in 1568, the garden is one of Europe's oldest, after those of Pisa, Padua, and Florence. Although early records indicate a Bolognese medicinal herb garden dating to 1365, today's garden arose from the proposals of botanist Luca Ghini, who left to create the Orto botanico di Pisa, and became a reality under his successor Ulisse Aldrovandi. Those first gardens were located in the Palazzo Pubblico, in a courtyard near today's Sala Borsa, but partially moved in 1587 to a larger site in Borghetto S. Giuliano, with an area of about 5000 m². By 1653 the garden's catalog listed approximately 1500 species. In 1740 the garden moved to Porta S. Stefano, followed in 1745 by the construction of a hybernaculum, where exotic plants were kept during the winter. Neoclassical greenhouses were added in 1765, to designs by Francesco Tadolini, and still stand in Via San Giuliano. In 1803 the garden moved again to its current location. The garden suffered a period of severe neglect in the early 1900s, and indeed was covered with a dense natural forest, and bombing in 1944 destroyed the garden's Napoleonic-era orangerie. Since end of World War II, however, the garden has gradually been restored. Today's garden contains about 5,000 specimens representing 1200 taxa. Its site is roughly rectangular, about 2 hectares in extent, with the following major features:

Santissimo Salvatore is a Baroque-style Roman Catholic church in central Bologna, Emilia-Romagna, Italy.