12 Bologna

Bologna—the ancient Etruscan Felsina and later Bononia to the Romans—is known as la dotta, for the prestige and importance of the university, la rossa, for both its predominant coloration and the long-standing leftist government, and la grassa, because of the superior quality of its cuisine and the wealth of the population. It is consistently ranked as one of the most livable cities in Italy.

Bologna’s appearance testifies to its long and important history. Characteristic features include the centro storico, whose shape is determined by the last circle of medieval city walls, and Le Due Torri, the two tallest towers that remain of the more than 200 that once bristled skyward, proclaiming the wealth and power of their owners. The basilica of S. Petronio, the third largest church in Italy after the cathedral of Florence and St. Peter’s in Rome, commemorates the fifth-century bishop of Bologna who is still regarded as the city’s most important patron saint. The Piazza Maggiore, with Petronio on one side, the adjoining Piazza Nettuno, dominated by the magnificent Neptune fountain by Giambologna, and Piazza Re Enzo, constitutes one of the most gracious and beautiful promenade areas in Italy. But the miles and miles of porticoes give the city its most distinctive character, providing protection from the sun in summer and the rain in winter.

Bologna is the capital of the Emilia-Romagna region. With about 390,000 inhabitants, Bologna is just the right size, small enough to project a friendly and intimate atmosphere and large enough to support a rich cultural life of music, both modern and classical (the opera house is among the best known in Italy) and art, with museums and churches containing masterpieces, for example, by Raphael and Michelangelo, and frequent exhibitions of contemporary art. The city maintains an authentic Italian character. Bologna enjoys very high income per person and very low unemployment.

The history of Bologna has been repeatedly marked by conflict: invasions, rebellions, and turmoil instigated by fierce competition among the powerful local families. Off and on for centuries the city belonged to the Pope. It was ruled by papal legates until 1859 when it passed by plebiscite to the Kingdom of Savoy, thus to become part of unified Italy. Overlapping this ancient city, many of whose buildings and monuments still bear papal coats-of-arms, is a sophisticated and prosperous modern city with boutiques whose windows display elegantly tailored apparel and exquisitely fashioned leather goods, food shops filled with still-life arrangements of fruits and vegetables, stores that display the finest in Italian housewares, restaurants, and a thriving student scene.

Because of its position at the foot of the Apennines in the broad plain of Emilia, Bologna has been since its founding a major crossroads. Today, it serves as a railway hub, providing easy access to Florence and Ravenna or Venice, Milan, and Rome.