Tuesday (09/22/2015)

Our train from Rome to Bologna took 4 hours and we arrived there around 9pm.

Learn more about our trip to Rome by clicking on this post.

We looked at the bus options from the train station to our hotel on Google Maps and ended up buying the tickets from the driver himself (1.30 per person). We validated the tickets on the machine inside the bus and when we got off at the stop indicated by the app, we still had to walk for about 10 minutes to our hotel.

Our hotel in Bologna

We stayed at the Suite Hotel Elite (68 euros per night), which is very modern and cozy. The room is very comfortable and the breakfast is very complete, but it is quite far from the tourist center and the Wifi was very inconsistent. Since we are tightfisted, we decided to walk for half an hour each way, but it is also possible to take a bus to the center.

We had dinner in our room, as we had bought some snacks and wine, and we fell asleep in bed.

Day 1 – Wednesday (09/23/2015)

We had a very complete breakfast at the hotel and walked for almost half an hour to the city center.

These were the attractions we visited that day:

Basilica of San Petronio

We start with the main one, the Basilica of San Petronio. The world's fifth largest church began construction in 1390 but was only consecrated (blessed) in 1954. It has been the target of two failed terrorist attacks and has a 230-foot-tall sundial on its floor. This clock was instrumental in discovering anomalies in the Julian calendar and led to the creation of the leap year.

You can see right away that its façade is incomplete, especially on the side. The original plan was for it to be larger than St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican, but Pope Pius IV blocked the construction of the missing part when he commissioned a new university on the right side of it. Strategic decision, right?

Piazza Maggiore

If you stand with your back to the Basilica and enjoy the Piazza Maggiore, you will notice that the buildings (palace) have a red hue, because of the terracotta used in medieval times. On your left side, you will see the Town Hall, which is where the city hall has been located since 1336. In front of you will be the Palace of King Enzo and next to it, the Neptune's Square, which received this name because of the Fountain of Neptune, carved in 1566.

Whispering Gallery

Pass under the Palace of King Enzo until you find the Whispering Gallery, which is located where two perpendicular passages intersect. To better understand the name given, stand diagonally across from another person and whisper into the pillar, as if you had your back to the person. The acoustics are impressive!

Palace of the Archbishops

We passed by Palace of the Archbishops, but we only walked around its central space. The amount of coats of arms scattered around is incredible.

Abbey of Saint Stefanthe

We walked to the Abbey of Santo Stefano, which is a very special medieval religious complex. Originally there were 7 churches – hence the name Sette Chiese – but currently there are only 4. The entrance is through Crocefisso Church, which houses the bones of Saint Petronius. Then you will head to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, where you will see a central basin that is said to have been the place where Pontius Pilate washed his hands after condemning Christ to death (but it is actually an 8th century piece). The following is the Church of the Trinity, which is connected to a monastery and a small museum. The latter, Santi Vitale and Agricola, It is the oldest church in the city, with masonry and Roman sculptures from the 11th century.

The Two Towers

We passed in front of the two towers known as The Two Towers, which are the main symbol of the city. The tallest of them is almost 100 meters high and to climb it, you will have to face almost 500 steps. There is a legend that says that if you are a student and climb the tower, you will not graduate. Really? lol

The second tower is only 48 meters high, but it is not open to visitors because it is very leaning and some people say it will fall one day…

Pizza al Taglio

There in the square, we saw a very small pizzeria that sells pizza al taglio (slice) and it was full of students. We decided to try it too and we found it all delicious, and best of all, for only 2 euros each slice. The name is Pizzeria Due Torri. Very original. 🙂

The oldest university in the world

We kept walking until the oldest university in the world! We found the place quite dirty and with a lot of graffiti, but as we saw a lot of students and the weather was very pleasant, we thought it was safe to walk around there.

Lunch in Bologna

After walking around a lot and even peeking at a class from the window, we decided to have lunch at the restaurant recommended by the guide, Osteria dell'Orsa. This is a simple restaurant, with very affordable dishes, and is famous for its sauce. ragù, a far superior Bolognese sauce, which consists of ground beef slowly cooked with bacon, onion and carrot, with a little milk and wine at the end. We tried it and approved! Oh, and the best part: the two well-served dishes and a bottle of house wine came to just 18 euros. 🙂

We walked a little more through the streets with reddish buildings and at the end of the day, we sat in a cafe in Piazza Maggiore to rest. There's nothing like drinking a good wine and watching people go by, right? When we get tired, we walk back to the hotel. 

Wednesday (09/23/2015)

We woke up without rushing, we did the checkout and we took a bus to the train station (1.50 euros per person).

Leaving Bologna

The station was very crowded and so we had to wait in line for one of the company's machines. Trenitalia to buy our train to Florence. It took a while and we were a bit desperate not to find anything cheap at a good time and that's exactly what happened.

We only found tickets for 3 hours later for at least 40 euros each. I was so disappointed that I hadn't bought them in advance...

But, as my guardian angel always takes good care of us, I had the brilliant idea of asking about tickets at a company counter. Italo, which Celo said was more expensive than Trenitalia. To our surprise, there was a train that would leave for Florence in ten minutes from a platform that was quite far away for only 20 euros per person! I thought it was risky to buy it and rush to catch the train, but the guy who helped us assured me that if we missed it, we could catch the next train without any problems. It wasn't worth the risk, right?

We ran like crazy and managed to catch the train. To our delight, the train was a THOUSAND TIMES BETTER than the Trenitalia trains and, surprisingly, there was even a carriage with a movie playing. Oh, it's a high-speed train, so we got there much faster. Florence. It was perfect!

Lesson learned: search for tickets from all available companies!

Want to know more about THIS TRIP? See the posts below:

• Italy – Rome, Tuscany, Bologna and Cinque Terre (14 days -SUMMARY)
• Italy – Rome and Vatican (4 days)
• Italy – Bologna (1 day)
• Italy – Tuscany – Summary (4 days)
• Italy – Tuscany – San Gimignano and Volterra (1 day)
• Italy – Tuscany – Florence (2 days)
• Italy – Tuscany – Lucca (1 day)
• Italy – Tuscany – Monteriggioni and Siena (1 day)
• Italy – Tuscany – Montepulciano and Cortona (1 day)
• Italy – Tuscany – Pisa (1 day)
• Italy – Cinque Terre (2 days)

If you want to know more about our other trips around Italy, see below:

• Italy – Rome, Amalfi Coast, Capri, Pompeii and Caserta (10 days – SUMMARY)
• Italy – Caserta and Pompeii (1 day)
• Italy – Amalfi Coast (3 days)
• Italy – Capri and Anacapri (3 days)
• Italy – Rome and Vatican (2 days)