Piazza Maggiore

Bologna's magnificent main square has served as the heart of civic life since the 13th century, its harmonious ensemble of medieval and Renaissance buildings creating one of Italy's most impressive urban spaces. The Palazzo d'Accursio (Town Hall), Palazzo del Podestà, Palazzo dei Banchi, and the massive Basilica of San Petronio frame the pedestrianized piazza where students, tourists, and Bolognesi gather at all hours. The square's perfect proportions, absence of traffic, and surrounding cafes make it the natural starting point for exploring a city that rewards aimless wandering through its porticoed streets.

Basilica Di San Petronio

The world's fifth-largest church was intended to surpass St. Peter's in Rome, but papal intervention halted construction, leaving the facade famously unfinished with its lower half clad in pink marble and the upper half in bare brick. The cavernous interior houses a meridian line installed in 1655 that tracks the sun's movement across a 67-meter brass strip embedded in the floor, once used to prove the accuracy of the Gregorian calendar. The 22 side chapels contain important Renaissance artworks while the sheer scale of the nave—132 meters long—demonstrates the ambitions that made Bologna one of medieval Europe's largest and wealthiest cities.