36 Hours in Bologna, Italy: Things to Do and See

As a laid-back university town, Bologna is naturally home to a strong cafe scene, especially on weekends. Students and professors alike love Pappare’, a modern coffeehouse where great pastries are backed up by bracingly strong java. For a quick bite, grab a crunchy and flaky cornetto integrale — like a whole-wheat croissant — stuffed with sweet hazelnut cream (€1.90) with a flat white, made with two shots of espresso (€4). Or if you’re feeling particularly peckish, find your spot and wait a few minutes for the cheerful staff to deliver a plate of toast, scrambled eggs and crispy pancetta bacon (€12) or whole wheat pancakes with maple syrup (€9), while you enjoy some of the city’s best people-watching.

Bologna isn’t Milan, but you can still find plenty of great new and vintage clothing and home décor, particularly on and around Via San Vitale. Amid costume jewelry and men’s cashmere sweaters at Fratelli Broche, find museum-quality vintage pieces like a Jean Paul Gaultier crop top (€189) that you can easily imagine on Madonna at the height of her fame. A few doors down on Via San Vitale, Antonio Niero sells remarkable historical posters and prints, including old Vespa advertisements (from €100) and political posters. Closer to the Due Torri, the Fitzroy design shop has handmade ceramic espresso cups (€14.50 each) and prints (around €25), all from independent artists. Finally, stop by the two-year-old Lux in Art, which stocks small maps of Bologna from 1654 (€250), racy ex libris bookplates from the 1930s (€150), and framed, hand-painted reproductions of mid-18th-century prints showing the city skyline (€600).

Bologna’s once-influential 19th- and early-20th-century painters aren’t as well known as they deserve to be. To rectify that situation, Museo Ottocento Bologna opened in 2023, showcasing 85 carefully chosen artworks in a narrow, intimate space, alongside temporary exhibitions by related artists. Gorgeous paintings by Luigi Bazzani, Emma Bonazzi and Guglielmo Pizzirani display unique takes on Romanticism, Impressionism and other artistic movements, offering a compelling counterpoint to the bigger names of those eras (admission, €12). Just around the corner, enjoy the beautiful antique instruments at the Museo Internazionale e Biblioteca della Musica which highlights the city’s important role for musicians and composers, including Mozart, who studied here when Bologna was the center of musical knowledge in Europe. Admission, €5.

Mortadella, the pork cold cut speckled with white fat and, sometimes, pistachios, has exploded in popularity beyond Italy in recent years. Taste one of the best versions of it in a sandwich at Mò! Mortadella Lab, one of the top places to enjoy the deli meat in a city where its status is protected under European Union law. The menu lists a number of combinations with various cheeses and ingredients. The most popular, No. 10, combines thin slices of mortadella with smoked provola cheese and a couple of house-made potato croquettes on a fluffy rosetta roll (€7.50). For those who find mortadella basic, sandwiches with prosciutto, artichokes and eggplant are also available, or you can have one made to order.

Commune with the past at the Archaeological Museum of Bologna. ​​Start downstairs with papyrus scrolls, sarcophagi, mummies (both human and feline) and amulets of the two fingers of Horus, all part of one of Italy’s largest collections of ancient Egyptian artifacts. Then go upstairs into the more recent past, where the spacious wings include collections dedicated to Etruscan, Celtic, Greek and Roman cultures, including an intact, second-century mosaic floor depicting a Gorgon’s head that was unearthed in Bologna in 1914. The museum’s sprawling 14th-century building, the Ospedale della Morte, or Hospital of Death, is suitably atmospheric (admission, €6). Afterward, stroll the Quadrilatero, the old city’s romantic market district, where you can munch on a cream-filled cannolo (€2) while window shopping at the old delis, hardware stores and (mostly modern) clothing boutiques.

Locals have their own favorites for the best gelato in Bologna, though a couple of names stand out. Grab a scoop of “portici” flavor (cheesecake and salted caramel, named after Bologna’s porticoes) and one of rich pistachio (€3.30) at Gelateria Gianni, one of the local champions. Then, compare that with the slightly creamier take on pistachio and the earthy, rich bitter chocolate (€4) gelato at La Sorbetteria Castiglione, another highly esteemed producer. The 20-minute walk between the two should let you work off some of the calories and give you enough time to reflect on which one is best. If you’re uncertain, consider tasting both at least one more time.

The traditional wine-focused restaurants in the center have a long history, like Osteria del Sole, which claims a founding date of 1465. But time moves on, and new arrivals like 2025’s Bottiglieria – Vinibelli are finding appreciative customers interested in natural wines. Start with a glass of Koi Cheto, a flinty, mineral-forward version of pignoletto, a regional white (€6), and a small plate of thick sourdough bread and two local cheeses (€12), before moving on to a serving of diaframma, or hanger steak, served medium-rare with loads of garlicky chimichurri sauce (€15). With its dual role as a bottle shop by day, wine bar and restaurant at night, Bottiglieria – Vinibelli has plenty to discover on its shelves, with patient, English-speaking staff ready to help you find your next favorite.

Night crawlers will find an array of great bars and cafes, with a wide variety of crowds. For a mixology-focused vibe, try Volare, where creative nonalcoholic cocktails like the aromatic Aperitivo Floreale (€7) back up seven listed variations on the martini (€10 to €15). A few blocks away, the dark and romantic lounge I Conoscenti makes house cocktails like the Project, a manhattan-esque take made with vermouth, rye whiskey, sherry, white chocolate and Sichuan pepper (€14). For an artsy crowd, hit up Caffè Pathé, inside the recently reopened Cinema Modernissimo, an art-house theater from 1915. When international directors and cinematographers show up for screenings, you can discuss the finer points of their oeuvre with fellow cineastes over classic (€10), low-alcohol (€8) or even no-alcohol (€7) cocktails late into the night.