Hi. I've been to Italy 3 times, but I'll be travelling in June with a friend who hasn't gone there yet. I would like to try Bologna, then see Florence and Venice and a few places in between...we have 10 days. We welcome recommendations for hotels and itineraries. Thanks!

I can't help with hotels, but as far as things to do in Bologna...<BR><BR>-the obvious is the duomo and Piazza Maggiore<BR>-the seven churches on Via Santo Stefano<BR>-the Franciscan church, for its beautiful architecture<BR>-San Luca, the church on the hill outside of the city, makes a great hike<BR>-Margherita Garden, in the south-eastern side of the city, for a nice weekend afternoon<BR>-Archeological musem, with some great Etruschan finds<BR>-Medieval museum, has some neat illuminated manuscripts, and a small collection of armor and weapons<BR>-Pinanoteca, has some good art pieces, including some works by Giotto, El Greco, Raphael, and Titian

RAR:<BR>You forgot a few things.<BR>Tthe walk under the &quot;portici&quot;: you can tour more or less all the center of Bologna on roofed sidewalks.<BR>The TWO leaning towers: neither as famous nor as beautiful as torre di Pisa, but, hey, there are TWO of them!!!<BR>Right near the towers, a network od small streets (via Clavature and surrounding) with incredible (and incredibly costly!) tiny food shops.<BR>Oh, yes! And crescentina!

The two previous posters have given you an excellent to-do list for Bologna. We, too, found it an excellent stopping place.<BR>The archeological museum mentioned by RAR is called Museo Civico and is definitely worth a visit to view its Etruscan collection.<BR>And, compared to Florence and Venice, you'll find the prices better if you want to do any shopping.

PS: And, if time allows, drive to nearby Ferrara, which is also worth your time. Its medieval castle, with a moat, will grab your attention there.

Alexantha<BR>I went to Bologna recently, in January 03. Before going I did some research on this forum.<BR>Many people took the kind to respond to my many questions.<BR>Do a search on Bologna and you should pull up lots of useful and recent threads.<BR<BR>Kavey

Ah yes, the towers. I kinda take them for granted I guess hehe.. like the porticos. Just walking at night through the porticos is an experience, in my opinion. I also forgot the Archigninnasio, which has a wood-cast dissection room, one of the first in Italy. Some of the human skeleton/muscle scultpures in there are really neat.

RAR: Uh, the nightlife! Here's another thing, the night scene and the &quot;biasanott&quot;, people who live mainly at night going from restaurant to restaurant, from bar to bar, from coffeeshop to coffeeshop!

Well yes the nightlife, but the crowd here at Fodors isn't really the &quot;let's go out and party&quot; type. But if there are a few out there that do enjoy clubbing, here's some good spots:<BR><BR>Link (on Thurs and Saturday). Behind the train station, excellent chill-out club. Live music on Thursdays.<BR><BR>Celtic Druid. Unlike the Claricaun on Via Zamboni, this Irish pub is more low-key and fun as a hang out. Off of Via Rizzoli.<BR><BR>Havana Club. Via Dei Griffoni. Live salsa music, Thursdays.<BR><BR>Outside the centro is Matis, a big, expensive (13 euro cover, includes a drink), but fun club. Dress well.<BR><BR>Osteria Dell'Orsa, Via Mentana. Nice rustic osteria, open late on weekend nights, good spot to hang out at before you go to the club. Fun atmosphere.<BR><BR>There are lots of fun bars on Via Pratello also, including a neat little Sardinian trattoria that stays open late.<BR><BR>There, that should cover it Hope you are taking notes Alice ;-)

My favorite site in Bologna is the Anatomy Theatre, referred to above correctly as the Archigimnasio - it's in the former seat of the University of Bologna, the West's oldest university. The stairs and halls are covered in coats of arms of students there from over the centuries. Very, very interesting - one of those great small, memorable places.<BR><BR>I also recommend starting with a city walking tour. There are organized small walking tours that last just 1 1/2 hours, leaving from Piazza Maggiore. They run a couple of days every week at 11 and are just 10 - 15 Euros; you can ask in the tourist office in the piazza. Like many walking tours, it will teach you interesting tidbits about the major sights that aren't in the guidebooks, as well as some fun facts about Italian and Bolognese food (for example, if you see Spaghetti Bolognese on a menu in an Italian restaurant, run like the wind - it's a restaurant that caters to tourists.<BR><BR>I also HIGHLY recommend a trip to Ravenna, if you have any interest in mosaics. Really, really stunning.

Bolongna can be good, but have you tried the Honeyed Ham?<BR><BR>

DB, don't give up your day job yet.

RAR: I do not need to take notes, I have a &quot;virtual brother&quot; who lives in Bologna, and lots of friends. By the way, will you still be there in April or May? I should be visiting the children's book fair... It might be nice to have a gelato at Steffino ^_^

Si, saro' .. sarebbe divertente =)

Here's another I was looking for.

This forum has pleanty of information re Bologna.