Never mind 39 steps, there are 489 steps to the top of Bologna’s Asinelli Tower, one of two remaining towers in the centre of the Italian city.
For most of the climb up, it’s just step after step but as you get close to the top, they become a wooden structure with just a single handrail before you emerge into a shed. I’m sure it’s not really a shed but that’s what it feels like.
Worth it though for the view down and out across the city, and you can’t help but notice the stunning terracotta roofs of surrounding buildings. Bologna’s warm stone is made all the more vibrant in the light.
Unfortunately, the Asinelli Tower is closed for visitors at the moment while the neighbouring Garisenda Tower is having some maintenance. The Due Torri are named after the families which built them in the 12th century when there was some sort of ‘keeping up with the Jones’ going on in the city.
Bologna is an easy city to like. We stayed in a modest hotel near the centre and all the major sights are within walking distance. Our evenings revolved around the Piazza Maggiore, with a 5pm aperitif in one of the bars overlooking the square, sitting outside of course, while we decided what and where to eat that evening.
We had no idea Bologna was such a foodie paradise when deciding on the quick weekend break. Not in just the many restaurants but there’s also the Quadrilatero Market, an area of food shops and tantalising displays of gourmet produce.
Turns out that Bologna is THE centre of Italy for food with all sorts of pastas (often served in a beef broth called brodo), cured meats (mortadella being Bologna’s most famous), bread, cheese and, of course balsamic vinegar.
As well as pasta with the expected ragu meat sauce, we discovered a new one on us: gramigna alla salsiccia. Gramigna is a bit like macaroni, but smaller and curlier, designed to hang on the sauce. It’s served with a sauce made from sausages and wine.
We could easily have spent all our weekend in the market but we tore ourselves away to explore some of the major sights of Bologna.
First, the university: Palazzo dell’Archiginnasio, the seat of the oldest university in the Western world founded in 1088. It was term time so access was limited to the outside. However, we found a stunning, restful garden in the midst of university buildings and a wall covered in coats of arms from Italy’s leading families over the centuries. Here was a history lesson in Italian society, safe from erosion and vandalism meaning you could the names and dates.
From the university it’s a short walk through streets lined with porticos. There’s more than 60km in the city, making Bologna a UNESCO heritage site.
We followed one particular portico all the way to San Luca, up on the hill 3.5km outside the city… and back again! San Luca is impressive but we enjoyed the walk and the suburbs – stylish and very Italian – as well as the fresh air up the hill.
We missed it on this quick trip, but Bologna is the home of Ducati Motorcycles and a must-see trip is to Borgo Panigale, location of the factory with its spectacular museum. Details here.