WELCOME TO BOLOGNA

Ancient clock in P.zza Maggiore on the wall of the Town Hall

The city of Bologna is the seventh most populated city of Italy, with 387,667 inhabitants within the boundaries of the Municipality on a territory of 140,871 sq. kilometres. Bologna is the main economic and cultural, as well as administrative, centre of the Emilia-Romagna region, and, thanks to its position, it can be easily reached from any direction.

The city is surrounded by a chain of hills, on one side, and by a vast area of fields, on the other, rationally cultivated, as well as spread of rural and industrial centres.

The historic heart of the city is one of the best preserved in Europe, the second one in Italy as importance after that of Venice; for the general good status of the centre, Bologna has been defined as the "most scenic town of the world".

The traffic in the centre has been rationally limited to public and residents' vehicles; the access to some areas has been limited to pedestrians.

In recent years, the northern area of the city has started to host some important economical and cultural structures, as the trade fair quarter, which, together with the super-modern towers designed by Kenzo Tange, represent the centre of modern Bologna. Many civic centres at the citizens' disposal have been spread both throughout the city and in the immediate surroundings.

la Torre degli Asinelli (Asinelli's tower) at dusk

Capital city of the region of Emilia Romagna, Bologna is a necessary port of call between the north and the south of the Italian peninsular. It can be easily reached either by car, train or airplane. Thanks to the Italian highway net which converges towards the city and its surroundings, Bologna represents the heart of national car traffic. The most important highways of Italy pass through Bologna, allowing this way to reach quickly important cities of Central and Northern Italy.

As far as the railway traffic is concerned. Bologna represents the most relevant centre of Italy, working as a link between the North and the Centre-South of Italy. From Bologna station it is possible to reach every Italian and European destination. Such an ease will become even more effective with the next introduction of high speed trains, which will have Bologna as a mandatory stop.

The airport of Bologna (named after Guglielmo Marconi) is located only seven kilometres from the city centre, six from the railway station; such short distances allow for an effective usage of the airport itself.

The "Guglielmo Marconi" is one of the most modern European airports, with large areas for passengers, automatic services, wide parking lots, facilities for disabled people, etc.

The airport offers daily flights to the most important destinations in Europe, and all the most important airline companies are there represented.