Bologna Accommodations

Bologna is the capital city of Emilia-Romagna, in the Po Valley of Northern Italy. The city lies between the Po River and the Apennine Mountains. This spectacular historic city offer many lodging and accommodations options, from cheap and cheerful condo rentals, apartment rentals to more upscale vacation rentals and villa rentals.

The town is home to the oldest university in the world, University of Bologna, founded in 1088. It is famous for its towers and lengthy porticoes; it has a well-preserved historical downtown (one of the largest in Italy) thanks to a careful restoration and conservation policy which began at the end of the1970s. Bologna remains one of the best-preserved medieval cities in Europe; to this day it remains unique in its historic value with equally historic accommodations, vacation rentals, condo rentals, apartment rentals and villa rentals.

Over the centuries, Bologna has acquired many nicknames: "the learned one" (la dotta) is a reference to its famous university; "the fat one" (la grassa) refers to its cuisine. "The red one" (la rossa) originally refers to the color of the roofs in the historic center. Bologna is renowned for its culinary tradition. It has given its name to the well-known Bolognese sauce, a meat based pasta sauce called in Italy ragù alla bolognese but in the city itself just ragù. Situated in the fertile Po River Valley, the rich local cuisine depends heavily on meats and cheeses. As in all of Emilia-Romagna, the production of cured pork meats such as prosciutto, mortadella andsalami is an important part of the local food industry.

Well-regarded nearby vineyards include Pignoletto dei Colli Bolognesi, Lambrusco di Modena and Sangiovese domagna. Tagliatelle with ragù, lasagne, tortellini served in broth, and mortadella, the original Bologna sausage, are among the local specialties. Try your hand at recreating local dishes back at your holiday accommodation, vacation rental, apartment rental or villa rental.

Bologna is a lived-in, stress free and prosperous North Italian city, noted by locals for the fact that it has not been ruined by mass international tourism though Italian tourists flock here during the main holidays. In recent years, though, the city has grown more popular with overseas travellers. It is an excellent destination for a few days' stopover between Milan or Venice and Florence.

Bologna is a great place around which to travel on foot, as getting around the city is very simple with clear street signs. It is also a great way to find hidden gems such as Pizzerias packed with Italians. Be a bit careful when crossing roads, the city centre swarms with scooters and small motorcycles (cars banned during the day) and they ride them everywhere.

Many parks were former private villas and gardens of nobility. Giardini Margherita (Margherita Gardens) is Bologna's main park created in 1875. Parco Montagnola, Piazza VIII Agosto has been a public park since the 17th century. Much of the current landscaping dates from the early 19th century. Orto Botanico (Botanical Gardens) was created in the mid-16th century for medicinal herbs. Currently, it’s the second largest park in the city. The botanical gardens are home to over 5,000 plant species. Some of the highlights include a full-grown sequoia, and a greenhouse for cacti and carnivorous plants.

Most accommodations, vacation rental, apartment rentals and villa rentals are centrally located and varied to suit all budgets.