Bologna is a city of arcades, and the longest ones stretch for miles. The porticoes, built over the centuries to give shelter from sun and rain, and to add room to the upper storeys, run for tens of kilometres through the old centre and out to the sanctuary of San Luca on a hill south of the city. UNESCO listed them in 2021. Via Galliera, the long street leading north from the centre towards Porta Galliera, is a good place to walk under them, with palaces, churches and shops on one side and the shade of the vaults on the other.
The city itself is among the most pleasant in Italy, with brick and terracotta in warm shades, a lively university that is among the oldest in Europe, and a deep love of food. The two leaning towers, the Asinelli and the Garisenda, rise above the old centre, and a climb up the taller offers a view over the roofs. Piazza Maggiore, the great square, is lined with the city hall and the basilica of San Petronio.
Bologna is also a place of pilgrimage for motorcyclists. Ducati has its factory at Borgo Panigale, on the western edge of the city, and the museum there is a joy, with racing machines, classic models and prototypes. The Mugello circuit, home of the Italian MotoGP, lies in the hills to the north of Florence, and the old road over the Futa Pass leads there, with long, flowing bends through chestnut and beech. The roads south of the city are some of the most famous in the country.
In the city itself, the old centre is closed to most traffic, and fines for entering are severe, so leave the bike in a garage or outside the ring road and take a bus or walk. There is plenty of fuel on the edge of the centre, and the city has three hundred and sixty-six thousand people. Eat tortellini in broth, tagliatelle with ragù and a slice of mortadella, and wash it down with a glass of Sangiovese.
Spring and autumn are the best times, with mild weather and clear light. Summer is hot, and the city empties in August.