10 Things To Do For Free in Bologna

Bologna is not a very big city, it has a small centre that will allow you to get around comfortably on foot, it is a university town so there is no shortage of evenings, events and exhibitions and it is ideal if you want to spend a weekend without spending too much money given the many free things to do.
Easily accessible by low-cost trains and planes, Bologna is a relatively inexpensive city, plus thanks to our tips you can explore every nook and cranny and discover lots of interesting things for free!
Are you ready to discover what to do in Bologna?

• Looking out of the window of Via Piella

In Via Piella there is a very special window, in fact from here you can see the Moline Canal which will make you feel a bit like in Venice, this is one of the few waterways that were not asphalted in the 20th century. Enclosed between houses, for a long time it was hidden from view, but today you can observe it not only from Via Piella but also from Via Malcontenti and Via Oberdan.

• Looking at the Neptune statue from a certain perspective

You may have heard of the fountain created by Giambologna in Piazza Maggiore, the one that represents the God Neptune and is so large in size, 3.20 metres high and weighing 22 quintals, that it is good-naturedly called ‘The Giant’. Well, there is something about the Giant that is out of proportion to its height. In fact, legend has it that Giambologna was ordered not to make genitals that were proportionate to the size of the statue, otherwise they would have been an offence to public morality, but the cunning artist did not resign himself to this imposition, so he devised a skilful play on perspectives so that if viewed from a certain angle (i.e. climbing a darker stone at the entrance to the Sala della Borsa) the thumb of Neptune’s hand would look like an erect penis. Curious, eh?

• Talking into a particular ‘cordless telephone’

There is a particularly amusing acoustic effect that can be experienced in the vault between the Palazzo del Podestà and the Palazzo del Re Enzo. Here, if you stand in one corner and say something, you can hear what is said in the opposite corner. It is a fun game to play every time you pass by, and then it could be a great way to confide something you are ashamed of to a friend, or who knows maybe it is the perfect place to say “I love you” to your girlfriend for the first time!

• Being able to see the three arrows on the Portico di Strada Maggiore

Already from the title of this paragraph you can imagine that we are not too convinced about what we are about to tell you either. It would seem that embedded in the wood of the Portico di Strada Maggiore are three arrows, but we have not been able to see them, although there are photos to prove it. However, the presence of these three arrows in such a singular position is justified by the story that once upon a time three brigands wanted to kill a bourgeois squire, but as they were about to shoot their arrows, a naked girl appeared from a window and the three brigands became distracted by looking at her. Will it be true? We like to imagine so!

• See Bologna from the Sanctuary of San Luca

Bologna is full of porticoes, but there is one that is the longest in the entire city and that is the portico of San Luca, which measures 3,796 metres and has 666 arches. This number, which for the uninitiated is the number attributed to the devil, has given rise to various allegories and stories, including the one that the portico is said to represent the body of a serpent culminating in a head crushed by the sanctuary.
Whether the construction of this portico, so long and with such an exact number of arches, was well thought out, we cannot tell you, but we can certainly tell you that once you have walked all the way and reached the top, the view is truly spectacular and deserves more than one shot.

• Visit the Pitch Market

Also known as Mercato della Montagnola, this market is one of the most important in Bologna, if not the whole of Emilia Romagna. Have fun wandering around its stalls, where you can find clothes, shoes, bags, household goods, but also more extravagant things such as incense, lamps or coloured fabrics. Haggle with the traders or simply enjoy the colours and harmony that this market will give you! Roughly speaking, the market is open every Friday and Saturday of the year “from dawn to dusk” as their website states, but there are also plenty of extraordinary openings that we recommend you check out!

• Attending a University of Bologna graduation

No, we are not advising you to get bored following tedious academic discourses on things that if you have not studied you too will probably never understand. What we are inviting you to do is to witness everything that happens after the student on duty has been proclaimed doctor. In fact, it is traditional to organise a whole series of ‘pranks’ for the unfortunate student, as well as wallpapering the city with their most compromising photos! Do you want examples? There is the famous ‘papyrus’ where friends and relatives recount in rhyme funny episodes experienced together with the graduate, who must read them without making mistakes, on pain of: a drink! Or the ‘quiz’ where the new graduate is made to ask passers-by questions he would never have asked before!

• Discovering Palazzina Majani

Strolling through the streets of central Bologna, and in particular Via Indipendenza, you will realise that there is a building that stands out from the surrounding buildings; this is the Palazzina Majani, built in Art Nouveau style in 1908. Founded as the headquarters of a confectionery company, in addition to a workshop it also has a bar and, above all, a ballroom! Thanks to its uniqueness and the fact that it was so reminiscent of Viennese salons, it immediately became a centre of aggregation for the Bolognese bourgeoisie, just think that from the terrace on the first floor an orchestra often played whose notes were heard by everyone in the centre.
We advise you to see this splendid building and, while you’re at it, to pop into H&M downstairs!

• Visit the Anatomical Theatre

Surely you know that when people began to discover human anatomy and when the first surgeries were performed, they were done in real ‘anatomical theatres’, because each operation was also a lesson to other doctors who in turn could give advice and suggestions on how to operate. If you are in Bologna, therefore, we recommend a visit to an original anatomical theatre built in 1637, inside the Biblioteca dell’Archiginnasio, a building where the University of Bologna once had its seat, and which now houses the civic library.

• Stroll at sunset in Piazza Santo Stefano

Piazza Santo Stefano is one of the most popular squares for university students in the summer evenings. Here there are many bars where you can have an aperitif or a beer at the end of classes. Very beautiful and evocative, the square manages to offer truly exciting views, especially with the first light of sunset. It is here that the ‘seven churches complex’ stands, although there are now only four churches left, so we invite you to stroll around this beautiful square and why not? To read the story about it here because it is very curious and peculiar.
As you have seen, there are plenty of free things to do in Bologna, all of which are extremely interesting and will make you discover this wonderful city in a different light. If, on the other hand, you would like to spend a few euros, here is what to do in Boogna!
Ten Things To Do In Bologna For Free:

• Look out of the window of Via Piella
• Look at the Neptune statue from a certain perspective
• Talking into a special ‘wireless telephone’
• Being able to see the three arrows on the Portico of Strada Maggiore
• Seeing Bologna from the Sanctuary of San Luca
• Visiting the Piazzola Market
• Attending a graduation at the University of Bologna
• Discovering Palazzina Majani
• Visiting the Anatomical Theatre
• Strolling at sunset in Piazza Santo Stefano

Many thanks to Rob Oo, Tiberio Frascari, Enrico Strocchi and JJ_peg for the great photos on Flickr!