Some Bologna Facts

The university I am attending (Universitá di Bologna) is the oldest university in Europe and still one of the most important. It has educated some very notable people including Dante Alighieri, Francesco Petrarch and Umberto Eco. Several nicknames for Bologna include: “la grassa” which means “the fat” because it is the culinary capital of Italy. It is known for tortellini and mortadella. It is also called “la dotta” or “the learned one” because of the famous university. And lastly it is also nicknamed “la rossa” meaning red because of the red rooftops and the political situation in Italy.
Bologna is the capital city of the region, Emilia-Romagna. It has a population of almost 400,000 people. It is a large college town but not a big tourist city. Its large square is Piazza Maggiore. Its main church is San Petronio. And I learned while watching Samantha Brown‘s travel show on Bologna that the church is one of the biggest in the world and that during construction it was intended to be larger than St. Peter's in Rome, but Pope Pius IV was jealous and ordered that the arms of the church be reduced, constructing buildings immediately on either side making it impossible to be large than St. Peter’s Basilica. It also boasts Bologna’s Two Towers and is known for its porticos that run everywhere in the heart of the city. It also is home to a large transportation hub- the Bologna train station (which made news when it was attacked and bombed by terrorists in 1980).

An excellent way to see the city is through this virtual tour!  

These are initial trivial facts and I can't wait to actually know the city!