Basilica of San Petronio and Piazza Maggiore Bologna is old and grand. Step into Piazza Maggiore and take in the immense open square surrounded by palaces and the Basilica di San Petronio. The ambitious plan to construct a basilica larger than St. Peter's in Rome was effectively quashed by Pope Pius IV. Note its unfinished façade, half marble and half brick. Bologna has been nicknamed, La Dotta , or the Learned One as the home of the oldest university in the Western world. Founded in 1088 by students, the University of Bologna has an enrollment figure approximating 80,000. It's roster of famous students include Thomas Beckett, Erasmus, Copernicus, and Albrecht Dürer. Quadrilatro District There are many things to like about Bologna, their tortellini en brodo for one. In the Quadrilatro District just steps from the Basilica, one can find a bustling market with a tempting array of fruit and fresh produce, bread and pastries, cheese from Parma, fish and mortadella,...
“If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion and avoid the people, you might better stay at home.” - James Michener