Bologna 🇮🇹 Walking Tour – 4K60fps with Captions – Prowalk Tours Italy

Bologna 🇮🇹 Walking Tour – 4K60fps with Captions – Prowalk Tours Italy

Welcome to Bologna, a beautiful city in the northeastern Emilia Romagna region of Italy. We begin our walk in Piazza del Nettuno, named after the statue in the center. Ahead you can see two towers, which together are an icon of the city and which we will see later.

One of Bologna’s most important monuments is this sculpture of Neptune by Flemish sculptor Giambologna. The sculpture and fountain were built between 1563 and 1566 for cardinal Pier Donato Cesi. Piazza Maggiore is Bologna’s main square lined with medieval and renaissance buildings.

In summer, the Piazza Maggiore hosts an outdoor cinema festival called Sotto le stelle del cinema. There is a different movie each night between June 19th and August 14th.

This summer set of movies surprisingly includes The Big Lebowski, Elvis, Million Dollar Baby, Escape From New York, Thelma and Louise, Casino and Some Like It Hot. The list of movies also includes many Italian and French movies from various decades. This is Bologna’s town hall, which dates from the 14th century.

In 1336, the palace became the seat of the Anziani (“Elders”), the highest magistrates of the commune, and then seat of the government. In the 15th century, the palace was refurbished under the designs of the architect Fioravante Fioravanti, who added the Clock Tower (Torre d’Accursio) which we will climb shortly.

The palace is also home to the Civic Art Collection, with paintings from the Middle Ages to the 19th century and the Museo Morandi, with the works by Giorgio Morandi. This is great place to get a panoramic view of Bologna’s central square.

The clock measures 6.4 meters in diameter making it one of the biggest in Italy. Both the palace and the tower are named after the jurist Accursius, who first resided in this property. Bologna is known as the ‘red city’ partly because of its iconic red roofs.

In the late 15th century, an octagonal latern was added to house the bell. The full tower measures 46.2 meters. This is the ancient mechanism for ringing the bell. The tower was closed for a period but reopened to the public in 2020.

The gallery ceiling is frescoed with Baroque-style quadratura by Angelo Michele Colonna and Gioacchino Pizzoli. The Chapel contains frescoes from 1562 by Prospero Fontana. Reconstruction on the palace occurred in the 16th century, after the fall from power of the Bentivoglio family in Bologna. The palace now hosues the Biblioteca Salaborsa, the town libraries.

The base and fountain of the statue of Neptune were designed by the Palermitan architect Tommaso Laureti in 1563. The Piazza Maggiore is the location of Bologna’s main church, the Basilica di San Petronio. Construction began in 1390 and its main façade has remained unfinished since.

The basilica is dedicated to the patron saint of the city, Saint Petronius, who was the bishop of Bologna in the fifth century. The majority of one of the city’s burgs, including at least eight churches and towers, was demolished to make way for the church.

The ciborium of the main altar was built in 1547 by Jacopo Barozzi da Vignola. Works lasted for several centuries: after the completion of the first version of the facade, in 1393 the first pair of side chapels were begun. The series were completed only in 1479. The nave contains twenty-two side chapels.

The chapels contain dozens of altarpieces and other paintings by artists including Lorenzo Costa and Parmigianino. The church hosts also a marking in the form of a meridian line inlaid in the paving of the left aisle in 1655.

It was calculated and designed by the astronomer Giovanni Domenico Cassini, who was teaching astronomy at the University. A meridian line does not indicate the time: instead, with its length of 66.8 metres (219 ft) it is one of the largest astronomical instruments in the world.

This fresco, painted by Giovanni da Modena and based on Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy, depicts Muhammad in the eighth circle of Hell, in a section reserved for religious schismatics, being tortured and devoured by demons. In 2002, terrorists planned to destroy the church because if it.

The Basilica is an important stop for pilgrims as it contains the relics of San Petronio. Ahead is the Palazzo del Podestà, built in around 1200 with Renaissance additions and modifications. In 1453 Aristotile Fioravanti replaced the bell and reconstructed the original Gothic façade in the Renaissance style.

This atmospheric street, Via de’ Musei, is named for the archaeological museum in the area. Everyday, there is a book stall here with antique volumes. This little square is one of the most attractive places to eat outside in Bologna. It’s so peaceful for being in the center of a city.

The narrow streets in this are become famous for its convivial shops, bars and restaurants. The area is lined with deli stores; Bologna is famous for its deli products, in particular mortadella, a large sausage made of finely ground pork.

The complex of Santa Maria della Vita, which contains the Oratorio dei Battuti, dates from 1687. It took 100 years to complete, with construction ending in 1787. The oratory itself was designed by Floriano Ambrosini and built between 1604 and 1617.

The interior is lavishly decorated with gilded stucco by Giulio Cesare Conventi and Antonio Martini, completed in 1639. This is a great place to take an artistic photo of the Torre d’Accursio. Bologna is known as the city of music and was a principal centre of Baroque music in Italy.

You can hop aboard these little trains for sightseeing tours of the city. This narrow street has become famous for its convivial shops, bars and restaurants. It’s lined with deli stores with outdoor tables where you can have a glass of local wine and eat cheese and cold meats.

In the evenings this street is crammed with people having a pre-dinner drink or a casual dinner. Despite all the meat products, the name of the street actually originates from the fish market in the area. To accompany your meat and cheese, you should drink lambrusco, a local sparkling red wine.

Lambrusco, which is also the name of a grape, has a long history of cultivation and winemaking beginning with the Etruscans. In Roman times Lambrusco was highly valued for its productivity and high yields. The greengrocers on this road are a photographer’s dream!

You’ll also find shops selling rounds of Parmigiano Reggiano and legs of prosciutto from the nearby city of Parma. Tortellini are a typical stuffed pasta from Bologna usually served in a meat broth. Bologna is known as the Fat City for its rich cuisine.

Bolognese cuisine includes a meat-based pasta sauce which, in Italy, is called ragù and is substantially different from the variety found worldwide. This street takes us back to the Palazzo del Podestà, whose original Gothic façade was reconstructed in the Renaissance style by order of Giovanni II Bentivoglio.

From this restaurant, Signorvino, you can dine with a magical view of the grand basilica. At the base of the fountain are four cherubs. They hold four dolphins which represent the major rivers from the then-known corners of the world: the Ganges, the Nile, the Amazon River, and the Danube.

In this arcade beneath the Palazzo Re Enzo, the walls act like a telephone. If one person stands in one corner and whispers into the wall, a person standing in the opposite corner can hear them clearly. This is one of Bologna’s several architectural quirks, known as the ‘seven secrets of Bologna’.

Via Rizzoli is one of the principal streets in Bologna and some of the most important sights are located here. This elegant tower, also known as Altabella, was built in the 12th century. This is another 12th century tower that is 60 meters high.

Between the 12th and the 13th century, Bologna was a city full of towers. Almost all the towers were tall – the highest being 97m – and acted as defensive stone towers. These two towers are the most famous in Bologna.

Known as the Two Towers, their official names are TORRE DEGLI ASINELLI and TORRE GARISENDA. The Garisenda Tower on the left has a height of 157 ft (48 m).

Initially, it was approximately 60 metres (about 200 feet) high, but had to be lowered in the 14th century due to a yielding of the ground which left it slanting and dangerous. In October 2023, the Garisenda tower was sealed off by the city of Bologna after fears the structure was tilting too far.

The tower is currently being monitored for cracks. Sensors have been installed to track any shifting. On 2 December 2023, the city announced the situation was critical, and the tower could collapse.

According to the city officials, work to prevent the collapse of the tower is expected to take at least 10 years and cost €20 million. The Asinelli tower currently stands at 319 ft (97.2 meters) although it was originally only 229 ft (70 meters) tall.

The names of the towers derive from the families which are traditionally credited with having constructed them between 1109 and 1119. Their construction of the towers may have been a competition between the two families to show which was the more powerful family.

In the 14th century, the Asinelli tower was connected with an aerial footbridge (later destroyed during a fire in 1398) to the Garisenda Tower. Severe damage to the Asinelli tower was caused by lightning that often resulted in small fires and collapses, and only in 1824 was a lightning rod installed.

The Asinelli Tower was used by the scientists Giovanni Battista Riccioli in 1640 and Giovanni Battista Guglielmini in the 1700s for experiments to study the motion of heavy bodies and the Earth’s rotation. In World War II, between 1943 and 1945, the Asinelli tower was used as a sight post.

The Palazzo della Mercanzia was built between 1382 and 1391 and was the seat of the merchants’ forum. In 1797, after the French occupation, the building became the chamber of commerce. Beside the palazzo, three more towers were discovered during construction work in the early 20th century.

We are walking down Via Santo Stefano, first mentioned by this name in a document from 1199. The ancient street links the Two Towers to the ancient Santo Stefano church complex. This beautiful piazza is a serene spot for an aperitivo.

This square was originally known as the Trebbo dei Beccadelli, meaning the meeting place of the Beccadelli family. The Beccadelli family owned much of the property around the square. The Basilica of Santo Stefano is actually a complex of seven churches.

The church of the Crucifix is of Lombard origin and dates back to the 8th century. The oldest structure is the Church of the Holy Sepulchre originally dating from the 5th century. In the center there is a shrine that housed the relics of San Petronio, found here in 1141.

In the church there is also a water source which is considered sacred. This is the oldest buildingof the complex. It is dedicated to the patron saints Vitale and Agricola and whose relics were originally housed here.

Vitale and Agricola are venerated as martyrs and saints, who are considered to have died at Bologna about 304, during the persecution ordered by Roman Emperor Diocletian.

The complex also contains the Chapel of the Bandage (“Cappella della Benda”) dedicated to the strip of cloth worn around the head by the Virgin Mary as a sign of mourning. This structure is a copy of the church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.

Pilate’s Courtyard recalls the lithostrotos, where Jesus was condemned; in the center is a basin dating from 737-744. According to tradition Saint Petronius, a bishop of the city during the 5th century, built the complex over a temple of the goddess Isis. This building was originally supposed to be a basilica with five naves.

It has remained unfinished, probably due to lack of funds. In this church there are fragments of frescoes from the 14th century. The church houses a large wooden sculpture of the Adoration of the Magi. It is the oldest known crib in the world made up of statues in the round.

This complex is sometimes considered one of the seven secrets of Bologna because it hides seven churches inside. Originally Etruscan, Bologna has been an important urban center for centuries. Traces of human habitation in the area of Bologna go back to the 3rd millennium BCE, with significant settlements from about the 9th century BCE.

The influence of Etruscan civilization reached the area in the 7th to 6th centuries, and the Etruscan city of Felsina was established at the site of Bologna by the end of the 6th century. Bologna became a Roman colony and municipium with the name of Bonōnia in 196 BCE.

During the waning years of the Western Roman Empire Bologna was repeatedly sacked by the Goths. Bishop Petronius, still revered as the patron saint of Bologna, rebuilt the ruined town and founded the Basilica of Saint Stephen.

In 727–28, the city was sacked and captured by the Lombards under King Liutprand, becoming part of that kingdom. In the last quarter of the 8th century, Charlemagne, at the request of Pope Adrian I, invaded the Lombard Kingdom, causing its eventual demise.

This column is topped with a statue of Madonna and Christ and dates from 1632. This is a funerary monument to Rolandino de’Passeggeri dating from the 14th century. The Basilica of San Domenico is one of the major churches in Bologna.

He remains of Saint Dominic, founder of the Order of Preachers (Dominicans), are buried inside. St. Dominic settled in this church and held here the first two General Chapters of the order (1220 and 1221). Saint Dominic died in this church on 6 August 1221.

This chapel contains the Arca di San Domenico (Ark of Saint Dominic), a monument containing the remains of Saint Dominic. The creation of this artistic masterpiece was performed in separate stages by the best sculptors of their time and took almost 500 years to finish.

Nicola Pisano was asked in 1264 to construct this sarcophagus but much of the work was completed by his workshop. This masterpiece of gold and silver is the work of the goldsmith Jacopo Roseto da Bologna (1383) and contains the precious reliquary with the head of Saint Dominic.

The present chapel of Saint Dominic was rebuilt starting in 1597 by the Bolognese architect Floriano Ambrosini, replacing the small gothic chapel that had been constructed in 1413. A fresco of the Assumption from the 17th century decorates the ceiling of the Rosary chapel.

The altar was designed by the Bolognese architect Floriano Ambrosini (1557–1621). After the death of Saint Dominic, the church of San Nicolò was expanded and a new monastic complex was built between 1228 and 1240.

In the middle of the golden altar-piece at the back of the apse, is the Adoration of the Magi by Bartolomeo Cesi. This beautiful marquetry door tells the story of San Girolamo. The church was enlarged and modified in many ways in the course of several centuries.

A Roman-Gothic bell tower was added in 1313. The complex also contains a convent with cloisters from the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries with various tombstones and memorial tablets in its walls. The convent was confiscated by the state in 1866 and served as a military hospital during WWII.

Between 1728 and 1732 the interior of the church was completely renewed by the architect Carlo Francesco Dotti, sponsored by the Dominican pope Benedict XIII, into its present-day Baroque style.

The church now has a vast collection of exceptional art treasures created by some the greatest Italian artists, including Nicola Pisano, Arnolfo di Cambio, Niccolò dell’Arca, Michelangelo, Iacopo da Bologna, Guido Reni, Guercino and Filippino Lippi.

The column in the middle of the square is a brickwork column with the bronze statue of St Dominic (1627). You may have noticed that there are a lot of porticoes in Bologna, and they are a very important feature of the city.

The porticoes represent a symbol of the city together with the numerous towers. No other city in the world has as many porticoes as Bologna. Altogether, the porticoes cover more than 38 kilometres only in the historic centre, but can reach up to 53 kilometres if those outside the medieval city walls are also considered.

The porticoes of Bologna were built almost spontaneously, probably in the early Middle Ages, as a projection of private buildings on public land, in order to increase living spaces. In the center of this square is a monument to Bolognese scholar Luigi Galvani (1737-1798).

The first historical evidence of porticoes in Bologna dates back to 1041. After a while, it was necessary to build support columns from below to prevent the house extensions from collapsing, thus creating the worldwide famous arcades.

The expansion of the porticoes began in 1288, when a notice from the local municipality established that all new houses had to be built with a portico, while those already existing that did not have one were required to add it.

The basilica’s main door, known as the Porta Magna, is a sculptural masterpiece from the 15th century. The basilica measures 132 metres long, 66 metres wide, and 47 metres tall, and is described as the “most imposing” church in Bologna. The bell tower was designed by Giovanni da Brensa and built between 1481 and 1487.

In the 12th century, Bologna joined the Lombard League. During the late 1200s, Bologna was affected by political instability when the most prominent families incessantly fought for the control of the town. Bologna became a signoria under Taddeo Pepoli in 1334.

By the arrival of the Black Death in 1348, Bologna had 40,000 to 50,000 inhabitants. These were reduced to just 20,000 to 25,000 after the plague. On the left is Palazzo Dall’Armi Marescalchi, initially constructed in 1466, and rebuilt in 1613 by Floriano Ambrosini.

The church of the Holy Saviour was built between 1606 and 1632 in Baroque style. The statues of the facade were made by Giovanni Tedeschi and originally painted in artificial bronze. The interior contains artworks by important painters including Vitale da Bologna and Carlo Bononi.

The church contains the tomb of Giovanni Francesco Barbieri, a renowned artist known as Il Guercino who died in Bologna. The exterior and interior of the church was designed by Vincenzo Porta. In 1350, Bologna was conquered by archbishop Giovanni Visconti, the new lord of Milan.

These tombs are built for glossatori – important professorsm who would annotate ancient texts with explanations. The decorative raised tombs date from the Middle Ages. Founded in the 13th century, this church has been the property of the Conventual Franciscan friars since then.

Construction was begun and sufficiently complete by 1251 that it was consecrated by Pope Innocent IV. The main structure was finally completed in 1263. Despite its Romanesque facade, this church is one of the best examples of French Gothic architecture in Italy.

It’s key French Gothic elements include: a nave and two aisles, the apse with corridor, the high vaults divided into six sections (like in Notre-Dame de Paris) with ogival arches, and the use of buttresses. During the 18th century, the friary was a center of musical performance and study.

During the occupation of Italy by the French Revolutionary Army, in 1796 the church was desecrated and the friary was seized and used as a barracks by the occupying forces.

The church was restored to religious use in 1842, but was later seized again in the course of the Second Italian War of Independence and used as a military storehouse. The church was finally returned to the Franciscans in 1886. During the Middle Ages, the portici arcades were made of wood.

Following a decree issued on 26 March 1568, the arcades were rebuilt with bricks or stones. Despite this, you can still see some wooden porticoes that have survived. The Portico of San Luca is the city’s and world’s longest.

It connects Porta Saragozza (one of the twelve gates of the ancient walls built in the Middle Ages) with the Sanctuary of the Madonna di San Luca on a hill outside the city. On account of their cultural and artistic significance, in 2021 the porticoes of Bologna have been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Cardinal Pier Donato Cesi commissioned this monument to celebrate Pope Pius IV. In the 13th century, many towers were taken down or demolished, and others simply collapsed. Bologna’s cathedral is dedicated to St Peter.

Most of the present building dates from the 17th century, with a few parts from the late 16th century. Bologna was recovered by the papacy in 1363 by Cardinal Gil Álvarez Carrillo de Albornoz. In 1376, Bologna again revolted against Papal rule and joined Florence in the unsuccessful War of the Eight Saints.

In 1401, Giovanni I Bentivoglio took power in a coup with the support of Milan, but was killed the following year. In 1442, Hannibal I Bentivoglio, Giovanni’s nephew, recovered Bologna from the Milanese, only to be assassinated three years later.

Despite the infighting, the signoria of the Bentivoglio family was by then firmly established, and the power passed to Sante Bentivoglio, who ruled until 1462, followed by Giovanni II. This is another of Bologna’s secrets, the canal network running through and beneath the city.

The canals, constructed in the 12th century, have given this area of the city the nickname of ‘Little Venice’. Along Via Piella, there is a mysterious window in the wall. Look through the opening and you get a view of one of the canals and even Bologna’s version of the bridge of Sighs.

When the papal troops, along with a contingent sent by Louis XII of France, marched against Bologna, Bentivoglio and his family fled. The system of canals facilitated trade and improved public sanitation. This road is named after the mills (moline) that used to be located in this area.

In 1530, Emperor Charles V was crowned in Bologna, the last of the Holy Roman Emperors to be crowned by the pope. The period of Papal rule saw also the construction of many churches and other religious establishments, and the restoration of older ones.

Towards the end of the 16th century severe signs of decline began to manifest in Bologna. During the 1629–1631 Italian plague alone, Bologna lost up to a third of its population. Piazza Giuseppe Verdi is home to the grand baroque communal theater, dating from 1763, hosting opera, ballet & classical music performances.

Via Zamboni runs for around 1 kilometer through the heart of Bologna’s university district. Bologna is nicknamed the Learned City because it is home to the oldest university in the world. The University of Bologna was established in AD 1088 and is the oldest university in continuous operation.

This small church was built in 1454 and underwent modifications in 1751. Many of Bologna’s towers have subsequently been utilized in one way or the other: as a prison, city tower, shop or residential building. Dante mentioned some of the towers in his Inferno, part of the epic poem the Divine Comedy.

In the mid-17th century, the population of Bologna stabilized at roughly 60,000, slowly increasing to some 70,000 by the mid-18th century. Napoleon entered Bologna on 19 June 1796. After the fall of Napoleon, the Congress of Vienna of 1815 restored Bologna to the Papal States.

On 12 March 1860, Bologna voted to join the new Kingdom of Italy. In the last decades of the 19th century, Bologna once again thrived economically and socially. In 1863 Naples was linked to Rome by railway, and the following year Bologna to Florence.

Bologna is the seventh most populous city in Italy, with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nationalities.

Embark on a captivating walking tour of Bologna, Italy, and immerse yourself in the city’s rich history and vibrant culture. Filmed on Saturday, July 8th, 2023, our journey begins at 11:57 AM in front of the iconic Fountain of Neptune, a masterpiece of Renaissance art. Wander through the ancient streets of Bologna, marvel at the medieval architecture, and experience the lively atmosphere of this historic Italian city.

🗺️Map of the Walk – https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?mid=112qHNjdWN1IV_PEqVLDUrW0nMAQa5H4&usp=sharing 🗺️

🔻𝗩𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗼 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗸𝘀🔻
0:00 Intro and Map
1:14 Piazza del Nettuno
5:55 Piazza Maggiore
8:32 Palazzo d’Accursio
12:59 Clock Tower Viewpoint
32:05 Basilica di San Petronio
*48:18 Scenic Street Shopping*
54:06 Oratorio Dei Battuti
*1:02:24 Outdoor eating – Via Pescherie Vecchie*
1:11:53 Outdoor eating – Via degli Orefici
1:21:00 9. Via Rizzoli – Tower Views
1:27:00 Two Towers (Le Due Torri)
*1:32:09 Top of the Two Towers Viewpoint*
1:40:05 Palazzo della Mercanzia
*1:42:49 Piazza Santo Stefano*
1:44:58 Santo Stefano Church Complex
2:05:28 Via Farini
2:10:58 Piazza San Domenico
2:11:52 Basilica of San Domenico
2:35:06 Piazza Galvani
2:45:04 Via d’Azeglio
2:47:17 Via IV Novembre
2:50:29 Church of the Holy Savior
2:58:35 Tombs of the Glossators
3:02:06 Basilica di San Francesco
3:13:06 Via Ugo Bassi
3:18:58 Piazza del Nettuno
3:21:14 Via dell’Indipendenza
3:28:54 Little Venice Viewpoint 1
*3:31:06 Little Venice Viewing Door*
3:34:36 Via delle Moline
3:39:32 Piazza Giuseppe Verdi
3:40:36 Via Zamboni
3:42:12 Piazza Rossini
3:45:06 42. Piazza di Porta Ravegnana (Two Towers)
3:47:42 Via Caprarie

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For the best viewing experience, be sure to watch on a large smart TV like the Samsung Frame. Closed Captions [CC] which include historical facts and descriptions are available in all languages. This tour was filmed using amazing Binaural Audio 🎧 which is a method of recording sound that uses two microphones, arranged with the intent to create a 3-D stereo sound sensation for the listener of actually being there.

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