Bologna, the Città Rossa, is red tiled roofs, red bricks, and red-washed stucco palazzos that line narrow streets radiating around a picturesque historic center. With its twelfth century towers, piazzas, and more than twenty-five miles of porticoes, a walk in Bologna is an opportunity to feel immersed in the past, while enjoying the charm of a modern city. Perhaps ‘red’ refers to the history of the city as a bastion of Italian-style Communism as well!

Bologna, the La Dotta is home of the Alma Mater Studiorum, the University of Bologna, the first university of the Western World, established in the year 1088 and an important thread in the city’s history since. The porticoes, the mercantile spirit, the international nature of the city find root in that important past.

Then there is Bologna La Grassa, the Fat City, for which she has always been famous. Just a list of the noted dishes explains it well: a mound of freshly made tagliatelle topped with meaty ragù Bolognese and plenty of grated Parmesan cheese; tortellini floating in their savory meat broth; thinly sliced, satiny smooth Mortadella Bolognese; and fresh and aged cheeses too numerous to name.

Discover the treasures of a truly remarkable city—Bologna: La Rossa, La Dotta, La Grassa.

Mary Tolaro Noyes

The American writer and Bologna enthusiast Mary Tolaro Noyes likes to say she has been seduced – unexpectedly – by Bologna. She published two books about the city, “Bologna Reflections – An Uncommon Guide” (2009) and “Gathering Chestnuts – Encounters Along the Way” (2013).

BOLOGNA REFLECTIONS: AN UNCOMMON GUIDE provides the visitor to Bologna with a different approach to encountering a remarkable city. The walking itineraries explore its historical and artististic heritage and point out hidden treasures not often found in traditional guidebooks. The tourist and the armchair traveler alike visit Bologna through the stories that reveal the heart and soul of the Bolognese people, who become the real guides to their city and past. Original drawings and art invoke Bologna’s medieval past and celebrate her modern charm, as the visitor meanders in the unknown corners of a seductive city. Practical information, including maps of relevant neighborhoods, assists the traveler in planning the visit and experiencing the city during the sojourn.