Bologna offers so many attractions and must-see places, some less well-known than others...

Greasy (for its cooking), learned (for its university), red (for the colour of the buildings in the historic centre), and turreted (for its medieval towers)… these are the historical, known-to-all Italians adjectives associated with Bologna that express its identity of being so rich in art, history, culture and millenary traditions. Visit Bologna and it’ll invade a corner of your heart. Lose yourself in the city centre’s streets, let yourself be overwhelmed by its contagious vitality… Bologna is such a concentrate of medieval art and architecture that it enchants and surprises the artsiest of visitors. Are you one such spirit? Well, if you’re in town, make sure you don’t miss these five art spots.

Tagus the dog statue.

Currently on display at the Collezioni Comunali d’Arte, on the second floor of Palazzo d’Accursio, the Palazzo Comunale located in Piazza Maggiore, Marquis Tommaso de’ Buoi commissioned this statue in 1777 from Forlì-born artist Luigi Acquisti to celebrate the loyalty of his German hunting dog who, overjoyed at seeing his master return home after a long absence, slipped, fell and died. Many have seen a great similarity to Japanese dog Hachiko, an affinity that has only added to the popularity of both work and artist. 

The street art of Luis Gutierrez.

In 1988, this Colombian artist came to Bologna and began painting his pictorial history of Latin America 500 Years after the Conquest of America, beneath the portico that divides Via Zamboni and Piazza Scaravilli. Looking carefully at the characters in his crowd, you may make out Fidel Castro, Che Guevara and Salvador Allende. The work was commissioned to celebrate the 900th anniversary of the University of Bologna, believed by scholars to be the oldest university in the world.

The MamBo.

MamBo, the museum of modern art in Bologna, is one Italian’s most important museums of modern and contemporary art. The museum retraces the history of Italian art from the Second World War to the present day, featuring works by Franco Angeli, Tano Festa, Giosetta Fioroni, Sergio Lombardo, Renato Mambor, Titina Maselli, Mimmo Rotella, Mario Schifano and Giuseppe Uncini. But that’s not all. The Officina d’Arte Italiana. Nuove creatività 1988-2018 section displays a selection of works that have joined the museum’s public collection through exhibitions, commissions, acquisitions and donations. It’s well worth a visit. Families love it too, thanks to the numerous activities and workshops for under-18s, making it a great potential family day out.

CHEAP collective poster art.

CHEAP is a public art project founded by six women in Bologna in 2013, promoting Street Art as a tool for urban regeneration and local self-enhancement. The collective has run a plethora of initiatives over the last few years, reflecting and denouncing what they see around them in the city’s spaces and places. CHEAP’s latest venture is Reclaim, a reflection on the theme of advertising interpreted by 247 artists from 37 different countries, who have produced 279 images blown up to gigantic proportions for display on Bologna’s advertising hoardings.
To find out more, visit their website https://www.cheapfestival.it

The Palazzo Poggi Scientific Museum.

Formerly the headquarters of the University of Bologna, Palazzo Poggi today hosts the precious collection of the Istituto delle Scienze, founded in 1711 by Luigi Ferdinando Marsili. Not a lot of people know this: this is one of Italy’s greatest historical and scientific museums, its large rooms frescoed by famous painters Pellegrino Tibaldi, Nicolò dell’Abate and Prospero Fontana, featuring antique furnishings associated with geography, seafaring, military architecture, physics, natural history, chemistry and biology. The anatomy section is a real attraction for fans of the genre. 

Soggiornare a Bologna.

For your art tour of Bologna, we suggest staying in the heart of town to fully enjoy all the wonders Bologna has to offer. UNAHOTELS Bologna Centro is a modern hotel right in the historical centre, yet a mere stone’s throw from the central station. Beautifully decorated, it embodies perfect Italian style and charm.