THE CIRENAICA

Strolling around the streets of the Cirenaica quarter is where you breathe the most genuine Bolognese air: the inn called ‘Da Vito’ is one of the oldest, but it is especially well-known for the nights it stayed open for the so-called biassanot – people who stayed up all night in these inns – famous singers like Lucio Dalla, Francesco Guccini (who lived just a stone’s throw from here, in via Paolo Fabbri), Ron, Roberto Vecchioni, Andrea Mingardi, the music critic Red Ronnie, and the philosopher Stefano Bonaga.

In via Bentivogli, there is a courtyard housing the Villanoviano open air museum, with a mural by Luis Gutierrez, which is one of a series of murals scattered around the area. In 2017, in this very street, an exceptionally long table was laid with dishes from 25 different examples of cooking from around the world.

At the end of via Libia, before reaching the bridge, there is the Dehon theatre, which offers an interesting programme of shows.

If you want to buy fresh food, there is the street market in via Sante Vincenzi known as the Mercato della Cirenaica with stalls selling a rich variety of mouthwatering fares.

The apartment is just a short walk away from the university site and from the S.Orsola-Malpighi Hospital: the two being so close, a lot of the students of medicine complete their specialisation courses in this long established hospital structure. From the apartment to the city centre is a 10/15 minute walk.

ITINERARY FOR THE CITY CENTRE

Walk along the typical via San Vitale, which is full of shops, restaurants and a couple of the most delicious ice-cream parlours in the city, until you come directly beneath the 2 Torri, the two leaning towers that are the true symbols of Bologna. After that you can start to visit the old city centre, turning to the right into the university area and the Jewish quarter, or carrying straight on to the famous Piazza Maggiore and the adjacent Fountain of Neptune. Otherwise turn to the left to pass through the fascinating, sophisticated Piazza della Mercanzia, with its eponymous Palazzo, the old building where the original recipes are kept for some of the typical dishes of Bolognese cooking, such as stuffed tortellini, or ragù, but especially where the measure for tagliatelle is officially registered. Turn to the left at the Palazzo and you come to Piazza S. Stefano, where a complex of 7 churches stands. This splendid square has been used as a backdrop for several advertising shoots.