Bologna
Bologna is the capital city of Emilia-Romagna in the north of Italy. It is situated in the Pianura Padana, between the Apennines and the river Po, more exactly between the river Reno and the river Savena. The town is the home of the oldest university in the world –“Alma Mater Studorum”, which was founded in 1088. Bologna is one of the best developed Italian cities and is ranked on the top of the range of the quality of life in Italy. Bologna is an exciting city with interesting light engineering and hi-tech technologies which have created the fame for the wealth of its citizens along with its old brick palaces and porticoed squares and streets. The food visitors can try in the town is the richest one in the country, combining different kinds of meat and cheese. The fertile valley of the river Po has also contributed to this large variety of food. An important part of the local food industry is the cured pork meat, such as prosciutto, mortadella and salami. Around the city there are a lot of well-grown vineyards in Pignoletto dei Colli Bolognesi, Lambrusco di Modena and Sangiovese di Romagna. Founded by the Etruscans around 534 BC and named Felsina in an area inhabited before by the Villanovians – a people of shepherds and farmers, the city grew around a sanctuary built on a hill and was surrounded by a necropolis. During the Centuries Bologna has had different nicknames such as “the learned one” (la dotta), connected with its famous university, “the fat one” (la grassa) because of its cuisine, “the red one” (la rossa) because of the colour of the roofs in the historic centre and also referring to the political situation in the city after World War II. Till 1999 when a centre-right mayor was elected, Bologna was known as the bastion of socialism and communism. Nowadays Bologna is an important railway and motorway point on the map of Italy. It was the first European city that introduced free public transport for everybody. It is maybe the best looking Italian city after Venice. The centre of the town is amazingly medieval planned with its red brick buildings with tiled roofs and balconies, occupying the area around the central square Piazza Maggiore. Tourists should stay for several days in the town to enjoy and tour the monuments and the other curiosities Bologna offers. There is always something happening because of the university where one-fifth of the city population (about 500,000) is. There is a famous summer festival along with its theatre, music, café and bar scene life.