Is Bologna Still Worth Visiting?

With the most famous sight of Bologna, the Two Towers or Due Torri, closed indefinitely due to the immediate risk of collapsing, is it still worth visiting Bologna? Or is it something that should be delayed until the towers, hopefully, open again?

In October 2023 the area around the Two Towers was sealed off, and on the 2nd of December the same year the City announced that the smaller of the towers, Garisenda, was at immediate risk of collapsing and that work had begun to prevent it. The work is estimated to take at least ten years without a set date or year when the towers can open again. The square and streets around the towers will also be sealed off for the unforeseeable future to contain the debris in the event that the tower does collapse.

The tower has always had a tilt, just like the Leaning Tower of Pisa, and it is common with all the other famous towers of Bologna that they have a tilt. The tilt alone is not a concern for the structures. An increase in the tilt and damage done over the centuries since they were built in the 12th century is. The taller of the towers, Asinelli, does not pose a risk of collapsing.

This leads us to the main question: Is Bologna still worth visiting? I would say yes! Bologna is still a very interesting city, and you can still see the Two Towers. Just as the Empire State Building in New York is best viewed from Rockefeller Center and not from the skyscraper itself, the Two Towers in Bologna is best viewed from the Torre dell'Orologio in the Palazzo d'Accursio on the Main Square (Piazza Maggiore).

It's of course a little bit sad that the whole area around the Two Towers is just one gigantic construction site, but there are other things you can do in Bologna. The city is known for its brown architecture and lengthy porticoes, the latter of which has been recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2021. So for us who enjoy just strolling and enjoying beautiful architecture along the way, Bologna is a great option for a trip.

The oldest University in the world is also located in Bologna. The University is not a prominent part of the city center, but the old main building, Archiginnasio, from the 16th to the 19th Century is located near Piazza Maggiore, now housing a huge library and an anatomical theater You will likely spend most of your time near Piazza Maggiore and the narrow side streets nearby.

Bologna is also known as a foodie destination. If Italy is known as a foodie nation. Bologna is a foodie city inside that nation.

What in the rest of the world is known as Bolognese Sauce is in Italy known as Ragù (with local differences). A Ragù from Bologna is then simply a Bolognese (ragù alla bolognese). One obvious thing to try here would then of course be a Pasta Bolognese from Bologna.

So how many days do you need in Bologna? I spent only one day, a day trip from Florence. For most travelers that is probably too little, even though I felt it was enough for me to do what I wanted to do. A more reasonable trip would be one or two nights spent in the city. In that time you will be able to see all the sights, rest, and especially have time to try out some of the food!