If you're already visiting Bologna for a few days, take some inspiration from the basic activities you should do during your visit.

Taste Bolognese gastronomy

And have a good portion... The fame of Bolognese gastronomy dates back to the Middle Ages, when the influx of students and professors from all over the world demanded an enrichment of gastronomic culture.

Bolognese cuisine is varied and rich. In addition to the famous tortelli, a handmade pasta served in a broth, you can also enjoy a ragout made with pork, veal and beef, or the Bolognese schnitzel, a cutlet covered with cheese and prosciutto.

There are plenty of trattorias, osterias and bistros to choose from in the city centre; check the price and menu before entering.

It's almost impossible to go wrong. If you want something out of the ordinary, stop by Eataly, a health food chain where you can buy food or healthy lifestyle literature. FICO, the world's largest "food park", also offers an extraordinary experience, where you can learn about the culture, traditions and crafts that make Italian food the most famous in the world. For more information, visit eatalyworld.it.

Stop by a bar in Piazza Maggiore for an espresso or cappuccino and watch the hustle and bustle. The square and the city are alive.

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Walk through the arcades

Bologna is the arcade capital of the world. Bologna's porticoes are even a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

In the historic centre alone, the arcades together measure over 34 km, but you can also find porticoes outside the centre and the total length of all the arcades in Bologna is estimated at 55 km. The arcade is an excellent protection from the sun in summer and a perfect shelter from the rain in the colder months.

Walk under the world's longest arcade to the Santuario della Madonna di San Luca. The climb to the church, a symbol of Bologna, is definitely worth the effort.

Relax in the parks and gardens

In the sweltering summer, you can swap the hot city streets for the cool greenery of the city's parks, where you can end your sightseeing with a rest on the lawn. Bologna has parks and gardens of all sizes. Not far from the tourist centre, you'll find the Giardini Margherita, where you can not only relax in the shade of cedars, pines and chestnuts, but also watch the turtles in the central pond.

Visit the Villa Spada forest

Villa Spada is not just an ordinary park, it is a real small forest located near the historic centre of Bologna, in the elegant surroundings of the Zaragoza district. Around the villa there is a huge garden and at the foot of the park, from the top of which you can admire a magnificent panoramic view of the whole city. Inside the villa is a museum of the history of upholstery.

Take a day trip around the area

You can also take a day trip around the region from Bologna and there are more than enough options:

• Modena
• Ferrara
• Ravenna
• Marzabotta

Modena is one of the jewels of the region, dominated by the Romanesque Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary and Saint Geminian. Next to it stands the Ghirlando Tower, from which you can see the whole city as if in the palm of your hand. For lovers of fast cars, there is the Enzo Ferrari Museum, designed by František Kaplicky. You can get here by train in 20 minutes.

Ferrara is half an hour by train from Bologna, where you can admire the castle of the d'Este family, the magnificent cathedral and the city's fortification system.

Ravenna is an hour and a half by train from Bologna and offers tourists several basilicas with stunning mosaic decorations.

If you have a car, you can head to Marzabotta, a town with a similar fate to our Lidice, or to San Marino further afield .