Bologna Draws Seniors

Bologna is the largest city in the Po Valley of Northern Italy. It is the seventh most populated city in Italy and the heart of a metropolitan area of about one million happy Italians. Bologna is an important cultural and artistic center, attractive to senior citizens.

Bologna’s homogenous mixture of monuments and architectural examples (medieval towers, antique buildings, churches, the layout of its historical center) as well as works of art, are the result of a first class architectural and artistic history. Bologna, one of the most important cities in Italy, is an important transportation crossroad for the roads and trains of Northern Italy, where many important mechanical, electronic and nutritional industries have their headquarters.

Famed for the oldest university in the Western world, Bologna has a lively student population, exquisite food, typical brick terracotta-roofed architecture and porticos, theater and nightlife, so you senior noctumbules (that’s a “night owl”) will enjoy your late evenings in Bologna.

So Much For Seniors To See and Do

Lonely Planet invites senior travelers to check out their list of things to see and do: from famed pizzerias to basilicas, wine bars and theaters, you’ll discover these and more in town. Bologna is one of the wealthiest cities in Italy, often ranking as one of the top cities in terms of quality of life in the country: in 2011 it ranked 1st out of 107 Italian cities.

Historically, Bologna has been inhabited since the 9th century BC, as evidenced by the archeological digs in the 19th century in nearby Villanova. It is one of the most beautiful cities in Italy and has one of the largest and best preserved historic centers. Boasting one of the country’s great medieval cityscapes – an eye-catching ensemble of red-brick palazzi, Renaissance towers and 40km of arcaded porticoes.

The center of Bologna is startlingly medieval in plan, a jumble of red brick, tiled roofs and balconies radiating out from the great central square of Piazza Maggiore. There are enough monuments and curiosities for several days’ leisured exploration, including plenty of small, quirky museums, some tremendously grand Gothic and Renaissance architecture and, most conspicuously, the Due Torri, the city’s own “leaning towers”.

And for you gourmets and gourmands, Bologna is self-described as ‘la dotta, la grassa e la rossa’ (the learned, the fat and the red). It’s called “The foodie capital of Italy.” The city claims to have laid the intellectual foundations of Italy (it founded Europe’s first university. Bologna is famous for its cuisine (la cucina Bolognese).

While crowds of tourists fill Venice, Florence and Rome, Bologna remains relatively quiet in comparison. This medieval university town is charming, historic and fun for senior visitors to explore… and you’ll find Bologna’s local cuisine is light-years away from the American deli meat bearing the city’s name.

 A fine City Guide will fill you in on all the see, shop and eat possibilities of the city. The photos are captivating and the commentary interesting.

I think that you’ll love your visit to  Bologna.  jeb