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Piazza Maggiore
Religious & spiritual activities

Religious & spiritual activities
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Our most recommended Piazza Maggiore Religious & spiritual activities

Bologna: City Center Walking Tour

1. Bologna: City Center Walking Tour

Take a classic walking tour through the streets of the Bologna city center. With this guided tour, discover the history of Bologna and its major cultural attractions. Make stops at the Asinelli tower, Neptune fountain, and the Basilica of San Petronio. Meet your guide and walk through the city streets admiring the architecture and discovering the most-famous cultural attraction. See the towers of Bologna and marvel at their height and significance. Then, stroll through the Quadrilatero Market, and learn important historical facts. Make a wish at the Neptune fountain and see if it comes true. Then, gaze at the Basilica of San Petronio, as your guide shares its story and welcomes you into the city of Bologna.

From Bologna: Roundtrip San Luca Train Ticket & Food Tasting

2. From Bologna: Roundtrip San Luca Train Ticket & Food Tasting

The Basilica of San Luca is one of the symbols of the city of Bologna. Situated on the Monte Guardia, the Sanctuary connects to the city center through the longest continuous portico in the world, made up of 666 arcades. At the meeting point, you'll receive a map and a timetable of the return train, which is available every 45 minutes. You’ll also receive a voucher for the food tasting.  This tour departs every day and will help you discover the city from aboard the San Luca Express train, where the audio guides, available in 8 languages, will tell you about the city until your arrival at the Basilica of San Luca. Here, you can visit the Basilica at your own pace and decide what time to return by consulting the schedules on the map. On board, you will find a member of staff who'll welcome you and provide any information you may require. When you return, you will get to taste typical products in one of the historical markets.

Bologna: Red Bus City Tour and Local Food Tasting

3. Bologna: Red Bus City Tour and Local Food Tasting

Discover Bologna in comfort via an open top bus, enabling you to admire and photograph all the major attractions of the city.  Upon arriving at the meeting point, staff will welcome you onboard. Choose from an audioguide available in 10 different languages to learn more about the specific landmarks as well as the general history of the city. You will then journey across the city, capturing views of some of the most famous points of interest. Hop on and off at your leisure at some popular spots such as: • Basilica San Petronio • Palazzo dei Notai • Palazzo Comunale • Palazzo di Re Enzo • Palazzo del Podestà, • Tower of Asinelli and Garisenda • Museo Civico Archeologico • Archiginnasio • Palazzo Bevilacqua • Porta Saragozza • Palazzo Bentivoglio • Fontana del Nettuno • Teatro Comunale. After the tour, enjoy a food tour in a historical market in Bologna, where you will try local delicacies.

Bologna: Guided Walking Tour

4. Bologna: Guided Walking Tour

Discover the historic sights of Bologna, starting on Piazza Maggiore where landmarks include the Fountain of Neptune and the Palazzo del Podestà. Learn why the city is known as "La Dotta" ("The Learned"), "La Grassa" ("The Fat") and "La Rossa" ("The Red"). See the medieval Torre Galluzzi and look inside the unique anatomical theater at the Archiginnasio. Stroll along Via Farini and walk to the magnificent porticoes of Piazza Santo Stefano. Discover the covered passageway of the Court Isolani on the way to Via Strada Maggiore. Chat to the locals in the Mercato di Mezzo about why food is so important in Bologna.

Bologna: Taste Local Specialties on a Guided Walking Tour

5. Bologna: Taste Local Specialties on a Guided Walking Tour

Experience the vibrant historic center of Bologna on this walking tour. Admire sights like the Basilica of San Petronio and the Loggia of Merchants. Stop to try specialties at three establishments and enjoy a glass of delectable local wine. Start your tour in Piazza del Nettuno, where your guide will share insights into Bolognese culture with you. See an excellent example of Italian Gothic architecture at the Basilica of San Petronio. Admire the two towers that are the symbol of Bologna. View the Loggia of Merchants, where commercial and trading activities have been overseen in Bologna for hundreds of years. Walk to the vibrant Quadrilatero Market. Wander through the sights and smells in this market that has been around since the middle ages.

Bologna: Old Town Hidden Gems Exploration Game

6. Bologna: Old Town Hidden Gems Exploration Game

Be led on an exciting self-guided tour around Bologna's Old Town while playing a mobile-based quest with your friends and family. Solve clues and discover the fascinating history behind the monuments and attractions. Download the app, go to the starting point, and begin the adventure. Follow clues that will take you back in time to learn about the origins of some of the city's most iconic buildings and tourist sites. Here's a sneak peek at the storyline: “You’re an emerging writer from London, whose debut novel was a success. But now writers’ block has struck. The year is 1815. [...] In your despair, you’ve come to Bologna. You heard the city’s many secrets and artistic flair inspire many artists. You hope to be next...." Unlock the secret stories of the places you visit as you solve the problem and guess the answers. Learn about the seven secrets that cloak Bologna in mystery, the streets of the Quadrilatero, and more. Use the clues to lead you from one site to another. Each clue provides you with exact directions so you won't need a map, GPS, or guide. Complete the tour in about 1.5 hours, however, there’s no time limit, allowing you to go at your own pace. Play as a group or split into smaller groups/teams and compete against the others. Each person can also play on their own, separate from the group, and meet the group at the end of the tour.

Best of Italy: 5-Day Escorted Tour from Rome

7. Best of Italy: 5-Day Escorted Tour from Rome

Over the course of five days, visit the most enchanting locations of Italy, soaking up art, culture, cuisine and the famous Italian romance. Led by a friendly guide, depart from Rome and visit Assisi, Siena, Florence, Pisa, Bologna, Padova, Venice and Montepulciano. See masterpieces from the likes of Michelangelo, Giotto, and Cimabue. Roam ancient cobbled streets, marvel at magnificent cathedrals, and taste delightful wines. This tour aims to inform and entertain you at the same time. Staying in comfy accommodation and traveling by deluxe bus, touring Italy couldn’t be easier. With 4 meals provided for you, plus an excellent itinerary and knowledgeable guides, sit back, relax and "get Italian". Day 1 Depart from Rome at 7:15 AM heading towards Assisi. Explore this tiny town dating back to the Middle Ages. Visit the Basilica of St. Francis and see works by Giotto and Cimabue. Afterwards drive towards Siena, whose highlight is Piazza del Campo. Continue to Florence where you will check in at your hotel before enjoying dinner (included) and a well-deserved night of rest. Day 2: Florence After breakfast, spend the day exploring Florence, the cradle of the Renaissance. Visit the Duomo, the Campanile Tower, Palazzo Vecchio and the Basilica of Santa Croce. Lunch (for free) in a typical Tuscan restaurant in Piazza Santa Croce. In the afternoon, wander the cobbled streets or take a short, optional trip to Pisa where you could enjoy a tour of the Square of Miracles, the Leaning Tower and the Duomo. Dinner is at your leisure. Back in Florence rest in your hotel and recharge your batteries for the next day. Day 3 Depart for Bologna after breakfast in Florence. Wander through the city’s 38 kilometers' worth of elegant arcades, for which it is famous. From Piazza Malpighi, walk to Piazza del Nettuno and Piazza Maggiore in the heart of the city. In the afternoon, continue towards Padova, with its original Sant’Antonio Basilica. Later, you will arrive in Venice, famous for its quaint gondola boats and intricate architecture. Check in at your hotel and enjoy your first Venetian dinner (included until 23/03/2024 ) and overnight stay. Day 4: Venice Hit the water and board a private waterbus to enjoy a cruise through the canals of Venice. Stop off at Murano to learn about the ancient art of glass blowing. Continue on to St. Mark’s Square for an exterior visit of the splendid cathedral. See the Doge Palace and the Bridge of Sighs. Enjoy a spritz or Prosecco (until 23/03/2024. From 25/03/2024 a light lunch will be included) with your guide to cap off a day of discovery. Spend the afternoon roaming along Venice’s canals at your leisure and then return to the hotel and overnight. Day 5 After breakfast, departure from Piazzale Roma heading to Tuscany, world-known for its landscapes, its churches, castles and its delicious wines. Proceed to Val di Chiana with a stop in Montepulciano, a medieval town rich in history and art. Known for its “Noble” wine, on purchase in local wine houses, Montepulciano also hosts an annual jazz and wine festival every July. Lunch in a typical restaurant included! Spend the afternoon discovering Montepulciano at your own pace, enjoying free wine tastings in many wine shops and free time for shopping. In the evening, you will arrive in Rome, where the tour ends.

Bologna: 2-Hour Private Guided Walking Tour

8. Bologna: 2-Hour Private Guided Walking Tour

Join a private tour of Bologna’s historic center, one of the best-preserved in Europe: you'll walk through the fascinating squares and characteristic arcades, and visit the stunning historical churches and ancient palaces. Your experience will start in Piazza Maggiore where you'll discover its civic medieval palaces: Palazzo di Re Enzo, Palazzo of the Notaries and Palazzo dei Banchi. In the square, you'll also find the Fountain of Neptune with the precious late Renaissance sculptures by Giambologna. You'll then head to the gothic Basilica of San Petronio: inside you'll find the late gothic paintings of Cappella Bolognini and the sun-dial designed by the astronomer Cassini. You'll then walk along the Pavaglione Portico and its elegant shops until you reach the 16th-century Archiginnasio Palace, the old university building decorated with about 6000 student coat of arms. You'll stroll through the picturesque alleys of the Mercato di Mezzo and its unique food shops to get to the enchanting Square of Santo Stefano with the complex of Santo Stefano where your tour will end. Through the picturesque alleys of the Mercato di Mezzo, the old market, and its fabulous food shops you'll get to the lovely Square of Santo Stefano, with the complex of Santo Stefano also called the “Jerusalem of Bologna” or “The Seven Churches”, a group of small Romanesque churches.

Bologna: Ancient and Recent History Self-Guided Audio Tour

9. Bologna: Ancient and Recent History Self-Guided Audio Tour

Bologna is home to some of the best food, the most sublime beauty, and the richest history in all of Italy. Yet it’s rarely on the tourist radar. On this walking tour, award-winning author Frank Bures will give you a taste of authentic Italian culture, show you the city’s many historical sites, and tell you the stories most travelers don’t hear. Throughout the walk, he’ll share anecdotes from the time he spent in Bologna as an exchange student in the 1990s, where he came of age as a global citizen. Starting at the Neptune Fountain, you’ll walk through Piazza Maggiore to San Petronio Basilica where you’ll see the world’s largest sundial. You’ll then make your way to the Two Towers, one of which garnered a mention in Dante’s Inferno, and stroll beneath the famous porticos that became a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2021. En route to the city’s culinary epicenter, the Quadrilatero, he’ll show you where the 1902 murder that dominated world headlines for three years took place. He’ll also tell you about the case of a 1980 train station bombing by right-wing terrorists that killed 85 people, before you walk back to San Petronio to learn about Michelangelo’s lost statue of Pope Julius II. Finally, you’ll loop past Piazza Galvani to hear about scientific experiments that electrified frogs before heading back where you started. Along the way, you’ll also have the chance to: • Hear about the different Italian dialects Frank encountered while studying here, including Bolognese • See the Roxy Bar, which was featured in the Italian superstar Vasco Rossi’s song Vita Spericolata (The Reckless Life) • Discover how the world’s oldest university got its start • Take in the “Seven Churches” of Santo Stefano • Find out how an ancient painting once saved the city • Learn the secret to cooking good Italian food • Be transported back to the time Aerosmith visited the city • Relive the glory of Bologna’s canals which once rivaled Venice’s • Understand why the poet Gabriele D’Annunzio called Niccolò dell’Arca’s Lamentation for the Dead Christ sculpture a “scream in stone” Join Frank Bures for this lighthearted 60-minute stroll through the ancient – and more recent – past of Bologna, a place that art critic John Berger once called “an improbable city.” PHOTO CREDITS: Photos of San Luca, Piazza Maggiore, Piazza Maggiore at night, Neptune at night, Santo Stefano and “Speaking Bolognese" courtesy of Bologna Welcome. All other photos by the author.

Bologna: Inside city tour, San Luca Express, & Tastings

10. Bologna: Inside city tour, San Luca Express, & Tastings

Visit the city of Bologna and San Luca with this tour that in one day will let you discover the city comfortably without walking too much. You will meet in Piazza del Nettuno with our welcome staff who will explain all the details and will accompany you to the start of the new Inside city tour aboard the electric minibus where you will be able to see the most hidden sides of the center by listening to the audio guides. Afterwards you will be able to enjoy tastings of typical local products and then board the San Luca express train which will let you discover the famous arcades of San Luca on the way that takes you to visit the famous basilica while listening to the audio guides.

Bologna

Bologna

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What people are saying about Piazza Maggiore

Overall rating

5.0 / 5

based on 2 reviews

This trip was more than I expected, on this one you done see Rome unless you book additional activities. However this is still so worth taking. I went to areas of Italy I wasn't aware of and the countryside views are amazing. The guide we had Clara was super, very kinda and always looking out for the safety and accountability of the large group. She also was very knowledgeable and offered lots of suggestions on food, wine and areas to visit. So many beautiful things seen on this tour, however my favorite was Pisa with the leaning town. It was breathe taking to me. I also enjoyed just the beautiful area with the mountains and greenery. Also so many beautiful churches to see. Amazing tour I think. Also lots of walking was involved and on 2 occasions the meals provided weren't the best but definitely edible. Overall amazing time. Definitely would recommend for first visit to Italy .🇮🇹 💚🤍❤️

100% recommend!! If this is your first time to Italy, I highly suggest you do this excursion. It’s a bit rushed but you get a taste of several regions so the next time you return to Italy you can spend more time in the cities you like. Patrizia, our tour guide, was professional, coordinated and spoke perfect English. Our driver, Luigi, was patient, drove safely and wore a black blazer everyday, so professional! He always kept the bus clean and tidy. I and my 2 young adult children, 17 & 20 loved it and hope to return in the future. Bravo Patrizia and Luigi!

I loved the tours selected for the 5 days, every moment was well spent, the guide knew how to lead and direct people, so that we had a good time, it was great that he spoke Portuguese, he was agile and careful with everyone, and all questions and questions that were asked were answered.

Our private guide was particularly interesting and relevant, I recommend!

very good service, excellent guide and good hotels