Vacation Rentals in Bologna

Hardly any other city manages so masterfully to transport its rich history and culture into today's world and to merge it with modernity as Bologna. The lively city is not called the "Berlin of Italy" for nothing, a melting pot of cultures, where students and luxury shoppers land on a grappa in one of the many street cafés at the end of the day. If you are looking for a vacation rental or a small apartment, you are guaranteed to find what you are looking for. Would you rather escape the hustle and bustle of the city centre and live in a holiday home? No problem, the suburbs like San Lazzaro di Savena or Villanova have the right vacation rental ready!

The metropolitan city of Bologna is located in the Emilia-Romagna region and is an important traffic junction and economic transhipment centre. The university town is the seventh largest in Italy and is known far beyond the borders of Italy for its stately old town as well as its culinary specialities. The nearest bigger cities are Parma (distance about 100 km), Florence (110 km) and Rimini (120 km) on the Adriatic Sea. Other coastal towns for a day trip are about 60 kilometres from Bologna.

Bologna does not enjoy the reputation of owning one of the most beautiful old towns in Italy for nothing. The old town extends around the fountain of Neptune in Piazza Maggiore and the Basilica of San Petronio. The fifth largest Gothic church in the world alone would be enough to admire its interior for hours. But this is only the beginning, here historical palaces and churches line up step by step and are interwoven by an over 40 kilometre long network of arcades. The arcades are a relic of an old building regulation that wanted to create living space without reducing the size of the wide streets and alleys. A guided tour of the old town takes about two hours, but you can also explore the alleys and streets from your vacation rental on your own.

Once upon a time there were more than 190 towers in Bologna, some of which date back to the 12th century. Today there are only 17 of them left, but two of them have become Bologna's landmarks: the Torre Garisenda, which once stretched 60 metres (but had to be lowered to 45 metres) and the Torre degli Asinelli, which stretches 92.20 metres into the sky. Dare to climb the 500 steps up to the highest leaning tower in Italy and enjoy a unique view over the whole city and its surroundings.

Bologna has numerous green areas and parks, but the Giardini Margherita is probably the largest and most beautiful. The 26 hectare park was opened in 1879 in honour of King Umberto I Gatting Margherita and is now a popular meeting place for tourists, students and locals alike. Here you will find a botanical garden, a romantic lake, numerous green areas for picnics and even an open piece of the otherwise underground Savena canal from the 12th century, which was once used to supply the city with water.