Bologna Car Rental

Located in the heart of Italy, close to the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines, Bologna is a unique city that boasts the distinction of being home to the oldest university in the west-ern world, the Alma Mater Studiorum, founded in the 11th century.

Nicknamed, “Dotta” (Learned) for this very reason, the capital of Emilia Romagna, has earned two other names, namely “Rossa” (Red), due to the colour of the terracotta roofs and bricks used extensive-ly in its buildings, and “Grassa” (Fat), referring instead to its rich and tasty culinary tradi-tion.

Excellent cuisine and a spectacular historical and artistic heritage, the latter well testified by the beauty of its historic centre, Bologna is also characterised by 40 km of arcades dominated by towers and prestigious buildings.

Visiting Bologna: the beautiful sights of the city centre

There are many things to see in Bologna, so if you want to fully enjoy its sights and at-tractions, our advice is to rent a car.

In fact, with a rental car, you can explore the length and breadth of the city and then head to the surrounding area, which offers visitors just as many surprises.

To rent a car in Bologna, you can go to the Maggiore office located at Guglielmo Marconi Airport, or to the two offices in the city centre, in Via Galliera and Via Nicolò Dall’Arca. 
Travelling with Maggiore means relying on the experience and professionalism of a com-pany that is always attentive to the needs of its customers and that has a large fleet of cars, as well as a range of additional services that can be requested directly at the office.

So, what’s there to see in Bologna?

Your tour of the city should start from the famous Piazza Maggiore, which is overlooked by some of the most famous buildings such as Neptune’s Fountain (known as “Il Gigan-te”), Palazzo dei Banchi, the beautiful Basilica of San Petronio, the largest in the city, and Palazzo del Podestà, built in 1200.

Not far from Piazza Maggiore is another symbol of Bologna worth visiting, namely the Torre degli Asinelli, built between 1109 and 1119, while just 500 metres away is the Ba-silica of Santo Stefano, a building complex also known as the Seven Churches (Chiesa del Crocifisso, Basilica del Sepolcro, Chiesa di San Vitale e Sant’Agricola, Cortile del Pi-lato, Chiesa del Martyrium, Medieval Cloister, and Museum of Santo Stefano).

On your tour of central Bologna, be sure to include a visit to Palazzo L’Archiginnasio, which houses the Municipal Library with over 35,000 manuscripts, Palazzo Poggi, the main campus of the city’s university, and the Jewish Museum of Bologna, located in theformer Jewish ghetto and housed near Palazzo Sforno. 

A rental car in Bologna will make it easy for you to reach the Sanctuary of the Madonna di San Luca, located 280 metres above sea level on the Colle della Guardia, and the Monumental Cemetery of Certosa, where the remains of famous artists are buried such as Giorgio Morandi, Giosuè Carducci and Lucio Dalla.

If you want to have a unique experience, then you should definitely take a trip to under-ground Bologna, which hides extraordinary historical and archaeological discoveries, or take a relaxing stroll through the natural surrounds of the Margherita Gardens, opened in 1879.

Villages near Bologna: the most beautiful to visit

Visiting Bologna means not only admiring the city’s attractions, but also allowing your-self to be captivated by the charm of its surrounding areas.

Although little known, the area surrounding Bologna is actually very picturesque and deserves to be visited and in many cases discovered.

About 35 km from the capital, you can reach Dozza, a small town perched on a hilltop that is a veritable open-air gallery, as the houses are decorated with more than 100 paintings, the result of an initiative (Biennale of the Muro Dipinto) that completely transformed the face of the town in the sixties.

From Dozza, take the SS9 road and after 40 minutes you will arrive in Brisighella, a village with a typically medieval appearance located on the borders of the Vena del Gesso Regional Park, which will win you over with its fortifications, such as the Rocca Manfre-diana and the Clock Tower.

From here, an hour’s journey will take you to Verucchio, a small village perched on high ground and birthplace of the Malatesta dynasty, and the Republic of San Marino, one of the smallest states in the world situated on the slopes of Mount Titano.

Other places to visit near the capital include Monteveglio, with its Abbey of Santa Maria Assunta, a true Romanesque masterpiece, the tiny village of San Pietro, located on the borders of the Regional Park of Gessi Bolognesi, Grizzana Morandi, the birthplace of the painter Giorgio Morandi, also famous for the Rocchetta Mattei, and Montegridolfo, with its beautiful historic centre dominated by the Malatesta Castle.

Finally, since a place is also experienced through its culinary specialities, on your tour of Bologna and its surrounding area don’t forget to taste some of the most famous dishes of this land, such as lasagne, tortellini in brodo (tortellini in broth), tagliatelle al ragù (ta-gliatelle with meat sauce), cotoletta alla Petroniana (veal cutlet) and torta di riso (rice cake). If you want to take home a gourmet souvenir, don’t forget to buy a hundred grams of mortadella, a piece of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese and a packet of Bologna potatoes, PDO product.

Your holiday in Bologna with a rental car will certainly be unforgettable as you can dis-cover not only the most beautiful places in the city, but also the great charm of the sur-rounding villages.