When people ask about our favorite city in Italy, we vacillate between Rome (for the sights and sheer history) and Bologna (for the food). After enjoying our previous trips to Bologna (2017, 2023) we wanted to come back for a longer stint, and this year we were finally able to make a four week stay happen.

Bologna is well connected to the speedy Italian rail network which we used for weekend day trips to Ferrara and Ravenna.

Compared to our trip in 2023 the city was a little scruffier and dirtier then we remembered. A lot of that probably comes from the tram construction project that was running right through the center. “Lavori in corso” (work in progress) became a running joke for us as we saw the signs every day and frequently had to detour around construction spots.

On the flip side, we had great weather, with only one day of rain in October. Locals commented on our luck multiple times!

Bologna is well known for their porticos, which were even more extensive then we had originally realized. The city is also quite colorful, with many buildings painted in shades of orange and pink. However, that leads to fewer trees in the center, something we definitely missed after a while.

   

   

One of the benefits of a longer stay is stumbling on the unplanned. In Bologna that meant concerts in churches, experiencing Italian protests, and checking out a city-wide sport day in a city park.

   

We always seem to forget it, but Italians still smoke a lot, including cigars! So eating outside is a roll of the dice whether you will be seated next to a chain smoker.

Last but not least, the Bolognesi we interacted with were quite friendly and welcoming, and we are really grateful we got the chance for an extended stay in this unique city.

Airbnb apartment

When looking for a place to stay we found this relatively new apartment in a good location. We were a little worried about the lack of natural light since there is only one window with a view of the sky. It worked out for a month, but it would have been harder in gloomier weather.

This apartment took some work to get into! There are multiple keys to get in and out — a gate for the first floor stairs, a gate for the apartment door, then another lock for the apartment door. The apartment gate was particularly annoying, as it auto-locked on closing, and you needed a key to get in or out, we left it slightly ajar during the day. A fourth external door was generally closed and locked after 9p too.

The bedroom doesn’t have a door, but is mostly separated from the living room by a curved wall. We did have a few issues: we could have used more hangers, screens would be nice on the windows, and the bedroom metal window shutter wouldn’t come down. The desk area was a little cluttered with storage items, but has a proper desk, monitor and keyboard.

There were two HVAC minisplits, one in the bedroom and one in the kitchen, each with a silent feature for evening.

The wifi network speed was fine in the living room (43 up / 51 down), but half that in bedroom likely due to the thick walls. They really should put the wifi antenna behind the TV in the living room, which would spread the signal better. Thankfully I could connect to the ethernet in the bedroom office area as it was very fast (340/650).

In the living room, the couch was fairly uncomfortable. The TV needed a reboot to get working, and is rather old with no apps or app stick, and the remote was essentially useless. We ended up connecting via an HDMI cable I travel with now. Also notice there is no coffee table or ottoman to rest drinks (or your feet) while watching TV.

The kitchen has lots of items, including a formal dinner set for about 12 people 🤷‍♂️, but no electric coffee maker (stove pot only), and some basics like a spatula and veg peeler were missing. Leandra contacted the property manager and they dropped those off along with batteries for the AC remote.

One of the key points for the apartment was a washer / dryer, which took most of the day to dry but eventually gets there. Weirdly, it was full of linens and running when we arrived.

The shower had good water pressure, and the bathroom had reasonable shelf space.

Finally, there’s no way to dispose of general garbage yourself (city bins are locked), which isn’t ideal for longer stays. After several back-and-forth messages the owner offered weekly cleaning visits to deal with this.