Most of the core sights are within a few kilometers, so we walked all over the city during our four weeks in Bologna – had to work off all the pasta and gelato!
Churches
The Basilica di San Petronio is the main church in the city and as it is free, we visited multiple times, specifically for a free evening concert and again to witness the sundial (constructed in 1655!) in action. A meridian line stretches for 220 feet precisely north to south so it sits on an angle within the church. At approximately noon every day (1pm in daylight saving time), a disk of light roughly the size of a basketball popped into view for about 15 minutes, traversing the meridian line of the chapel on schedule. The interior was awash in color from the stained glass and there were always large groups coming through.
The Basilica di San Francesco had lovely light on it with families out front kicking soccer balls with kids near sunset, though the inside was completely under renovation, complete with dust and falling plaster.
The Basilica of San Domenico, sadly, was under extensive renovation so we couldn’t see very much of it, although the exterior and garden areas were pretty.
The Basilica Santuario Santo Stefano complex has seven small chapels, each old and unique, some housing relics. It was fairly busy but we managed to wind our way around people and enjoy each. Leandra also sketched the exterior on a rainy Sunday morning and we enjoyed the antique market in the main square on another weekend.
Basilica di Santa Maria dei Servi offers a large space with a unique organ featuring horns that project out from the main organ pipes. The piazza in front of the church is also beautiful.
Parrocchia Sacro Cuore Gesu, located north of the main train station featured some of the best stained glass we’ve seen in Bologna. It was also nearby a section with some cool murals.
On the way back through town after a gelato run, we heard a soloist and, curious, were rewarded by stumbling across the end of a free concert in San Filippo Neri!
We also stopped at Santi Gregorio e Siro church and Basilica Collegiata dei Santi Bartolomeo e Gaetano, where the Bartolomeo sculpture was particularly unique.
Basilica di San Paolo Maggiore – on our way to the Tuesday Flower Market, we stopped into this very ornate church.
Museums
The Museo Davia Bargellini offered a small, eclectic collection of art, keys, figurines, and more. The large carriage is a highlight!
We visited the Pinacoteca Nazionale di Bologna on a Sunday morning when it was free due to the Italian first Sunday program. The museum has a LOT of iconography and religious paintings with an emphasis on Bologna-related and produced items. Several pieces stood out including the Massacre of the Innocents and Saul’s conversion.
A quick stop at the Biblioteca d’Arte e di Storia di San Giorgio let us see the inside during the three-hour window it’s open to the public. An art library inside a deconsecrated church, the massive bell perched on a square block of books makes for a cool art piece inside.
Gardens
After visiting a nearby market, we checked out Giardini Margherita. Unbeknownst to us, they were hosting a Bologna Sports event where they had demos of nearly every sport. We saw common things like basketball, gymnastics, and tennis, plus some less common things like American football, archery, synchronized swimming(!), and lots of others. Very cool that kids were getting to learn and try out lots of different things.
The small Orto Botanico ed Erbario was a quick detour after the national art museum. It has some massive trees, but overall felt a bit unkempt. Still, it was nice to have a little greenery.
Street Art
After work one evening we walked to the Via del Pratello area to check out lots murals and paste-ups. Another late afternoon walk took us to the Statua Roberto “Freak” Antoni, then along Via Felice looking for potential aperitivo spots to try. We found lots of places to admire street art.
. 
Music
Camera Jazz Club had a small queue, and the line processed slowly once the doors opened. We mentioned we were tourists so we weren’t required to pay the 10€ additional membership fee. Yay! 20€ per person entry. Once in we were seated at a high top table for two by the bar with a nice view of the side of the stage. Leandra got a sangiovese, and I got a pecorino (probably the best of the trip so far). The quintet played two sets, one ending at 11pm, the other ending at midnight.
Misc
Portici di San Luca. We walked all the way to the top, which was surprisingly tiring. Thankfully the weather was fairly cool. The walk features nearly 700 arches and some nice views over the region once you get to the Santuario Madonna di San Luca. It’s quite popular and a lot of people were also walking up on this Saturday morning. On the way back we walked through a different neighborhood, Saragozza, which had more trees and was bustling on a Saturday afternoon.
Piazza del Nettuno, located in the center of Bologna with the famous statue of Neptune.
Palazzo Ercolani, which has quite an impressive staircase with sculptures. Sadly we couldn’t find a way into the university garden area. Along the way we passed through Corte Isolani to see the arrows in the ceiling.
Finally, we stopped in to Biblioteca Salaborsa to check the art display and admire interior from upper floor.
