FINESTRELLA DI VIA PIELLA<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Among the things to see in Bologna for free is certainly the famous Finestrella di Via Piella, one of the most curious and photographed corners of the historic centre. Located between numbers 16 and 18, for a long time it remained an anonymous little window on a street with no particular attractions, one that wasn’t often walked along. It looks out onto the Canale delle Moline, one of the few stretches of water in the city that, between the early twentieth century and the postwar period, was not paved over. The small opening frames a striking view of the canal which, flanked by buildings, is reminiscent of Venice (this corner of the city is in fact known as “little Venice”). Looking out from it, you can capture a snapshot of what Bologna looked like in the past.<\/p>\n\n\n\n SALABORSA AND THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXCAVATIONS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n In the heart of Bologna, facing the Fontana del Nettuno, stands the Salaborsa Library, one of the city’s most distinctive and evocative places. Inaugurated in December 2001, it is a cutting-edge library that documents contemporary culture through every kind of available material: books, newspapers, magazines, maps, videos, audio CDs, CD-ROMs and DVDs. But besides being a rich and fascinating cultural and multimedia space, it hides a surprise. Beneath the glass flooring of the so-called Piazza Coperta, you can admire what remains of the Roman civil basilica, dating back to the 2nd century BC, along with traces of medieval houses and the sixteenth-century Botanical Garden of Ulisse Aldrovandi, which had its first home here. The visit to the excavations is not entirely free, but is by voluntary donation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n BASILICA OF SAN PETRONIO<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Overlooking Piazza Maggiore, the Basilica of San Petronio is one of Bologna’s undisputed symbols and an unmissable stop for anyone wanting to visit the city for free, although access to certain specific areas and services does require payment. Built between 1390 and 1663, it is one of the most majestic and significant examples of Italian Gothic cathedral architecture. It strikes visitors first with its monumental fa\u00e7ade, left unfinished and marked by the contrast between the marble-clad lower section and the brick upper section. Inside, alongside numerous works of art, is the longest sundial in the world, traced onto the floor in 1655 by the astronomer Giovanni Domenico Cassini.<\/p>\n\n\n\n BASILICA OF SANTO STEFANO<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Another stop not to be missed is the Basilica of Santo Stefano. It is the most important example of Romanesque sacred architecture in Bologna. It faces onto the square of the same name and is also known as the “Seven Churches” complex, since it is made up of several buildings constructed side by side over the centuries. The origins of the complex are debated and remain a matter of discussion. According to the most widely accepted theory, it was raised by Bishop Petronius in the 5th century on the ruins of a pre-existing pagan temple. The visit takes in the Church of the Crocifisso, the Crypt (viewable only through glass panels), the Basilica of the Santo Sepolcro, the Church of Vitale e Agricola, the so-called “Courtyard of Pilate”, the Church of the Trinit\u00e0, the medieval Cloister, the museum, and the church known as “della Benda”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n BOTANICAL GARDEN<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n For a moment of respite, head to the Botanical Garden of the University of Bologna, one of the oldest in Italy. It was founded in 1568 on the initiative of Ulisse Aldrovandi and, after several moves, found its permanent home in the early 19th century at Via Irnerio 42, in the heart of the university district. Inside you’ll find: the ornamental garden, home to trees of various, mostly exotic, species; the succulent plant collection (with around 5,000 specimens), among the most important in Italy; the park woodland; the riverside woodland, dominated by tall white poplars; the Mediterranean woodland; and the tropical greenhouse. Admission is free, and the visit offers an interesting alternative to the classic attractions of the centre: a place where nature, research and history meet in a calm and pleasant setting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “LUIGI CATTANEO” ANATOMICAL WAX COLLECTION<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n For lovers of the unusual, the “Luigi Cattaneo” Anatomical Wax Collection is one of the most surprising attractions Bologna has to offer for free. It illustrates the path taken by medical scholars in the 18th and 19th centuries when, having by then acquired a full understanding of the true nature of the human body, they turned increasingly to the investigation of its diseases. The wax preparations, natural bones and dried specimens reproduce parts of the human body with great precision and bear witness to the importance Bologna has held in the field of medical research and teaching. Alongside its scientific value, the collection also holds strong artistic interest: the attention to detail and the quality of the reproductions make these works particularly striking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n CASA MORANDI<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Casa Morandi, at Via Fondazza 36, is the house where the Bolognese artist Giorgio Morandi lived and worked from 1910 to 1964. He was one of the leading figures of twentieth-century Italian painting and is considered among the greatest printmakers of the century worldwide. The house holds a rich collection of photographs, volumes and documents tracing some of the most significant moments of Morandi’s life. Rounding out the exhibition path are audio-video installations and multimedia tools, together with a library and a multipurpose room dedicated to cultural events, designed to offer a more contemporary reading of the master’s life and work. For art lovers wanting to get to know Bologna through its protagonists, Casa Morandi is a precious stop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n LERCARO ART MUSEUM<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Another worthwhile option for anyone seeking free museums in Bologna is the Lercaro Art Museum. Located on Via Riva di Reno, it brings together the personal works acquired by Cardinal Giacomo Lercaro, Archbishop of Bologna from 1952 to 1968, along with pieces received as gifts from artists, collectors and admirers as a token of deep esteem, to which numerous further works have been added over the years. Painting, sculpture and other forms of artistic expression allow visitors to follow different paths and engage with widely varying artistic languages. Among the names featured in the collection are Giacomo Manz\u00f9, Giacomo Balla, Giorgio Morandi, Vittorio Tavernari, Adolfo Wildt, Ettore Spalletti, Mimmo Paladino and Graziano Pompili.<\/p>\n\n\n\n MAST FOUNDATION<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Rounding off this list of free attractions in Bologna is the MAST Foundation, a cultural centre and exhibition space dedicated to art, technology and innovation. Located in the western part of the city, it hosts temporary exhibitions and events focused above all on photography and the culture of industry and work. The building itself, with its contemporary architecture, is a distinctive feature of the complex. A visit here lets you shift from historic, artistic, university Bologna to a more contemporary, technological and international one \u2014 a change of perspective that makes exploring the city all the more interesting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Photo gallery \u00a9 Bologna Welcome<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n What to see without spending a thing.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6529,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6536","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-itineraries"],"taxonomy_info":{"category":[{"value":21,"label":"Itineraries"}]},"featured_image_src_large":["https:\/\/www.ilbrugnolo.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Bologna-\u00a9-Canva-1024x682.jpg",1024,682,true],"author_info":{"display_name":"salvatoremenale1","author_link":"https:\/\/www.ilbrugnolo.it\/en\/author\/salvatoremenale1\/"},"comment_info":0,"category_info":[{"term_id":21,"name":"Itineraries","slug":"itineraries","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":21,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":153,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":21,"category_count":153,"category_description":"","cat_name":"Itineraries","category_nicename":"itineraries","category_parent":0}],"tag_info":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ilbrugnolo.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6536","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ilbrugnolo.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ilbrugnolo.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ilbrugnolo.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ilbrugnolo.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6536"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.ilbrugnolo.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6536\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6541,"href":"https:\/\/www.ilbrugnolo.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6536\/revisions\/6541"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ilbrugnolo.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6529"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ilbrugnolo.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6536"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ilbrugnolo.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6536"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ilbrugnolo.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6536"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.ilbrugnolo.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1-\u00a9-Bologna-Welcome.jpg\")
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