Ristorante Da Cesari
What to order: tortellini in veal broth, tagliatelle or gramignone verde with sausage ragù, and for a main course scaloppina alla petroniana with roast potatoes
geocalia
Day itinerary · 44.49° N · 11.34° E
A Saturday in Bologna from Rome, with the official guided walk in Spanish.
High-speed train from Termini, the old university and its anatomical theatre, Lucio Dalla's house, ragù at Da Cesari, the 15:30 Spanish-language guided walk and pasta at the Osteria dell'Orsa.
Leaving from
Direct flight to Bolonia fromBarcelona 1 h 45Valencia 2 h 15Madrid 2 h 30Málaga 2 h 45Sevilla 2 h 45Fuerteventura 4 h 30Lanzarote 4 h 30Gran Canaria 4 h 45Tenerife Sur 4 h 45
Part of Bologna
Add to my trip
Total time15 h
By car4 h each way
From RomeAbout 2 h 15 by high-speed train
From the station to the centre20 min on foot
WalkingAbout 3 h, on the flat
DifficultyEasy
Best timeSeptember – June
The plan
The day at a glance
Any part can be swapped for another without spoiling the day.
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Leave Rome 2 h 15 by train
High-speed train from Roma Termini to Bologna Centrale
- 30 min on foot · Along Via Indipendenza to Piazza Galvani
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1
Archiginnasio and Anatomical Theatre, the Old University
Audioguide in Spanish, €10 · booking compulsory
+39 051 6583111
- 6 min on foot
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2
Lucio Dalla's House on Via D'Azeglio
12:00 slot · €18 · Italian only · meet at Piazza dei Celestini
+39 051 6583111
- 6 min on foot
-
3
Ristorante Da Cesari
Tagliatelle al ragù and scaloppina alla petroniana · book by phone
Via de' Carbonesi, 8, 40123 Bologna · +39 051 237710
Restaurant €€Book - 5 min on foot
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4
Guided Walk Through the Medieval Centre, from Piazza Maggiore to Santo Stefano
Discover Bologna in Spanish, €18 · includes San Petronio · free up to age 12
+39 051 6583111
- 12 min on foot
-
5
Osteria dell'Orsa
Non-stop kitchen from 12:30 · no reservations
Via Mentana, 1, 40126 Bologna · +39 051 231576
Restaurant €Book -
Back home 12 min on foot
To the station
- 2 h 15 by train · At Roma Termini around 22:00, depending on the train
Approximate cost
About €75–100 per person
Adds up the activities and meals in the plan at their published prices; travel and accommodation not included.
The route
Archiginnasio and Anatomical Theatre, the Old University
Saturday is the best day to see Bologna from Rome if you do not speak Italian: it is the only day with a Spanish-language slot of the city's official guided walk. This plan puts it in the afternoon and fills the morning with what is closed on Sunday: the Archiginnasio, the seat of the old university, and Lucio Dalla's house, which opens only on Mondays, Fridays and Saturdays. You eat at a family-run eating house beside Piazza Maggiore and dine early, before the train, at a student osteria.
The day, hour by hour
7:15 · Train from Termini. Take a Frecciarossa or an Italo to Bologna Centrale. From the station, go down Via Indipendenza to Piazza Maggiore and round San Petronio to Piazza Galvani: about twenty-five minutes on foot.
10:00 · The Archiginnasio. The seat of the university since 1563: corridors covered with the coats of arms of students from all over Europe and the wooden anatomical theatre of 1637, where dissections were carried out in front of students. With a Spanish audioguide, 40 minutes and €10. Booking is compulsory; arrive ten minutes early.
11:50 · Lucio Dalla's house. A few minutes away, on Via D'Azeglio, the flat of the singer-songwriter of Caruso, just as he left it. The one-hour guided visit leaves from Piazza dei Celestini, is in Italian only and costs €18. If it does not pay off for you, swap it for the Clock Tower.
13:15 · Lunch at Da Cesari. On Via de' Carbonesi, two minutes from the square. The Cesari family has run it since 1955: tortellini in broth, tagliatelle al ragù and scaloppina alla petroniana. Book by phone; closed on Sundays and in August.
15:30 · Guided walk in Spanish. Discover Bologna, Bologna Welcome's official walk, leaves from Piazza Maggiore: San Petronio inside, Piazza Galvani, Santo Stefano, Strada Maggiore and the two towers, in two hours with a radio guide. €18, free up to age 12. From 15 June to 20 September it starts at 16:30.
18:00 · Pasta at the Osteria dell'Orsa. From the two towers, ten minutes on foot to Via Mentana. Non-stop kitchen from midday, so you dine early without waiting: tagliatelle, tortellini, cured meats. No bookings.
19:30 · Return. The station is about twelve minutes away. At Roma Termini at about ten at night.
With children
The anatomical theatre tends to impress older ones. The walk is free up to age 12, and the osteria, with its non-stop hours, suits them. With little ones, swap Lucio Dalla's house for the Palazzo Pepoli, free up to age 12.
Time40 min
Change the route
If you do not speak Italian, instead of Lucio Dalla's house: the terraces over Piazza Maggiore, with an audioguide in Spanish:
Clock Tower of the Palazzo d'Accursio and Its Terraces
If it pours or you have small children: the city museum, free up to age 12:
Museum of the History of Bologna in the Palazzo Pepoli
If you have the summer afternoon free: the walk in Spanish starts at 16:30 and you can go up to San Luca first:
San Luca Portico on Foot, from Porta Saragozza to the Sanctuary
Where to eat
Where to eat?
Lunch is half the plan: book before you set off.
Osteria dell'Orsa
What to order: tagliatelle al ragù or tortellini, a cured meat board to share and the wine from the Imola hills; ask at the bar about the dishes of the day
Osteria del Sole
What to order: a glass of the house wine and whatever you have bought in the shops on Via Pescherie Vecchie or Via Drapperie
Enoteca Italiana, on Via Marsala
What to order: a glass recommended by the house with a board of mortadella, culaccia and cheeses
Ristorante Diana
What to order: tortellini in broth or green lasagne, then the boiled-meat trolley or the roast trolley, and crème caramel or the house ice cream
Map
The stops, in order
With where to park at each one.
What to do
Eat
88 €Stay
Services
Getting there
By car or without one?
When to go
When to go to Bologna
Saturday only: it is the day of the guided walk in Spanish, at 15:30 from September to June and at 16:30 in summer. Da Cesari is closed in August and Lucio Dalla's house does not open from 28 June to 3 September.
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Best timeGood timeLow season
Tips
Worth knowing first
- 1Book three things
The Archiginnasio, Lucio Dalla's house and the guided walk are bought through Bologna Welcome; the table at Da Cesari, by phone.
- 2Call Da Cesari in the morning
The booking line is answered from 10:00 to 13:00.
- 3Comfortable shoes
It is three hours on foot, although on the flat and under cover.
If it rains
Almost the whole centre has porticoes: the walk goes ahead anyway.
We'd skip it
August: Da Cesari is closed and Lucio Dalla's house has no visits.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
When is there a guided walk in Spanish in Bologna?
On Saturdays: at 15:30 from September to mid-June and at 16:30 in summer.
Can Lucio Dalla's house be visited in Spanish?
No, only in Italian.
Can you book at the Osteria dell'Orsa?
No, it does not take bookings, but it has a non-stop kitchen from 12:30 to 23:00.
How long does the train from Rome to Bologna take?
About two hours and a quarter by high-speed train.
More plans like this
Other days of walking and good food
geocalia.com/en/italy/emilia-romagna/bologna/itineraries/rome-bologna-train-saturday-archiginnasio-guided-walk
Prices, opening hours and times are approximate: check them before you go. Each place has its own page on Geocalia.