# A Saturday in Bologna from Rome: the Archiginnasio, Lucio Dalla's house, Da Cesari and the Spanish-language guided walk

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.

Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/italy/emilia-romagna/bologna/itineraries/rome-bologna-train-saturday-archiginnasio-guided-walk · Revisado: 2026-11-12

## El día
- 07:15 · Salida: 2 h 15 by train (High-speed train from Roma Termini to Bologna Centrale)
  - 30 min on foot (Along Via Indipendenza to Piazza Galvani)
- 10:00 · Archiginnasio and Anatomical Theatre, the Old University (Audioguide in Spanish, €10 · booking compulsory) · Bologna Welcome, From €10 per person
  - 6 min on foot
- 11:50 · Lucio Dalla's House on Via D'Azeglio (12:00 slot · €18 · Italian only · meet at Piazza dei Celestini) · Bologna Welcome, From €18 per person
  - 6 min on foot
- 13:15 · Ristorante Da Cesari (Tagliatelle al ragù and scaloppina alla petroniana · book by phone) · Ristorante Da Cesari, €€
  - 5 min on foot
- 15:30 · 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) · Bologna Welcome, From €18 per person
  - 12 min on foot
- 18:00 · Osteria dell'Orsa (Non-stop kitchen from 12:30 · no reservations) · Osteria dell'Orsa, €
- 19:30 · Vuelta: 12 min on foot (To the station)
  - 2 h 15 by train (At Roma Termini around 22:00, depending on the train)

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.

## Cómo llegar

### Without a car
It is the way for this plan: high-speed from Roma Termini to Bologna Centrale and the rest on foot, on the flat.

### By car
About four hours from Rome on the A1: not worth it for a day, and the centre is a limited-traffic zone.

## Consejos

### Book three things
The Archiginnasio, Lucio Dalla's house and the guided walk are bought through Bologna Welcome; the table at Da Cesari, by phone.

### Call Da Cesari in the morning
The booking line is answered from 10:00 to 13:00.

### Comfortable shoes
It is three hours on foot, although on the flat and under cover.

## Un consejo más

### If it rains
Almost the whole centre has porticoes: the walk goes ahead anyway.

## Cuándo no ir

August: Da Cesari is closed and Lucio Dalla's house has no visits.

## Preguntas frecuentes

### 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.