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
geocalia
Day itinerary · 44.49° N · 11.34° E
Bologna on a Sunday from Rome, by high-speed train and on foot beneath the porticoes.
High-speed train from Termini, a tourist-train ride up to San Luca and the walk down beneath the 666 arches, tortellini at Diana, the city museum and the terraces of the Clock Tower.
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 time14 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, with the descent from San Luca
DifficultyEasy
Best timeMarch – June · September – November
The plan
The day at a glance
Any part can be swapped for another without spoiling the day.
-
Leave Rome 2 h 15 by train
High-speed train from Roma Termini to Bologna Centrale
- 15 min on foot · Along Via Indipendenza to Piazza Maggiore
-
1
San Luca Portico on Foot, from Porta Saragozza to the Sanctuary
Take the San Luca Express from Piazza Maggiore, €15 return, and walk down the arches to Porta Saragozza
+39 051 6583111
- 30 min on foot
-
2
Ristorante Diana
Tortellini in broth and boiled-meat trolley · booking · on Sunday only at midday
Via Volturno, 5, 40121 Bologna · +39 051 231302
Restaurant €€€Book - 12 min on foot
-
3
Museum of the History of Bologna in the Palazzo Pepoli
€10 with audioguide in Spanish · free up to age 12
+39 051 6583111
- 6 min on foot
-
4
Clock Tower of the Palazzo d'Accursio and Its Terraces
€10 with booking · the last climb is at 18:20
+39 051 6583111
-
Back home 15 min on foot
To the station along Via Indipendenza
- 2 h 15 by train · At Roma Termini around 21:00, depending on the train
Approximate cost
About €70–95 per person
Adds up the activities and meals in the plan at their published prices; travel and accommodation not included.
The route
San Luca Portico on Foot, from Porta Saragozza to the Sanctuary
Bologna is a little over two hours from Rome by high-speed train, so it fits into a day without a car. This plan is designed for a Sunday: you climb to the sanctuary of San Luca in the morning, eat at the city's classic, which that day opens only at lunchtime, and in the afternoon see the history of Bologna in a museum and the whole city from the Clock Tower. Most of the day you walk under porticoes, so rain does not spoil it.
The day, hour by hour
7:30 · Train from Termini. Take a Frecciarossa or an Italo to Bologna Centrale. In about two hours and a quarter you are there. From the station, walk down Via Indipendenza: in twenty minutes you reach Piazza Maggiore.
10:15 · San Luca. From Piazza Maggiore leaves the San Luca Express, the tourist train that goes up to the sanctuary of the Madonna di San Luca, with a Spanish audioguide. The ticket costs €15 return, €8 for ages 6 to 10. Up top, look at the basilica and the view over the plain. Then walk down the portico, the longest in the world: 666 arches and almost 4 km to Porta Saragozza, first downhill and then on the flat. The descent takes about an hour. On Sunday mornings you will see many Bolognese going up.
13:15 · Lunch at Ristorante Diana. From Porta Saragozza head back to the centre and continue to Via Volturno, next to Via Indipendenza. Diana dates from 1909: tortellini in broth, green lasagne and the roast and boiled-meat trolleys. On Sunday it is open at lunchtime only; book on its website.
15:15 · Museum of the History of Bologna. In Palazzo Pepoli, on Via Castiglione, next to the two towers. The history of the city from the Etruscans to today, with displays and projections. €10, a Spanish audioguide on your phone and free up to age 12. Allow an hour and a half.
17:00 · The Clock Tower. Return to Piazza Maggiore and climb to the terraces of Palazzo d'Accursio, above the red rooftops and San Petronio. With the Asinelli tower closed, it is the way to see Bologna from above. €10, booked through Bologna Welcome; the last climb of the afternoon is at 18:20.
18:15 · Return. Twenty minutes on foot to the station and the train to Rome. At Termini at about nine in the evening.
With children
They like the tourist train and the tower terrace, although children under 8 do not go up to the highest one. The Palazzo Pepoli museum is free up to age 12. If they are little, do San Luca on the train in both directions.
Distance3.8 km
Ascent215 m
Time1 h 15
Change the route
If you have no table at Diana: open all day, no reservations and cheaper:
Osteria dell'Orsa
If you go on a Saturday, instead of the museum: the official guided walk has a Spanish slot at 15:30 from September to June:
Guided Walk Through the Medieval Centre, from Piazza Maggiore to Santo Stefano
Monday to Saturday, the old university and its anatomical theatre, instead of Palazzo Pepoli:
Archiginnasio and Anatomical Theatre, the Old University
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
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
Enoteca Italiana, on Via Marsala
What to order: a glass recommended by the house with a board of mortadella, culaccia and cheeses
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
Designed for a Sunday, the day Ristorante Diana opens only at lunchtime and the Archiginnasio is closed. It works all year, because almost the whole walk is under cover beneath the porticoes; in July and August, the heat.
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Best timeGood timeLow season
Tips
Worth knowing first
- 1Book two things
The table at Diana and the time slot for the Clock Tower.
- 2Go up by train and walk down
Walking up is tiring; the descent under the arches is the pretty part.
- 3Check the last train
Before the tower, check the return times.
If it rains
The San Luca portico is covered from start to finish, and the rest of the day is indoors.
We'd skip it
Monday: Diana is closed and the other visits change their hours.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
How long does the train from Rome to Bologna take?
About two hours and a quarter by high-speed train, Frecciarossa or Italo.
Can you climb both towers?
No. The Asinelli tower is closed for the Garisenda works; go up the Clock Tower.
How much does the San Luca Express cost?
€15 return, €8 for ages 6 to 10 and €3 for under-5s.
Is Diana open on Sunday?
Yes, at lunchtime. It is closed in the evening and on Monday.
More plans like this
Other days of walking and good food
geocalia.com/en/italy/emilia-romagna/bologna/itineraries/rome-bologna-train-sunday-san-luca-portico-diana
Prices, opening hours and times are approximate: check them before you go. Each place has its own page on Geocalia.