Bologna - City of Arches and Porticos

We are currently spending two weeks in Bologna and other nearby cities. We didn’t know much about Bologna before we arrived, other than that it is considered the food capital of Italy. Like Italy needs a food capital?!? Wouldn't that make Bologna the food capital of the world?!? We’ll be posting more on the food shortly.

One of the things that makes Bologna unique is its extensive network of arched porticos (arcades or galleries). San Sebastian could really use these porticos – they provide shade and cover from the sun and the rain. Even when it is in the mid-to-high 80's, it doesn’t seem too bad because you can walk through almost every part of the city under cover. Bloody brilliant!! We are not sure any other Italian city still has similar architectural features or not, but we are loving it! Charming, functional, and beautiful!

This portico ceiling near the Plaza Cavour is extra fancy:

Why porticos? Well, these were a natural evolution. In the 11^th century as the city population expanded with students coming to attend the university (the oldest in Europe), there was a need for additional dwelling space. Existing buildings were expanded over the street with a protruding structure. As theses structures grew bigger and heavier, it was necessary to prop them up with columns, which inevitably occupied the public street space. As the streets got more and more crowded with porticos, the city began to regulate them. In 1288, porticos became compulsory for all streets where they are considered useful for the public space. The law is still in effect. While porticos may have existed in other medieval Italian cities, Bologna’s have been preserved and continued to expand through the centuries.

Within the old city's walls of the 13th century, there are some 38 km of porticos built between the 11th and 20th centuries. Even more impressive is the longest portico in the world, nearly 4 km that spans from just outside the old city walls and leads to the Sanctuary of the Madonna di San Luca, a church on top of the Colle della Guardia. We walked along and up this portico, which has some 666 arches, on our first morning here. It was quite a workout.

Ciao!

Shana and Jeff