Bologna · Go deeper
Where to live
Bologna divides simply: the dense, portico-covered historic core inside the viali, the ring road that traces the old city walls, and the residential neighborhoods that spread out beyond them. Inside and outside the viali are two different daily lives.
Inside the viali: the historic core
Centro Storico
most expensiveThe medieval heart of Bologna, and one of the best-preserved historic centres in Italy. Terracotta towers, thirty-plus miles of porticoes, Piazza Maggiore, and the University quarter around Via Zamboni all sit inside these streets. It's lively, walkable, and full of restaurants and student energy. The trade is that it's the priciest and busiest place to live, and the university nightlife around Zamboni runs loud at night.
Best for: those who want to live in the middle of everything, among the beauty, the food, and the noise
Learn more about the historic heart
Bologna’s historic core is medieval, and it wears its age openly. At its centre is Piazza Maggiore, laid out over the Roman city of Bononia, and the Basilica of San Petronio: one of the largest churches in Europe, still half-finished after seven centuries, its façade famously part marble, part bare brick. Around it run more than sixty kilometres of porticoes, the sheltered arcades that let you cross the old town in any weather; they were named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2021.
Two leaning towers stand at the edge of the old market streets: the Asinelli, ninety-seven metres and 498 steps to the top, and the shorter, tilting Garisenda, which leans so sharply that Dante wrote it into the Divine Comedy. They’re the survivors of more than a hundred towers noble families once raised across the city. And threading through all of it is the University of Bologna, founded in 1088 and reckoned the oldest continuously operating university in the world, the reason the core has been full of students for the better part of a thousand years.
Beyond the viali: the residential city
Santo Stefano
premiumJust southeast of the core, Santo Stefano is Bologna's most desirable residential address: wide tree-lined streets, parks, and handsome, well-kept buildings. It's calm, green, and widely considered the safest part of the city, which is why professionals, researchers, and settled expats gravitate here. The trade is cost: you pay for the quiet and the address.
Best for: professionals and families who want calm, green, and central-adjacent
Saragozza
midA historic residential quarter running from the flat streets up into the southwestern hills, Saragozza is home to the famous portico that climbs to the San Luca sanctuary, one of the most photographed walks in the city. It's leafy, well-liked by families and engineering students near the university faculties here, and it balances green space with an easy reach into the centre.
Best for: families and anyone who wants greenery and the hill walks without leaving the city
Bolognina
lower, changingNorth of the station, Bolognina is a former working-class and industrial district now in the middle of real change: an alternative, mixed, increasingly creative quarter that draws students and internationals on tighter budgets. It's the most affordable of the areas worth looking at. It's uneven street to street, and the stretches nearest the station are ones to know before you sign.
Best for: budget-conscious students and internationals who want energy and value over polish
San Vitale
mid, residentialA quiet, largely residential district east of the centre, San Vitale is popular with medical students and staff near the hospital, and with anyone wanting a calmer base a short ride or walk from the core. Less flashy than Santo Stefano, easier on the budget, and steady.
Best for: those wanting a quiet, practical base close to the centre and the hospital
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