Porticoes of Bologna

Background

Bologna's porticoes have continued from the 12th century to the present, lining streets, squares and the roads leading to religious sites. What UNESCO inscribed as World Heritage in 2021 is twelve representative component parts, not the city's roughly 62 kilometres of porticoes in their entirety. Wooden, stone and brick structures as well as modern reinforced concrete show building methods from different periods; most of these walkways are privately owned but open to public passage, providing shade and shelter from the rain while also hosting trade, social life and the public life of the city. When you visit, treat them as a heritage series spread across many locations rather than a single building with one entrance.

Local customs

• You can choose a stretch of portico around Piazza Maggiore to walk, then extend to other component parts as your energy allows. Residents, shops and commuters still use the porticoes, so stand to the side when you stop and do not block the way
• when entering churches, libraries or private buildings, check their own rules.

Religion & beliefs

• The porticoes are generally public passages with no uniform religious etiquette
• on the stretches leading to religious sites such as the Sanctuary of San Luca, respect pilgrims, and once inside the sanctuary keep quiet according to its rules.

Rules that apply here

Travel tips

• To walk only Piazza Maggiore, the Pavaglione portico and the nearby streets in the centre, allow 45–90 minutes
• to compare several World Heritage component parts specifically, allow at least half a day, splitting the route by bus or on foot according to distance. As urban passageways, the porticoes generally require no single ticket, but the museums, churches and special visits around them each have their own rules. The World Heritage site consists of twelve parts and the map marks only one of them, so the map pin should not be understood as the only entrance to all the porticoes. Some stretches have ramps, steps or maintenance hoardings
• although most walkways are sheltered from the rain, the paving can still be slippery. The short routes in the centre and the long uphill route to San Luca take very different amounts of time, so do not use the time for a short central walk to estimate the whole route. If you are visiting near the Archiginnasio, you can see the Pavaglione stretch on the way, but whether it belongs to a designated component part should be checked against the latest heritage map.