Bologna

Bologna, one of the best day trips from Florence, is a place of great beauty. It is a city that is well known for its delicious gastronomy as well as for the lovely arcades that border its streets and offer shade from the summer sun. Under the columned corridors are fine ancient shopfronts, eateries, and cafés, making Bologna a popular city for shopping.

Bologna's towering brick towers, though less well-known than Pisa's, lean at more unsettling angles, and the illusion is heightened by their height and thin design. Twenty of the more than 100 original towers are still standing, and you may climb them for views. The expansive Piazza Maggiore and Piazza del Nettuno, named for a 16th-century fountain, lie in the heart of Bologna. The massive Basilica of San Petronius' incomplete facade may be seen from Piazza Maggiore. Santo Stefano is the oldest and most atmospheric of Bologna's intriguing and art-filled churches; this one is only one of them.

• Ticket price: N/A
• Tripadvisor Rating: 5/5
  
• Opening hours: Monday to Saturday 09:00-13:00 and 15:30-20:00
  
• Distance from Florence: 1 hour 30 minutes
• Website: https://www.bolognawelcome.com/