Bologna: The Learned, the Red, the Fat — and the Catholic

Join a weekend in the heart of Emilia-Romagna Region and its hills

Bologna, capital of the Emilia-Romagna region, is often overshadowed by Italy’s more famous cities like Rome, Venice, or Florence. Yet Bologna boasts a rare combination of intellectual legacy, political history, culinary richness, and religious tradition. Nicknamed La Dotta, La Rossa, La Grassa — “The Learned, The Red, The Fat” — Bologna is a city of many layers.

“The Learned” (La Dotta) refers to the University of Bologna, founded in 1088, the oldest university in the Western world. Its corridors once echoed with the footsteps of Dante, Petrarch, and Copernicus. “The Red” (La Rossa) points to both the color of its medieval brick buildings and its long-standing leftist political tradition. It also hints at its fiery spirit, seen in everything from the red Ducati motorcycles to the city’s partisan legacy. Lastly, “The Fat” (La Grassa) celebrates Bologna’s legendary cuisine — a paradise for food lovers and home to dishes like tortellini, tagliatelle al ragù (misnamed “Bolognese” abroad), and mortadella.

View of the city of Bologna from above

And yet, one could add a fourth epithet: “The Catholic.” From the iconic Sanctuary of the Madonna of San Luca to the intertwined churches of Santo Stefano, Bologna’s religious architecture…