Bologna at night

Bologna is not the cheapest place for travellers to stay, that is for sure. There is a range of hotels, which costs 50 euros per night for two people - if you are lucky, book in advance and that is not the high season. There is a hostel with beds to rent, but this is 7-9 km far from the city and not really worth the trouble. 

Some people from Bologna take advantage of that and convert one or two rooms from their flats in a bed and breakfast (b&b). One of them, where I stayed at is called Dolce Vita. Finding the place is a bit more challenging than I thought, keeping in mind it is placed on one of the main streets in Bologna. You have to enter the passage between banks and a shop which sells luggage. I finally found the sign indicating that the bed and breakfast is on the third floor and called the intercom. A grumpy voice answered and let me in. I went 3 floors up and risked by knocking on a door with a sing b&b outside. I heard barking of a few doors and I thought I was knocked on someone's private flat. An older woman opened the door with three dogs jumping and barking around her. She didn't seem very happy seeing me for reasons I don't understand. I am paying 50 euros (plus 3 euros city tax) for one night. I showed up on time and I don't think I was smelling of long distance travel... Finally, it took me one hour to get there from Cesena. 

She wanted the cash immediately. I asked if I could see the room. She showed it to me showing impatience and saying it didn't really matter if I like it or not, as I have booked it in advance and I would need to pay anyway. Well, luckily enough it wasn't the worst place I have seen when it comes to accommodation, so I stayed. It was clean, although it smelled of cigarettes (the old lady is smoking in the kitchen). There was no noise coming from the street, just the TV that was on till past midnight. 

The rooms is very pink to say the least... If you don't mind the pinkness and artificiality and smell of smoke of the place, nor the unkind old lady, it is a clean place not too far from the station or from the city centre and it does offer a coffee in the morning (between 8 and 9).

The corridor

Fake cakes

The pink room

After dropping my bags, I was off to the University Quarter. Even though it was Thursday night, Piazza Verdi, in the middle of the Zamboni street, was full of people. 

Zamboni Street

People are sitting either on metal cubes provided by the city or just simply on the floor. If you have to spend an evening or some of the night somewhere and you are on a very tight budget, you might consider it as an option. Just buy a beer from a shop that is not far from there and join the local and international students in their discussions about life. 

Bologna is a very student city and people are friendly. And the students do speak some English, even if not all of them are fluent. So - you can always ask for the way to somewhere. If they understand what you are looking for, with their world-famous gestures will show you where is what you need. 

The city has 40 km of arches, where you can hide from the rain (and it does rain a lot in this part of Italy) or from the sun (during the summer it can get very hot and since it is very humid, the temperature feels even higher; the arches will not protect you from getting sweaty, but they might from getting sunburnt). 

A cafeteria at Piazza Verdi

Piazza Verdi at midnight

Zamboni Street in the University Quarter

An example of the arches

Different arches in different part of Bologna

If you go along Zamboni Street towards the centre you get to Via Rizzoli that will lead you to Piazza Maggiore. That is the main square in Bologna, with the Neptune fountain. 

At Piazza Maggiore

Neptune's Fountain

The shadow of Neptune

At Piazza Maggiore