When the porticoes run out, Bologna opens onto vineyard hills on one side and Italy's motor mythology on the other.
Last updated August 27, 2026
Bologna's green spaces run from formal gardens inside the old walls to wooded hills with views over the red roofs. The city route begins in Piazza Maggiore, crosses Montagnola and the Botanical Garden, continues to the Margherita Gardens, climbs toward Villa Ghigi, and then reaches Villa delle Rose and Villa Spada near the road to San Luca. The central route is walkable, but the climb to the hills is steep and deserves comfortable shoes.
| Stop | Key details |
|---|---|
| Montagnola | Bologna's oldest public park; six hectares, monumental Pincio staircase and mature trees |
| Botanical Garden | Via Irnerio 42; about 1,300 cultivated species, medicinal plants, aquatic plants and greenhouses |
| Margherita Gardens | The city's best-known historic park, with an Etruscan necropolis, pond, mature trees and cultural history |
| Villa Ghigi | About 30 hectares on the hills, with roughly 4,000 trees, more than 80 species, an orchard and a beech grove |
| Villa delle Rose | About two hectares on the slopes of Colle della Guardia, with an 18th-century villa and temporary exhibitions |
| Villa Spada | Next to Villa delle Rose, with the Tapestry Museum and Italian Gardening Museum |
Enter from Via Irnerio after walking up Via Indipendenza. Montagnola is Bologna's oldest park. Its final layout dates from 1805, although the land had been intended for public use since 1662. The six-hectare park is known for the late-19th-century monumental staircase visible from the central station, as well as plane trees, lime trees, horse-chestnuts and older specimen plants.
The garden at Via Irnerio 42 belongs to the University of Bologna's museum system. Its story begins with Ulisse Aldrovandi's 16th-century teaching garden for medical students, which moved and expanded before the university established the present site in 1803. Around 1,300 species are cultivated, including rare and protected plants. Highlights include the ornamental garden, the medicinal giardino dei semplici, Italian aquatic plants, lotus and water hyacinth, and three greenhouses with a large collection of succulents.
Official site →The Margherita Gardens occupy land beside the former city walls between Porta Castiglione and Porta Santo Stefano. The city purchased the grounds in 1868 and inaugurated the park in 1879. Two graves from an Etruscan necropolis discovered during construction remain visible, while the wider archaeological finds are kept in the Civic Archaeological Museum. A pond, bridge, artificial island, mature yews, cedars, limes, oaks, sycamores, pines, horse-chestnuts and magnolias make this a rewarding city walk.
Tip: The park has hosted exhibitions, restaurants, concerts, horse shows and motor races. The pond and the little villa used as a children's library are natural pauses on the route.
From the Margherita Gardens, leave through Porta San Mamolo and follow Via San Mamolo toward Via dell'Osservanza. The uphill section is steep, but the view rewards the effort. Villa Ghigi covers about 30 hectares and combines quiet paths, resting places, native and exotic trees, an old orchard and a beech grove. Around 4,000 trees represent more than 80 species, creating several small ecosystems in a compact hillside landscape.
Tip: Centro Villa Ghigi offers guided tours and also manages an educational area where students can study plants in the field.
After descending from Villa Ghigi, follow the avenues to Porta Saragozza and continue along Via Saragozza to this roughly two-hectare park on the slopes of Colle della Guardia. The centrepiece is an 18th-century villa built for the Cella family, reached by a tree-lined path or a multi-ramp staircase with an ornamental garden. The city received the property in 1916. After serving for years as a modern-art venue, the villa returned to use for temporary exhibitions. The park also contains an elementary school, the Lyda Borelli actors' convalescent home and the Teatro delle Celebrazioni.
Villa Spada sits beside Villa delle Rose, separated by the avenue leading to a Franciscan nunnery. Its museum connection makes it a useful companion stop for visitors interested in landscape design, historic gardens and textile arts: the complex houses the Tapestry Museum and Italian Gardening Museum. The surrounding park also gives a view toward the first section of the long portico leading to San Luca.
Official site →In Loiano, along the road between the Idice and Savena valleys, this former farm estate has been open to the public since 1996 and is an example of a natural garden where deliberate planting and spontaneous flora coexist. More than 1,000 species occupy one hectare in a deliberately informal arrangement. The tour moves through mixed lawns, horticultural beds, a rock garden, water areas, woodland, herbs, flower borders, an orchard and mixed hedges. A multisensory route adds an olfactory experience based on flowers, leaves, bark and roots.
Tip: A guided booking is required, so arrange the visit before travelling to Loiano.
In Casalecchio di Reno, on the hills leading toward San Luca, this former Sampieri Talon estate is one of the green lungs around Bologna. The Reno river, the dam and the Lido di Casalecchio beach can be reached from the town centre by a scenic cycle track. In summer the equipped riverbank works like a small bathing establishment. Inside the park, broad English lawns, woods and fragments of theatrical landscape architecture recall the former aristocratic estate. Spring and summer bring shows and cultural events.
Tip: The cycle track is the most scenic approach from Casalecchio. Treat the river as a natural setting, not as a substitute for a supervised swimming facility.
In Castello di Serravalle, in the hills above Bazzano, this small medieval-style vegetable garden is divided into the Giardino delle Delizie for flowers, the Orto dei Semplici for aromatic and medicinal plants, and the Verziere for vegetables. The layout reflects the garden traditions of the 14th century, when the village was governed by the Capitano della Montagna. Pluvial irrigation, organic fertilisers, natural insecticides, chestnut poles and willow bindings reproduce historic cultivation methods.
Tip: The garden visit lasts about 45 minutes and works best when combined with the Ecomuseum. Educational sessions cover forgotten plants, natural cultivation and raised beds, and are offered for schools and weekend visitors.
The province has an unusually concentrated motor culture. Eighty-four motorcycle brands were founded in the Bologna area, and the nearby Modena province adds another cluster of famous manufacturers. The wider Motor Valley is described as a roughly 50 square kilometre area along the Via Emilia with more than 9,000 advanced motor-sector companies. Ducati is the best-known surviving name, but the history also includes G.D., M.M., Villa, Mondial Moto, Minarelli and Moto Morini. Imola's racing circuit, specialist collections and the factories around Sant'Agata Bolognese and Maranello turn the region into a broad Motor Valley itinerary.
| Place | Focus and access |
|---|---|
| Ducati Museum | Borgo Panigale, Via Cavalieri Ducati 3; company history, road bikes and racing motorcycles |
| Industrial Heritage Museum | Via della Beverara 123 by the Navile Canal; industrial machinery, prototypes and motor exhibits |
| Parmeggiani Collection | Motorcycle collection with Moto Guzzi, Moto Morini, Ducati and MV models |
| Sant'Agata Bolognese | Lamborghini museum and the history of the Casa del Toro |
| Imola | Enzo and Dino Ferrari circuit and the Battilani motorcycle collection |
| Monte San Pietro | Nigelli collection of more than 300 vintage motorcycles; appointment required |
| Porretta Terme | Demm museum with racing bikes, touring motorcycles and mopeds |
| Maranello | Ferrari Gallery, a day extension into Modena province |
| Destination | Public transport detail |
|---|---|
| Ducati, Borgo Panigale | TPER bus 13 toward Via Normandia-Borgo Panigale; get off at Borgo Panigale |
| Lamborghini, Sant'Agata Bolognese | Bus 576 toward Crevalcore; get off at S. Agata B. Chiesa Frati |
Before the post-war success of Ducati, G.D. under engineer Luigi Dall'Oglio and M.M. under Mario Mazzetti were important names in national competitions. The Villa brothers' motorcycles won national and international championships, and Mondial Moto dominated Italian racing and the 125 and 250 classes from the post-war period to the end of the 1950s. Minarelli and Moto Morini also made a major contribution to Bologna's international reputation; Giacomo Agostini made his racing debut on a Moto Morini.
Ducati continued the tradition through success in MotoGP and Superbike. The local calendar has also included vintage-car events such as the Mille Miglia, classic road races including Bologna-Raticosa, and the October uphill Bologna-San Luca speed trial. The Bologna Motor Show has been a major international gathering for car and motorcycle enthusiasts. Event dates and visitor figures change, so check the current city and regional calendars before planning around a race or show.
At Ducati headquarters in Borgo Panigale, Via Cavalieri Ducati 3, the museum presents more than 90 years of company history on an illuminated circuit inside a building shaped like a racing helmet. Eighteen road motorcycles and 23 racing motorcycles from 1946 to the present appear beside trophies, original racing suits and explanatory panels. Focused displays follow the Cucciolo, the Marianna, three-shaft parallel-twin engines, 1970s and 1980s competition bikes, the four-valve engine that led to Superbike victories and later racing machines. The collection also recalls the company's first radios and electrical and cinema equipment. A factory visit can be added, taking visitors past polished production lines.
Tip: Ducati began as a radio and electrical-components manufacturer in 1926. Its motorcycle story began in 1946 with the patented 48 cc Cucciolo auxiliary engine, followed by original T2 and T3 projects from 1948 and the breakthrough models of the 1950s to 1970s. Riders arriving on a Ducati were listed as having access to a reserved parking area; the racing department remains restricted to staff.
Official site →At the former Galotti brickworks on Via della Beverara 123 by the Navile Canal, the museum follows Bologna's industrial story from the canal-powered silk mills of the 15th century through the post-war growth of machinery for making, controlling and packing goods. The displays also connect industrial production with products that began in small artisan quantities, including mortadella and chocolate. Its motor section includes historic Maserati racing cars, Minarelli products, Moto Ducati, Moto Morini and other examples.
Official site →This specialist collection includes a 500 cc twin-shaft Moto Guzzi by Mandolini, Lorenzetti's 350 cc record-setting single-shaft model, Moto Morini motorcycles ranging from a 1950s 125 single-shaft machine to a 1960s 250 twin-shaft model, the Ducati 888 used by Doug Polen for the 1991 World Superbike Championship, and an MV four-cylinder motorcycle with narrow casing that was described as the only fully original example of its kind in Europe.
The historic ATC collection is one of Italy's rare industrial-archaeology collections. It includes 31 vehicles such as trains, trams, buses and trolleybuses, together with ATC historical archives, around 250 notable objects, a library of about 600 titles and more than 7,000 photographs. The collection's home is itself part of the former provincial tramway toward Pieve di Cento and Malalbergo.
At the Casa del Toro in Sant'Agata Bolognese on Via Modena, the museum traces the company founded by Ferruccio Lamborghini in 1963. Its glass-fronted display contains vehicles from the 1960s onward, Formula One cars, car and boat engines, historic factory machinery and hundreds of scale models. The lower floor covers the founder and landmark cars such as the Countach, Miura, 350GT, Espada and LM, including a cross-section of the latter. The upper floor is devoted to the Diablo family, from a wooden Roadster prototype to a GTR and a gold special edition, alongside Formula One cars and Offshore Class 1 marine engines. The factory tour follows Aventador and Huracan production, from large engines and personalised options to the leather department where interiors are cut, sewn and fitted by hand.
Tip: The factory and museum are separate experiences. Reserve the factory tour, and allow time to observe the leather artisans at work. The separate Ferruccio Lamborghini Museum in Funo di Argelato covers the founder's history and collection.
Official site →This separate collection in Funo di Argelato offers a further look at Ferruccio Lamborghini and the history surrounding the founder, useful for visitors who want context beyond the Sant'Agata factory and company museum.
Official site →In Imola, the circuit grew from local enthusiasm for racing. Its first stone was laid in 1950, the first test run took place two years later, and the first full races were Italian motorcycle championships. The track connected roads near what are now the Rivazza and Tosa curves. From 1963 to 2006 it hosted Formula One, and from 1969 to 2006 it also hosted MotoGP. The circuit remains a pilgrimage site for racing fans, with access and events determined by the current calendar.
This Imola collection presents motorcycles made by Italian and foreign companies from the early 20th century to 1945. Among the exhibits are an Italian Frera and a Mancini that belonged to Loris Capirossi during his early career.
In San Martino in Casola, a suburb of Monte San Pietro, entrepreneur Bruno Nigelli's collection gathers more than 300 vintage motorcycles under one roof, including rare and unique machines that help reconstruct the history of motorcycle production in the Bologna area. It is housed at the NIFO company and is visited by appointment.
In Porretta Terme, the museum displays about 50 racing and touring motorcycles and mopeds produced by Demm between 1952 and 1982. The racing bikes and the Siluro are particular highlights: the latter established 24 world records in 1956.
In Maranello in Modena province, the Ferrari museum, opened in 1990 and directly managed by Ferrari since 1995, follows the company's development through historic cars, Formula One racers, modern GT models, trophies, technical drawings, films, photographs and a Ferrari shop. The visit begins with Enzo Ferrari and his office, continues through a Grand Prix-style display of past and current Formula One cars with pits and pit walls, and then turns to modern road cars, competition components and a wind-tunnel gallery before reaching the temporary-exhibition amphitheatre.