Planning your trip to Bologna

Bologna's climate is continental: hot, humid summers, cold winters with morning fog, and two lovely shoulders in spring and autumn. April through June and September through October are ideal - warm enough for the porticoes and markets, with far lighter crowds than Florence, 35 minutes down the high-speed line.

Getting here is easy: Bologna Airport (BLQ, Guglielmo Marconi) is 6 km from the center, connected to Bologna Centrale by the Marconi Express monorail in about 7 minutes. Trenitalia high-speed trains make Bologna the perfect hub: Florence in 35 minutes, Milan in about an hour, Rome in two.

The center is flat, compact and almost entirely under porticoes - 38 km of covered walkways, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Walking is the way to go; for the long climb toward San Luca or the outer districts, the TPER buses take over, and the city is famously bike-friendly.

• ✦Thursday is tortellini-in-brodo day: many trattorias serve the classic only that day - plan your dinner around it
• ✦Book the Asinelli Tower climb online; the 498 steps sell out on weekends
• ✦Eat lunch in the Quadrilatero market lanes, where the food halls and stalls are at their best around noon
• ✦Most civic museums close on Monday, like the rest of Italy - a good day for a day trip
• ✦The university quarter (via Zamboni) is lively day and night, and its bars are the cheapest in town