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Early evening is a magical time in Italy, when everyone comes outside to walk the streets — that evening ritual is called the passeggiata, and it goes on throughout the country.
Then darkness falls. Bologna, as fascinating a city as it is during the day, becomes positively magical at night. Here are some of my favorite photos.
Bologna is, first and foremost, a food city — and the streets are dotted with fruit and vegetable stands. Do not touch the produce under any circumstances — it’s a major faux pas in Italy.
I spoke earlier about Bologna’s trademark arches, but I just need to reiterate how much I love them! They keep you cool in the summer, warm in the winter, shielded from the rain and sun, and they provide a great subject to photograph at night.
It’s hard for me to walk past a bookstore and not go in. When I saw this tiny bookstore, looking like it belonged in the pages of a storybook, my heart literally ached. I wonder what it was like inside.
I thought these thick doorway arches were interesting — I don’t recall seeing these elsewhere in Italy, but I saw them in several different towns in Emilia-Romagna.
I could spend all night looking in the windows of the food shops. Despite how many Bologna has, each of them seem to have starkly different products for sale.
I don’t know what it was about this car park at this angle…it just looked so beautiful to me, so perfectly Italian.
When night falls in Bologna, don’t ensconce yourself in your room. Get out and walk around. It’s a whole different side of Italy.
Planning a Trip to Italy:
- What NOT to Do in Italy
- Solo Female Travel in Italy: Is it Safe?
- Ultimate Guide to Driving in Italy
- How to Stay at an Agriturismo in Italy
- 40 Italy Landmarks to Experience Once In Your Lifetime
- 30 Stunning Mediterranean Islands To Visit In Your Lifetime
- 30 Italian Cities To Visit Once In Your Lifetime
Cool Places in Southern Italy:
- Tropea, Italy: A Spectacularly Situated Beach Town
- The Stunning Trulli of Alberobello, Italy
- 16 Fun Things To Do In Sorrento
- 17 Fun Things to do in Bari, Italy
- 16 Fab Things to do in Lecce, Italy
- 15 Best Things to do in Monopoli, Italy
- 17 Fun Things to do in Matera, Italy
Cool Places in Sicily:
- 22 Best Places to Visit in Sicily
- The Joys and Challenges of Traveling in Sicily
- Where to Go in Eastern Sicily
- 23 Fun Things to Do in Palermo, Sicily
- Complete Guide to the Aeolian Islands, Sicily
- Aci Trezza: A Laid-Back Coastal Town in Sicily
- Visiting Sicily in the Winter: Worth it or not?
- 30 Iconic Dishes To Try In Sicily
Cool Places in Northern Italy:
- Three Weeks in Northern Italy: An Itinerary
- Parma, Italy: A Colorful, Artsy, Delicious Town
- Where to Stay in Rome: Best Neighborhoods and Accommodation
- Three Days in the Dolomites: A South Tyrol Getaway
- Best Day Trips from Florence, Italy
- The Immaculate, Bursting Mosaics of Ravenna, Italy
- 25 Best Food Experiences in Emilia-Romagna, Italy
Many thanks to Emilia-Romagna Tourism and Wilde PR for hosting me on the Delicious Emilia-Romagna Blog Trip. All opinions, as always, are my own.