Bologna in 2 days

Piazza Maggiore. From here you see the silhouette of the Due Torri above the rooftops; the Asinelli climb is shut while work on the neighbouring Garisenda goes on, so it stays a view from the ground.

The Archiginnasio and the anatomical theatre. The old seat of the university, its corridors covered in coats of arms, with a wooden seventeenth-century Anatomical Theatre. The audio-guided ticket is €10, closed Sundays.

The Quadrilatero. The salumerie and cheesemongers work in the morning; this is where you buy what you later eat at the Osteria del Sole or carry off to a bench.

Lunch at one of the places around the square, a set lunch €10–15.

The Torre dell'Orologio. Since nobody climbs the Asinelli, the view from above comes from this tower on the Palazzo d'Accursio: stairs only, entry in a booked slot, a €10 ticket that includes the Municipal Art Collections.

Via Zamboni and the university quarter. The street north-east of the towers, lined with faculty façades and most of the city's student life.

Dinner with tagliatelle al ragù, a plate at an osteria in the centre €14.

The San Luca portico. The longest covered walkway in the world, 3,796 metres and 666 arches up the hill to the sanctuary; go in the morning, while it's still shaded, with a roof overhead the whole way.

Back to the centre, down the same portico or by bus, then a break before the afternoon.

The finestrella on Via Piella and Santo Stefano. The canal window and the seven churches in one are a few minutes' walk from each other — the story of both is on the hidden-gems page.

The Montagnola and the Pincio. A park with a monumental 1896 staircase, north of the centre.

Via del Pratello in the evening, a street of osterie west of the centre, for a last dinner in town.