Guide of Bologna, Italy

Bologna Interesting Facts, Italy

Bologna's canals
Very few visitors know it, but under Bologna there is a dense network of canals which supplied energy in the past to make silk and grind wheat. Most of these were covered in the 1900's. To see a glimpse of these canals go to Via Piella 18. A window under the portico reveals a surprising scene.

Underground Bologna
Underground locks, canals and streams, age-old remains covered over time, in a virtually unseen before Bologna can now be visited thanks to the "Amici delle Acque di Bologna" association. The association organizes guided tours to the various secret sights of the city:

Bagni di Mario (Mario's Baths) a large underground 16th century cistern with Renaissance decoration and fascinating tunnels with ogive vaults. An ingenious system for collecting water built based on Nero's Domus Aurea.

Sala Borsa (entrance from Piazza Nettuno) an Art Nouveau hall built at the end of the 19th century to house Bologna's stock market, is currently the site of a library with an extensive multimedia collection. A network of tunnels start under the crystal floor revealing Roman and Etruscan Bologna.