Things to visit free of charge in Bologna

In the city of Bologna there are many things to see or visit without necessarily having to pay, that is "for free"!
In the classic guides, and in the recommendations of those in the know, you may not find those that we recommend.

In the classic travel guides, and in the recommendations of those in the know, you will often find visits to the Salaborsa, the monumental cemetery of the Certosa, the park of Villa Spada.
the Montagnola Garden and the Piazzola Market, the "Luigi Cattaneo" Anatomical Wax Collection, the minerals of the "Luigi Bombicci Museum", the Cathedral of San Pietro, San Petronio in the part open to all, the Mercato di Mezzo, the MAST Foundation, the Margherita gardens, the Botanical Gardens, the Basilica of Santo Stefano and the Morandi house. In addition to these and perhaps less known, we want to mention other small "big" things to see that require little time and are concentrated as always in the historic center

In addition to the things mentioned above, to see without having to shell out money there are certainly the water channels of the Moline in via Piella with the famous "finestrella" but also the "three arrows" in strada Maggiore at number 19. Under the portico of Palazzo Isolani looking up you will notice three arrows stuck in a corner. It is said that they are the arrows shot by three archers who had to kill a noblewoman, on behalf of her husband, because she was suspected of adultery. Sensing the danger, the woman stripped naked and the archers, dazzled by so much beauty, more or less consciously missed her aim, missing her completely.

Every Saturday morning (9:30-12:30 a.m.) the volunteers of the Italian Touring Club allow free visits to two of the most important artistic treasures of Bologna.

The first is located in the Basilica of Santa Maria dei Servi, in Strada Maggiore 43, a few steps away from the "three arrows" mentioned above. It is the Majesty of Santa Maria dei Servi by Cimabue, a work on wood that is part of a triptych of altarpieces, one of which is in the Louvre in Paris and the other in the Uffizi in Florence. The visit is free and can be combined with a visit to the church, built in the mid-1300s, which has a very interesting external portico and various works of art in its naves and chapels.

The Bentivoglio chapel, also open to visitors thanks to the volunteers of the Italian Touring Club, every Saturday morning (from 9:30 to 12:30), is located in the Church of Sant'Ambrogio, in via Zamboni 15 in the heart of the University area. Dating back to the period between the end of the 1200s and the first half of the 1300s, the church is characterized by a Latin cross plan with three naves and thirty-five very rich chapels, among which that of the Bentivoglio family stands out for its grandeur. The Chapel is one of the most important Renaissance monuments and we suggest a visit both for the architectural structure and for the materials used to build it and also and above all for the works of art contained therein.