BolognaThe red city of tall tales
Measured from 1,000+ plays across 5 walked routes: in Bologna, you pass a place with a story every 285 metres.
Ranked #5 of 7 Italy big cities
2026 edition · scores vs all indexed cities · measured 2026-08-21 · how we measure
Depth33/100
47 places with a story
3 historical figures · 1h of stories
Density54/100
a story every 285 m
median along a route
Character90/100
faith & churches
typical story: 1350 · medieval
Pulse61/100
Instagrammability 44/100
peak month: Aug
Bologna, measured
The scores
Ranked against
| What we measure | Bologna | Score out of 100 | Rank | Global leader |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Depth | ||||
| Places with a storyspots where a route tells you what happened there | 47 | 38 | #40 of 71 | London (United Kingdom) · 594 |
| Historical figuresreal people you meet in its stories | 3 | 21 | #55 of 68 | London (United Kingdom) · 184 |
| Hours of storieshow long its stories take to read, end to end | 0.6h | 41 | #32 of 71 | London (United Kingdom) · 7h |
| Density | ||||
| How often you pass a storymetres from one story to the next | 285 m | 54 | #42 of 71 | Williamsburg (United States) · 100 m |
| Character | ||||
| Years its stories coverfrom its oldest story to its newest | 900 yrs | 90 | #18 of 70 | London (United Kingdom) · 1025 yrs |
| Pulse | ||||
| Instagrammabilityhow often players photograph this city | 44/100 | 44 | #18 of 54 | Sydney (Australia) |
| Group outingsof every 100 plays, how many bring a group of 3 or more | 17 in 100 | 48 | #31 of 69 | Houston (United States) · 32 in 100 |
| International visitorsshare of player reviews written in a foreign language | 92% | 92 | #3 of 47 | Venice · 97% |
How to read this table›
How to read it: each score is out of 100, measured against a fixed scale that is the same for every city and every edition. Bologna's 47 on places with a story scores 38, and it scores 38 on any page you find it. The switch above changes who it is ranked against, not the scores: right now that is all 80 indexed cities (19 countries so far). Bologna is scored on all 8 measures, and its overall score is their average. Ranks compare cities of a similar size. What a city's stories are about has no better or worse, so themes and eras aren't scored. Instagrammability is shown as a score only; how it's calculated is on the methodology page.
The medal table
What Bologna wins
- Most fortification & siege among Italy's big cities· 15% of its stories
- Most instagrammable among Italy's big cities· (shared)
- Most legends & myths among Italy's big cities· 28% of its stories
Won against the other big cities of Italy in the 2026 edition. See the full table on the country page.
Character
What its stories are about
- faith & churches28%
- legends & myths28%
- crime & dark history21%
- guilds & trade21%
- fortification & siege15%
- royalty & nobility15%
- industry & modern era13%
Out of Bologna's 47 places with a story, the share whose story touches each theme. One story can touch several.
Character
Which centuries you walk through
- Medieval59%
- Early modern33%
- 19th century4%
- Post-war4%
When Bologna's stories happen (57% of them mention a year).
Pulse
When people play here
Typical share of player reviews per month (median across 5 recent years). Peak: Aug.
Pulse
Who visits, by review language
- English71%
- German10%
- Italian8%
- French6%
- Dutch4%
Language of 1,000+ written player reviews. A proxy for who visits; English hides several nationalities.
Depth
47 stories wait on its streets. Here are three
Look closely: this palace resembles a fortress, but it started as a private home. In the late 1200s, it belonged to Accursio…
Step into Bologna's vibrant market! Erected in the early 1900s, this structure was built to house the bustling merchants from Piazza Maggiore.…
One of Bologna’s nicknames is the Red One (La Rossa in Italian). You might have gathered by now that this endearment refers…
Depth
Figures you meet on Bologna's streets
Bishop Petronius
at 2 places
Piazza Santo Stefano (Basilica delle Sette Chiese) · Fountain of Neptune
Luigi Galvani
at 2 places
Piazza Giuseppe Verdi · Piazza Galvani
Pope Gregory
at 2 places
Palazzo d'Accursio · Fountain of Neptune
Depth
Every Bologna place with a story, on one map
Each pin is a place whose story a Questo route tells. Tap one for the quest that tells it. See an empty street that deserves a pin? The form at the bottom of this page adds your story to the editors' queue.
Walk Bologna's stories yourself
Three of 5 routes here. See everything in Bologna
Where next after Bologna?
RomeThe city of popes and squares303 km away · a story every 287 m
MilanThe city of art and empire199 km away · a story every 325 m
FlorenceThe Renaissance cradle81 km away · a story every 222 m
PisaThe leaning republic114 km away · a story every 260 m
GenoaThe maritime republic190 km away · a story every 220 m
SienaFlorence's gothic rival131 km away · a story every 183 mHow does Bologna compare?
Put Bologna head-to-head with any city in the index, measure by measure, from real walking data.
Quick answers
- What is Bologna like to explore on foot?
- Bologna has 47 places with a story across 5 self-guided Questo routes, with a story every 285 metres of walking on average. Its stories lean towards faith & churches and legends & myths.
- Which historical period defines Bologna?
- 59% of Bologna's dated stories come from the medieval period; its oldest dated story reaches back to 1050.
- When do people visit Bologna?
- Player activity in Bologna peaks in Aug, with a typical 39% of reviews arriving June to August (median across 5 recent years of Questo reviews).
- How is this measured?
- From Questo's own walked routes and player activity in Bologna: 1,000+ plays and 1,000+ reviews. Full method on the City Stories Index methodology page, 2026 edition.
Quote any line, attributed
For press and citation
- Walking a Questo route in Bologna, you pass a place with a story every 285 metres on average.
- 59% of Bologna's dated stories come from the medieval period.
- Bologna's typical story happens in 1350: the median year across its dated stories, which span 900 years.
- 92% of Bologna's written player reviews are in a language other than Italian (from 1,000+ reviews).
- Roughly 17 of every 100 plays in Bologna is a group outing of three or more people, measured from invited multi-device sessions over the last 12 months.
- Bologna's play season peaks in Aug; a typical 39% of reviews arrive June to August (median across 5 recent years).
Copy any line as it stands: for an article, a post, or an argument at dinner. Attribution: Questo City Stories Index (2026 edition), with a link to this page. Method and sample sizes on the methodology page.
Bologna ranks #20 of 80. Show it.
For city halls, tourism boards, local press and anyone who lives here: this badge is yours to use, free and without asking. It links back to the measurements behind it, and it updates itself when the next edition is published.
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</a>Know a story these streets are missing?
Every place, story and figure on this page comes from routes built by people who know Bologna. Add what's missing: as a Questo creator, or with a quick suggestion.