BolognaFlorence
City Stories Index · Italy · 2026 edition

Bologna vs Florence

Not opinions, measured walking data. On what we can measure, Florence leads 3–2 (1 within the tie margin). Character is a different question: Bologna is the red city of tall tales; Florence is the renaissance cradle.

Change the matchup

VS
  • Places with a story

    spots where a route tells you what happened there

    Bologna

    47

    Florence

    71

    Florence leads

  • How often you pass a story

    metres from one story to the next; fewer is better

    Bologna

    285

    Florence

    222

    Florence leads

  • Historical figures

    real people you meet in its stories

    Bologna

    3

    Florence

    9

    Florence leads

  • Instagrammability

    score /100, on the index’s fixed scale

    Bologna

    44

    Florence

    18

    Bologna leads

  • Group outings

    of every 100 plays, how many bring a group of 3+

    Bologna

    17

    Florence

    17

    Tie

  • International visitors

    % of player reviews written in a foreign language

    Bologna

    92

    Florence

    85

    Bologna leads

Differences under 5% count as ties. Sample sizes and definitions on the methodology page.

What their stories are about

How many places with a story each city has per theme: Bologna in orange, Florence in blue. All bars share one scale, so lengths are comparable everywhere on the chart.

BolognaFlorence
13 places
faith & churches
24 places
10 places
crime & dark history
19 places
7 places
royalty & nobility
18 places
4 places
arts & culture
16 places
13 places
legends & myths
13 places
10 places
guilds & trade
9 places
7 places
fortification & siege
2 places
6 places
industry & modern era
2 places

Bologna scorecard →

The red city of tall tales

Florence scorecard →

The Renaissance cradle