City Stories Index · Italy · 2026 edition
Bologna vs Milan
Not opinions, measured walking data. On what we can measure, Bologna leads 4–2. Character is a different question: Bologna is the red city of tall tales; Milan is the city of art and empire.
Change the matchup
| What we measure | Bologna | Milan | Leads |
|---|---|---|---|
| Places with a storyspots where a route tells you what happened there | 47 | 105 | Milan |
| How often you pass a storymetres from one story to the next; fewer is better | 285 | 325 | Bologna |
| Historical figuresreal people you meet in its stories | 3 | 31 | Milan |
| Instagrammabilityscore /100, on the index’s fixed scale | 44 | 30 | Bologna |
| Group outingsof every 100 plays, how many bring a group of 3+ | 17 | 16 | Bologna |
| International visitors% of player reviews written in a foreign language | 92 | 81 | Bologna |
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, Milan in blue. All bars share one scale, so lengths are comparable everywhere on the chart.
BolognaMilan
4 places
arts & culture45 places
13 places
faith & churches30 places
7 places
royalty & nobility29 places
13 places
legends & myths16 places
10 places
crime & dark history7 places
10 places
guilds & trade9 places
2 places
parks & leisure10 places
7 places
fortification & siege8 places
6 places
industry & modern era6 places
Bologna scorecard →
The red city of tall tales
Milan scorecard →
The city of art and empire