City Stories Index · Italy · 2026 edition
Bologna vs Palermo
Not opinions, measured walking data. On what we can measure, Palermo leads 2–1. Character is a different question: Bologna is the red city of tall tales; Palermo is the crossroads with a long memory.
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| What we measure | Bologna | Palermo | Leads |
|---|---|---|---|
| Places with a storyspots where a route tells you what happened there | 47 | 27 | Bologna |
| How often you pass a storymetres from one story to the next; fewer is better | 285 | 262 | Palermo |
| Historical figuresreal people you meet in its stories | 3 | 4 | Palermo |
| Instagrammabilityscore /100, on the index’s fixed scale | 44 | — | Bologna |
| Group outingsof every 100 plays, how many bring a group of 3+ | 17 | — | Bologna |
| International visitors% of player reviews written in a foreign language | 92 | — | 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, Palermo in blue. All bars share one scale, so lengths are comparable everywhere on the chart.
BolognaPalermo
10 places
crime & dark history16 places
13 places
faith & churches10 places
13 places
legends & myths8 places
10 places
guilds & trade2 places
7 places
fortification & siege0 places
7 places
royalty & nobility3 places
6 places
industry & modern era0 places
4 places
arts & culture4 places
Bologna scorecard →
The red city of tall tales
Palermo scorecard →
The crossroads with a long memory