City Stories Index · Italy · 2026 edition
Bologna vs Venice
Not opinions, measured walking data. On what we can measure, Venice leads 3–2 (1 within the tie margin). Character is a different question: Bologna is the red city of tall tales; Venice is the floating republic.
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| What we measure | Bologna | Venice | Leads |
|---|---|---|---|
| Places with a storyspots where a route tells you what happened there | 47 | 32 | Bologna |
| How often you pass a storymetres from one story to the next; fewer is better | 285 | 258 | Venice |
| Historical figuresreal people you meet in its stories | 3 | 6 | Venice |
| Instagrammabilityscore /100, on the index’s fixed scale | 44 | 46 | tie |
| Group outingsof every 100 plays, how many bring a group of 3+ | 17 | 9 | Bologna |
| International visitors% of player reviews written in a foreign language | 92 | 97 | Venice |
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, Venice in blue. All bars share one scale, so lengths are comparable everywhere on the chart.
BolognaVenice
13 places
faith & churches10 places
13 places
legends & myths8 places
10 places
crime & dark history11 places
10 places
guilds & trade5 places
7 places
royalty & nobility9 places
7 places
fortification & siege1 place
4 places
arts & culture7 places
6 places
industry & modern era1 place
Bologna scorecard →
The red city of tall tales
Venice scorecard →
The floating republic