The sanctuary of the Madonna di San Luca, the walk down under the world's longest portico to the Meloncello, the Certosa and the Arca di San Domenico with statues by the young Michelangelo.
The symbol of Bologna: the sanctuary on the Colle della Guardia, visible from across the plain, linked to the city by almost four kilometres of portico. You drive up, walk down under the arches and end up in the city, at the tomb of Saint Dominic.
When to goAll year round (the portico shelters you from the rain)
Long half day: leave early or skip one visit.
The plan from Riccione
Leave Riccione for Colle della Guardia1 h 35 driving, 141 km
Colle della Guardia1 h 30 of visits: Santuario della Madonna di San Luca, Walking down under the portico to the Meloncello
Drive on to La Certosa10 min driving, 3 km
La Certosa50 min of visits: Certosa di Bologna
Drive on to San Domenico15 min driving, 4 km
San Domenico40 min of visits: Basilica di San Domenico and the Arca
Drive back to Riccione1 h 30 driving, 125 km
Back in Riccione
Times are a guide: driving times are worked out without traffic, then come the visits and ten minutes at every stop to park. In summer towards the coast and at rush hour allow extra time.
What you will see
1Colle della Guardia
Santuario della Madonna di San Luca 40 min
It houses a Byzantine icon of the Madonna which legend attributes to the evangelist Luke, brought here by a pilgrim in the 12th century; since 1433, every year during Ascension week, it processes down to the cathedral. Today's church is 18th-century, by Carlo Francesco Dotti, with an elliptical plan beneath a great dome. From the panoramic terrace at the base of the dome, 42 metres up, you can see the hills and the whole city.
Church open daily, free admission; terrace with admission charge, on Sundays opens only from midday.
Walking down under the portico to the Meloncello 40 min
The portico built between 1674 and 1721 to shelter pilgrims: 3,796 metres and 666 arches from Porta Saragozza to the sanctuary, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2021 along with Bologna's other porticoes. You walk downhill along the finest stretch, about two kilometres through the chapels of the ascent, as far as the Arco del Meloncello that spans the road. The number 666 is that of the Beast of the Apocalypse: the portico is said to be the serpent that the Madonna crushes at the top of the hill.
Always open. Comfortable shoes: the descent is steep in the first stretch. Those who don't want to walk much can drive down and wait for the others at the Meloncello.
2La Certosa
Certosa di Bologna 40 min
A Carthusian monastery from 1334 which in 1801 became the city cemetery, among the first in Italy. Already in the 19th century it was called a museum cemetery: Bolognese families commissioned tombs from the greatest sculptors of the time, and along cloisters and loggias you'll find neoclassical, Romantic and Art Nouveau monuments. Here rest Carducci, Respighi, Giorgio Morandi and Lucio Dalla.
Daily, free admission. It is a working cemetery: silence and respect.
3San Domenico
Basilica di San Domenico and the Arca 30 min
Saint Dominic died in Bologna in 1221 and is buried here, in the marble Arca which is a small museum of Italian sculpture: the sarcophagus by Nicola Pisano, the canopy by Niccolò dell'Arca and three statuettes carved in 1494 by the young Michelangelo, San Petronio, San Procolo and the angel with the candlestick. Also worth seeing is the inlaid choir by Fra Damiano da Bergamo, which Charles V came to admire. In the square, the mediaeval tombs of jurists on columns.
Free admission, closed at lunchtime; during Mass visits may be restricted.
Tips
During Ascension week the Madonna di San Luca is in the city, in the cathedral: the sanctuary remains open but without the icon.
For those who want to walk further, the portico continues from the Meloncello to Porta Saragozza, at the edge of the centre.
The same trip from other towns
How long it takes from each town, the drive back included. Tap a town to see the plan from there.
Almost every old town has a limited traffic zone (ZTL) with cameras: park outside and walk in. The fine reaches your home, abroad too. ZTL and car parks town by town
This trip with a driver
Romagna Transfer picks you up at your hotel, drops you in front of every stop and brings you back: no parking, no ZTL, and the wine is yours to enjoy.
Trips written by our editors from the facts of our monument pages and the official sites. Opening days and hours change: the note under every place tells you what to check before you leave. No prices: you find them on the museums' sites.
