Venice diary, entry 4 of 5 I practised early again, before the light had found its way down into the canal, playing quietly by the open window until the first delivery boats began to move below and the city cleared…
Archives for August 2026
Venice – The Painted Islands
Venice diary, entry 3 of 5 I practised the violin again before the city was properly awake, this time on a small wooden altana above the rooftops, one of those improbable platforms the Venetians built centuries ago so their women…
Victoria’s Complete Guide to Bologna
Bologna is the city I keep coming back to, the one I recommend to friends who tell me they have “done” Italy and are quietly tired of queuing more than they get to look. Bologna will not make you queue….
The Best Things to Do in Bologna
The best things to do in Bologna are the sort you stumble into rather than queue for: a red portico that carries you dry through a rain shower, a market lane thick with the smell of mortadella, a whispering arch…
Bologna Itinerary: 2 Perfect Days (and How to Add a Third)
This Bologna itinerary is the one I actually use when friends land at Bologna Centrale and ask me how to spend a couple of days without exhausting themselves. The good news is that the centre is small, walkable, and roofed…
Where to Stay in Bologna: The Best Areas and Hotels
Working out where to stay in Bologna is easier than it looks, because the city is small, walkable, and wrapped almost end to end in porticoes that make the day’s weather somebody else’s concern. The historic centre is compact enough…
Where to Eat in Bologna: The Food Capital of Italy
Working out where to eat in Bologna is the happiest homework a traveller can be set, because this is the city Italians themselves call la Grassa, the Fat One, and it earns the nickname at every table. Emilia-Romagna is the…
The Best Time to Visit Bologna
If you want the short answer to the best time to visit Bologna, here it is: spring, from April to June, and early autumn, September into October. Those are the weeks when the light turns the porticoes honey-gold, the temperature…
The Best Photo Spots in Bologna
The best photo spots in Bologna are not the ones that shout loudest, and that is exactly why I love photographing this city. Bologna hands you red terracotta, endless arcades and a low golden light that seems made for a…
How to Get to Bologna and Get Around
Working out how to get to Bologna is one of the easiest jobs in Italian travel, because the city sits at the exact crossing point of the country’s fast-rail network. Trains from Milan, Venice, Florence and Rome all funnel through…
The Best Day Trips from Bologna
The best day trips from Bologna are the kind that ruin you a little, because they make you realise how much sits within an hour of a city most people rush through. Bologna is the rail hub of northern Italy,…
Hidden Gems in Bologna
The best hidden gems in Bologna are not really hidden at all, they are simply overlooked by people hurrying between the two famous towers and a plate of tagliatelle. This is a city that rewards the slow walker, the one…
