It might not have the canals of Venice, the quaint cliffside villages of the Cinque Terre, nor the ancient ruins of Rome, but that certainly hasn’t held Bologna back from being one of Italy’s most unique, beautiful, and underrated cities. Often overlooked in favour of Italy’s other tourism heavy hitters, Bologna, capital of the northern Emilia Romagna region, is where some of the country’s best food, architecture, and people can be found.

In fact, Bologna’s nicknames sum it up beautifully: La Dotta, or the learned, for its university - Europe’s oldest - and the educated that flock there. La rossa, the red, for its beautiful UNESCO-protected terracotta-hued medieval buildings and porticoes, and progressive left-leaning society. La Grassa (the fat), a nod to its richly delicious standing as Italy’s gastronomic capital.