Bologna, << buh LOHN yuh >> (pop. 392,203), a city in northern Italy, lies in a region of pleasant climate and fruitful soil. An important industrial center, its manufactured products include farm machinery, motor vehicles, silks, velvets, and Bologna sausage.
Bologna is the capital of Emilia-Romagna, one of Italy’s political regions. Much of the city has narrow and crooked streets, and so retains a medieval appearance. Bologna has a system of arcades (roofed walkways) that shelter the shops along the street. It has 130 churches which date from the 1200’s to the modern era. Of the 180 towers in the city in the Middle Ages, only two, dating from about 1110, remain. The art treasures of Bologna are world-famous. Raphael’s Saint Cecilia (about 1515) hangs in the city’s renowned Pinacoteca Nazionale. Bologna is also an ancient center of learning. The University of Bologna, which dates from about 1100, is one of the world’s oldest universities.
See also Emilia-Romagna.
