Below the coat of roads, squares and arcades that make up the Petronian urban geography, the subsoil of Bologna hides an intricate labyrinth.
Galleries, tunnels and underground tracks that extend for tens of kilometers and transport the secrets of historical events that originate at the time of ancient Rome, cross the dark centuries and make witnesses of the great wars of the early twentieth century.
Although to date it is still unknown to most visitors and tourists, the underground Bologna constitutes one of the most suggestive and fascinating scenarios offered by the Emilian capital.
If on the one hand there is the Felsinea - as it was called to the times of the Etruscans -, a lively and energetic dimension in which the fun goes hand in hand with the typical industriousness of the region, on the other hand there is underground Bologna : two parallel realities capable of revealing the faces of the same medal. Certainly, given the mysterity that surrounds it, it is one of the things to see in Bologna.
What to see in Bologna? Find out what is hiding in the basement of Bologna
The subsoil of Bologna still brings the signs of those who crossed it and who built cities and weavering historical intertwining for it still capable of fascinating those who venture among its glimpses.
A formidable example of technical domain: ancient civilizations built and exploited the plots of underground Bologna until it makes a real maze made of channels which, over time, have given the name of many of the streets on the surface.
Thanks to the waters of the Rhine and the Savena that fueled its dense network of galleries, the subsoil of Bologna became part of the city life to the point of allowing the appearance of three ports, of which the most famous function from connection to the cities of Ferrara and Venice.
To date, restored and made largely accessible to visitors and tourists, the immortal water work of underground Bologna represents a jewel of technical supremacy to be followed through guided tours that tell its story and allow to relive eras made of conquests and mysteries. For those who want to venture into the underground Bologna , we today offer three fundamental stages not to be lost, for an unforgettable underground Bologna tour.
Aposa stream: beating heart of city life
One of the itineraries proposed through the subsoil of Bologna allows to patrol what in ancient times constituted the course of the real protagonist of the Bolognese city life.
The Aposa torrent represents the only natural water course of the Emilian capital and for this reason it was a source of most of the commercial and industrial fate of the city over the centuries: thanks to it, lavates, mills, seteries and dyes of the city were fed, of which it soon became the beating heart.
During the seventeenth century, the canals of the underground Bologna through which the stream flowed were gradually buried and surmounted by bridges and other artificial structures in order to guarantee an improvement in health conditions and obtain more space for the erection of new buildings, until they disappeared completely at the beginning of the twentieth century.
Currently the entrance to the stream is guaranteed thanks to the reclamation actions carried out in the late nineties: through two revenue, one in Piazza San Martino and the other in Piazza Minghetti, it is possible to have access to the area of the subsoil of Bologna which preserves the signs of the passage of different ancient civilizations where once the famous stream was flowing.
Mario di Mario or Valverde bathrooms
Erroneously identified in the nineteenth century as a thermal center built in the republican age by the Console Caio Mario, the Valverde preservation has actually much more recent origins: it is in fact a cistern of the Renaissance period made by Tommaso Laureti in 1631.
The itinerary proposed along this area of underground Bologna allows you to admire a part of the extraordinary renewal project of the city ordered by Pope Pius IV: the preserves in particular was conceived in order to drain and purify the waters from the hills that would then have been directed towards hydraulic structures prepared on the surface, including one of the best known is the Fountain of Neptune.
Structured on two levels of the subsoil of Bologna , the visit to the Valverde preservation allows you to go into a splendid octagonal room dominated by an imposing dome surrounded by eight small cavities designed for the recollection of the water.
Anti -aircraft shelters for civil and military
During the course of the First World War, the architecture of underground Bologna were subjected to a reconstruction program in order to make it channels and galleries suitable for the protection of civil and military.
The construction of premises in the subsoil of Bologna predisposed to the function of hospitalizations in the event of air alarms represented an operation of fundamental impact for public and private safety.
Discover underground Bologna and other beauties
Do you want to see the beauties of Bologna with your own eyes and discover in more detail the history of underground Bologna?
Book your stay in the city now: our largest hotel can offer you the best solution between rooms and residences with a confidential price including a range of customizable services. So you can visit Bologna and enjoy your 360 ° experience, between art, culture, history and good food.
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