WHIRLING THROUGH THE MIDDLE AGES

Enjoy an unforgettable ride through Bologna on this up-to-the-minute Segway tour. What a glorious way to get a close look at the squares and fountains, the towers and magnificent facades of the city’s favourite buildings as you sail along smoothly and silently on your own personal transporter! Time travellers will enjoy the best of Bologna’s iconic attractions together with a tailor-made commentary from their expert guide while rolling around aboard the very latest and greenest motorized vehicle. There’ll be ample opportunities for snapping shots of the city’s architectural treasures as well as lively scenes of local life.

Your guide will meet you in Piazza XX Settembre and give you a brief orientation session on how to manoeuvre this two-wheeled, easy-to-handle, electric vehicle. Once you’re ready, hop on your Segway and enjoy a fun ride through the city centre. This carefully planned experience will lead you across picture-perfect piazze, past covered walkways, down hidden side streets, allowing you to gain a real feel for the texture of life in Bologna, past and present, in record time. Your guide will point out important landmarks along your trail and animate the scene in vivid colours with true stories of events from the past. Highlights of your tour include the historic food market, the monumental monastic complex of Santo Stefano, the two leaning Towers of Asinelli and Garisenda, the Fountain of Neptune and the imposing Basilica of San Petronio.

While cruising through the streets you will hear about important episodes in the history of the city and gain an overview of Bologna’s development, from its origins as an Etruscan settlement to a high point during the Middle Ages, when a flourishing economy led to significant expansion. A profusion of case-torri, the mark of wealthy families proclaiming their power and prestige, sprung up and helped to forge the splendid medieval cityscapes you see today, one of Italy’s finest.

You will also discover how Bologna’s reputation and achievements in different fields have earned the city a series of affectionate nicknames. La Vecchia Signora (The Old Lady) pays homage to Bologna’s unscathed medieval texture; La Rossa (The Red) refers to both the red terracotta bricks of its buildings and to the city’s left-wing political views; La Dotta (The Learned) as the city is home to the world’s oldest university; La Grassa (The Well-Fed) is a tribute to Bologna’s epicurean delights and international popularity as Italy’s foodie capital.