The compact centre of Bologna is a delight to explore on foot and the Grand Hotel is only a short walk from the heart of the ancient city, marked by a pair of tall brick medieval towers, the Torri Pendenti, the last two remaining from a period when about 200 rose above the city. The tallest is the 97 metre Torre Asinelli with 498 stairs to the top and a stunning view of the city and the Apennines beyond. This is a city of great churches like Santa Stefano, San Domenico, the most important Dominican church in Italy with the Arca di San Domenico featuring work by Pisano and early figures by Michelangelo.

Nearby is Via Zamboni leading to the heart of the university area at Palazzo Poggi, an attractive part of town featuring endless porticoes crammed with restaurants and bars. Along Via delle Belle Arti is the Pinacoteca Nazionale with an impressive collection of Emilian painters like the Carracci brothers, Guercino and Reni as well as works by Raphael, Giotto, Titian and Perugino. In Piazza Rossini is one of the jewels of Bologna’s art: the Gothic-Romanesque church of San Giacomo Maggiore containing the Capella Bentivoglio with a glorious tomb by della Quercia.

The true centre of the city is found in the twin spacious squares, Piazza Nettuno and Piazza Maggiore. The first is home to the impressive Neptune’s Fountain by Giambologna and in the adjacent Piazza Maggiore is San Petronio, Bologna’s Gothic cathedral with art and interior ornamentation that befits the city’s wealthy history. Opposite is the imposing Palazzo Podesta, the former Governor’s Palace, with cafe tables out front making it a pleasant place to sit in the sun and enjoy a drink while beholding one of the most impressive city squares in Italy.

Bologna is a city rich in its associations with all that is great in Italian cooking but, in terms of art and architecture it is also one of the richest cities in Italy. It evolved from a Bronze Age settlement to an Etruscan town and later an important Roman colony on the Via Emilia. It then fell under papal power apart from a period under Napoleon, but it has long been a world centre of learning and home to one of the oldest universities in Europe. Papal patronage sent great artists like Raphael, Perugino and Michelangelo to the city, as well as the construction of a cathedral that was originally planned to be larger that St Peters’ in Rome. More recently Bologna has achieved a reputation as a focal point of high technology and an important venue for trade shows.

Along this historic journey it has acquired superb buildings and city streets, distinctive by forty kilometres of arcaded pavements that allow you to explore the city under cover whatever the weather. As the first Italian city to restrict traffic in the main parts of the city centre, the roads are noticeably quiet and, even though the city is one of the most beautiful in the country - some say second only to Venice - it is also remarkable that it isn’t overwhelmed by tourists like many of the more popular Italian destinations. Bologna was named European City of Culture in 2000, resulting in great expenditure on developments aimed mainly at young people, including several facilities for the arts, a museum dedicated to Jewish culture, and a new library in the former stock exchange building.