# Bologna porticoes: the 12 UNESCO stretches > Bologna has more than 62 km of porticoes, but only 12 stretches carry the 2021 UNESCO listing. San Luca is one of them, at 3,600 meters from the city. URL: https://myitalia.it/attractions/portici-di-bologna Last updated: 2026-09-02 12 stretches of Bologna's porticoes are on the UNESCO World Heritage list, inscribed in 2021, out of more than 62 km of porticoes in the city. ## 12 stretches, not 62 kilometers The city holds more than 62 km of porticoes, and the listed property is 12 selected sets of them, inscribed in 2021 under criterion iv, reference 1650. That distinction gets lost constantly. Walking under a portico in Bologna is not the same as walking through the World Heritage site, and most guides blur the two. The listing covers work from the 12th century to the present, which is the argument the nomination made: a living building type, not a medieval relic. ## The 12, named Here are all 12: Santa Caterina and Saragozza, Santo Stefano and Mercanzia, Galliera, Baraccano, Pavaglione with Banchi and Piazza Maggiore, San Luca, University and Accademia, Certosa, Cavour with Farini and Minghetti, Strada Maggiore, Treno della Barca, and MAMbo. The last 2 entries catch people out. Treno della Barca is a housing block and MAMbo is the modern art museum, and neither is what anyone pictures when told to go and look at old arcades. ## 52.18 hectares of core zone The core zone measures 52.18 ha and the buffer zone 1,125.62 ha. The gap between those two figures says how the site is protected: a small strictly listed area inside a very large controlled setting, which is most of central Bologna. ## San Luca: 3,600 meters, and where the steps start The San Luca portico runs 3,600 meters from the city to the sanctuary on the Colle della Guardia, on the Comune di Bologna's own figure. The first stretch is 1.5 km on the flat along via Saragozza, and then more than 2 km of climb on steps. That split is the useful part. The flat kilometer and a half is a walk; what follows is a staircase under a roof, with no way to shorten it once you have started. Building began in 1674 and finished roughly a century later, in the 1770s. ## The 666 arches figure is rounded up The count of 666 arches is approximate and rounded upwards, and the Comune says so in plain words: the real number is slightly lower, and it depends on how you count. The same goes for the length. 3,796 meters circulates widely; the municipal figure is 3,600. Neither the 666 nor the 3,796 should be treated as certain, and this page uses the city's own numbers. That is not pedantry. It is the difference between a fact and a nice round number that survived because it sounded good. ## Why 2 modern buildings are on the list Of the 12 components, 2 are from the 20th century: the Treno della Barca and MAMbo. Their presence is the reason the site was inscribed as a continuing tradition rather than as a monument, and the reason the arc of dates runs from the 12th century to today. For the region, see [Emilia-Romagna](/regions/emilia-romagna). ## FAQ ### How many Bologna porticoes are UNESCO listed? 12 stretches, inscribed in 2021 under criterion iv as a serial site built from the 12th century onwards. The city has more than 62 km of porticoes in total, so most of what you walk under is not part of the listed property. ### Which Bologna porticoes are on the UNESCO list? All 12: Santa Caterina and Saragozza, Santo Stefano and Mercanzia, Galliera, Baraccano, Pavaglione with Banchi and Piazza Maggiore, San Luca, University and Accademia, Certosa, Cavour with Farini and Minghetti, Strada Maggiore, Treno della Barca, and MAMbo. ### Is the San Luca portico part of the UNESCO site? Yes, it is one of the 12 components. It runs 3,600 meters from the city to the sanctuary on the Colle della Guardia: 1.5 km flat along via Saragozza, then more than 2 km of climb on steps. ### How many arches does the San Luca portico have? The often quoted 666 is rounded up, and the Comune di Bologna says so explicitly: the real number is slightly lower and depends on how you count. The length is 3,600 meters on the city's own figure. ### When were the Bologna porticoes built? From the 12th century to the present day, which is the point of the listing. Two components are 20th century: the Treno della Barca housing and the MAMbo. Work on the San Luca portico began in 1674 and finished about a century later. ## Sources | Fact | Source | Confidence | Valid until | |---|---|---|---| | I Portici di Bologna sono iscritti nella Lista del Patrimonio Mondiale UNESCO dal 2021 come sito seriale composto da 12 insiemi di portici realizzati dal XII secolo a oggi; la citta' ne conta oltre 62 chilometri complessivi. | [Ministero della Cultura - Ufficio UNESCO](https://unesco.cultura.gov.it/projects/i-portici-di-bologna/); [Bologna Welcome - Comune di Bologna](https://www.bolognawelcome.com/it/informazioni/i-portici-unesco-di-bologna) | high | 2099-12-31 | | I dodici insiemi porticati iscritti UNESCO a Bologna sono Santa Caterina e Saragozza, Santo Stefano e Mercanzia, Galliera, Baraccano, Pavaglione-Banchi-Piazza Maggiore, San Luca, Universita' e Accademia, Certosa, Cavour-Farini-Minghetti, Strada Maggiore, Treno della Barca e MAMbo; la core zone misura 52,18 ettari e la buffer zone 1.125,62 ettari. | [Bologna Welcome - Comune di Bologna](https://www.bolognawelcome.com/it/informazioni/i-portici-unesco-di-bologna); [Ministero della Cultura - Ufficio UNESCO](https://unesco.cultura.gov.it/projects/i-portici-di-bologna/) | high | 2099-12-31 | | Il portico di San Luca, che collega Bologna al santuario sul Colle della Guardia, misura circa 3.600 metri secondo il Comune di Bologna e si divide in un primo tratto pianeggiante di circa 1,5 km lungo via Saragozza e in oltre 2 km di salita con scalini; la costruzione inizio' nel 1674 e si concluse circa un secolo dopo. | [Comune di Bologna - sito UNESCO Portici](https://portici.comune.bologna.it/la-serie/san-luca/portico-di-san-luca) | medium | 2099-12-31 | ## Image https://media.myitalia.it/media/poi.portici-bologna.v2.1600.jpg Author: Maddalena Osnato. License: CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Portici_di_via_Farini_in_piazza_Minghetti.jpg ## Other languages - it: https://myitalia.it/it/attrazioni/portici-di-bologna.md - es: https://myitalia.it/es/atracciones/portici-di-bologna.md - fr: https://myitalia.it/fr/attractions/portici-di-bologna.md - de: https://myitalia.it/de/sehenswuerdigkeiten/portici-di-bologna.md