# Bologna: twelve porticoes are listed, not all of them

> The 2021 World Heritage listing covers 12 stretches of portico, not the 62 km the city has. Plus the San Luca climb and the closed Asinelli tower.

URL: https://myitalia.it/towns/bologna
Last updated: 2026-09-02

Bologna has over 62 km of portico, but the World Heritage site inscribed in 2021 is 12 named stretches of it, so a walk that takes in the listed ones is a specific route and not simply a walk around town.

## What was inscribed in 2021, exactly

The Porticoes of Bologna went on the World Heritage list in 2021 under criterion (iv), as a serial site of 12 sets built from the 12th century onward, in a city that counts over 62 km of them in total. The core zone measures 52.18 hectares, with a buffer zone of 1,125.62 hectares.

Almost nobody makes that distinction, and it changes what you go looking for. Walking under any arcade is not walking through the site.

## The 12 components, by name

The 12 stretches are 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.

Two of those names surprise people. Treno della Barca is a 1950s housing estate and MAMbo is a modern art museum, which is the point of a listing that runs to the present day rather than stopping in the Middle Ages. More at Bologna's porticoes are twelve stretches.

## San Luca is 3,600 meters, and half of it climbs

The portico to the sanctuary on the Colle della Guardia measures 3,600 meters by the Comune di Bologna's own figure, of which the first 1.5 km along via Saragozza is flat and over 2 km is stepped climb. Construction began in 1674 and ended about a century later.

You will also see 3,796 meters and 666 arches quoted widely; those are the popular figures, not the municipal ones. Either way, treat the second half as a hill walk under a roof, not a stroll, and carry water in July.

## The Asinelli tower is shut

As of September 2026 the climb up the Torre degli Asinelli is not bookable, because the official Bologna Welcome channel is running a closure notice for maintenance and offering the Torre dell'Orologio as the alternative viewpoint. The closure traces back to the work securing the leaning Garisenda from 2023.

When the tower is open, the climb costs €5, or €3 reduced, on timed slots that can be canceled up to 24 hours ahead, and it is 498 steps with no lift. Prices in euros. Check the booking page before you build an afternoon around it. See [getting to Bologna](/towns/bologna/getting-there).

## 1088, and the students

The University of Bologna dates its Studium to 1088 by convention and calls itself the first university of the western world, which is where the name Alma Mater Studiorum comes from.

The practical effect is on the streets rather than in a museum: the university quarter east of via Zamboni sets the price of a plate of tagliatelle and the hour at which the porticoes are still busy. There is more at [things to do in Bologna](/towns/bologna/things-to-do) and [Emilia-Romagna](/regions/emilia-romagna).

## FAQ

### Which porticoes in Bologna are the UNESCO site?

Twelve named stretches, inscribed in 2021 under criterion (iv): 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, MAMbo.

### How long is the walk up to San Luca?

3,600 meters of covered walkway by the city's own figure, split into a flat 1.5 km along via Saragozza and over 2 km of stepped climb. The build started in 1674 and finished about a century later. Other sources quote 3,796 meters and 666 arches.

### Can you climb the Asinelli tower now?

No. As of September 2026 the climb cannot be booked, and Bologna Welcome carries a maintenance closure notice, suggesting the Torre dell'Orologio for a view instead. When open it costs €5, or €3 reduced, with timed booking and 498 steps without a lift.

### How much portico does Bologna actually have?

Over 62 km across the city, built continuously from the 12th century to the present. Only 12 sets of it carry the World Heritage inscription, on a core zone of 52.18 hectares with a buffer zone of 1,125.62 hectares.

### Is Bologna's university the oldest in the world?

The University of Bologna gives 1088 as the conventional birth date of its Studium and describes itself as the first university of the western world. Conventional is the operative word: the date is a scholarly convention, not a founding document.

## 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 |
| A settembre 2026 la salita alla Torre degli Asinelli di Bologna non e' prenotabile: il canale ufficiale Bologna Welcome riporta l'avviso di torre chiusa per manutenzione e propone come alternativa panoramica la Torre dell'Orologio; quando e' aperta, la salita costa 5 euro (3 ridotto), e' su prenotazione a fasce orarie e prevede 498 gradini senza ascensore. | [Bologna Welcome (canale ufficiale di prenotazione)](https://booking.bolognawelcome.com/it/activity/112542/le-due-torri-prenotazione-salita-alla-torre-degli-asinelli); [Torri di Bologna](https://www.torridibologna.it/visitare-le-torri/torre-asinelli/) | medium | 2027-03-31 |
| L'Universita' di Bologna indica il 1088 come data convenzionale di nascita dello Studio bolognese e si definisce la prima universita' del mondo occidentale. | [Alma Mater Studiorum - Universita' di Bologna](https://www.unibo.it/it/ateneo/chi-siamo/la-nostra-storia) | medium | 2099-12-31 |

## Image

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Author: Ввласенко. License: CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0).
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bologna_Panorama.jpg

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