Best exhibitions in Bologna 2025 and Emilia-Romagna

You're in Bologna for the food, I know. And I give you plenty of that, I promise.

But what about some art to digest tortellini?

Here's a list of the best exhibitions to visit in Bologna and Emilia Romagna, always up to date.

Arte Proibita – Forbidden Art

What happens when art becomes too uncomfortable, too challenging, or simply “too much”?

From ancient Egypt to contemporary installations, more than 50 works censored for political, moral or religious reasons arrive in Bologna from the Museu de l’Art Prohibit of Barcelona.

Paintings hidden in vaults, photographs pulled from exhibitions, sculptures that shocked governments.

This show is not only about what you see, but also about what you almost weren’t allowed to. It’s an opportunity to reflect on the limits of freedom and why, century after century, art keeps being silenced and yet survives.

📍 Palazzo Albergati, Bologna
🗓 October 17, 2025 – April 6, 2026

palazzoalbergati.com

Vampires

From the pages of Gothic novels to the silver screen, from folklore to fashion—vampires are everywhere.

Palazzo Pallavicini transforms into a dark labyrinth where you can discover the myths and the symbols behind these immortal creatures.

Seven themed rooms recreate the atmosphere of castles, crypts, and decadent ballrooms, through paintings, film posters, rare books, and immersive scenography.

Whether you believe in them or not, you’ll leave with goosebumps and a smile.

📍 Palazzo Pallavicini, Bologna
🗓 September 20, 2025 – January 18, 2026

palazzopallavicini.com

Facile ironia. L'ironia nell'arte italiana tra XX e XXI secolo

Looking for an art exhibition that makes you think and smile?

From February 6 to September 7, 2025, the MAMbo – Museum of Modern Art of Bologna presents "Facile ironia. L’ironia nell’arte italiana tra XX e XXI secolo", a deep dive into how irony has shaped contemporary Italian art.

Expect works by artists who have turned irony into a sharp creative and critical tool over the past decades.

Because, let’s be honest—sometimes, art understands the absurdity of life better than we do.

📍 Where MAMbo, Bologna
📅 When February 6 – September 7, 2025

Fashion & Advertising in Italy 1950–2000

How did Italian fashion learn to speak to the world?
Through advertising.

This exhibition traces fifty years of campaigns, posters and photography that brought names like Armani, Valentino and Ferré into everyday life.

From hand-drawn sketches to glossy magazine pages, from black-and-white shots to the explosion of color in the ’80s and ’90s, it’s a journey through style, persuasion and communication.

Hosted at Fondazione Magnani-Rocca, it’s also a chance to enjoy one of the most elegant villas in Emilia-Romagna.

📍 Where Fondazione Magnani-Rocca, Mamiano di Traversetolo (Parma)
🗓 When September 13 – December 14, 2025

magnanirocca.it

Giacomo Balla – A Universe of Light

Parma dedicates an extraordinary exhibition to Giacomo Balla, one of the leading figures of Futurism.

For the first time, masterpieces from the National Gallery of Modern Art in Rome travel to Emilia.

Visitors will follow Balla’s journey from Divisionism—where light breaks into fragments of color—to the revolutionary dynamism of Futurism, where cars, dances and city life explode on canvas. T

he show reveals how Balla transformed the way we look at speed, movement and modernity. A rare chance to see the evolution of an artist who truly changed 20th-century Italian art.

📍 Palazzo del Governatore, Parma
🗓 October 10, 2025 – February 1, 2026

Luigi Ghirri – Lessons in Photography. Projects, Exercises, Variations

Luigi Ghirri is one of the most beloved Italian photographers, and Reggio Emilia—his hometown—pays him a new tribute.

This exhibition is not just a collection of his most famous shots, but a dive into his working methods: sketches, notes, unpublished series, and small visual experiments that reveal how he observed the world.

From miniature landscapes to poetic everyday details, Ghirri transforms the ordinary into something universal. If you’re curious to understand how a photo can be both document and dream, this show is a masterclass in looking.

📍 Palazzo dei Musei, Via Lazzaro Spallanzani 1, Reggio Emilia
🗓 April 26, 2024 – March 2, 2025

www.musei.re.it

Chagall and the mosaics of Ravenna

Ravenna, world capital of mosaic, meets the dreamlike universe of Marc Chagall.
The exhibition is part of the IX Biennale of Contemporary Mosaics and brings together paintings, drawings, and mosaics inspired by Chagall’s imagery.

You will see how his floating figures, lovers, and animals find a new life in the ancient technique of tesserae.

It’s a dialogue between modern poetry and Byzantine tradition, in a city where art literally sparkles under the light.

📍 MAR – Museo d’Arte della Città di Ravenna
🗓 October 18, 2025 – January 18, 2026

mar.ra.it

Art tastes better with food

After a day surrounded by art and beauty, why not treat yourself to the other soul of Emilia-Romagna?

Join one of our Bologna Food Tours, cook pasta in Parma, or walk through Ravenna tasting local flavors and admiring mosaics.

It’s the most delicious way to turn your cultural trip into an experience you’ll never forget.