There are many ways to visit a place. With a Lonely Planet on your hand, with an expat friend showing you around, or following a list of places marked on Google Maps. Any way you choose, for me the most important thing is the spirit to learn something new. Here you find my list of must-do things to do in Bologna.

1. Walk day and night under the porticoes

Trattoria Da Me restaurant in Bologna looks like a bridge between an old, traditional land of comfort and a new island still to explore. Read my review and stay light for lunch, you need to leave space until the dessert.

Eat at my place, like old times

Giorgio Morandi is the painter of Bologna. But he didn't paint the butchers of Quadrilatero market, the colours of the porticoes or the characters of the shops. He prefers daily objects like bottles, funnels, cactus you could find in all the houses. From his house in Via Fondazza to his beloved Grizzana, his traces are still here.

Giorgio Morandi: a life with the easel

When Alessandro Galtieri prepares coffee his gaze changes. Like a Greek statue in motion, every muscle of his slim body become focused on the action. I've interviewed Alessandro during this forced hiatus, to ask him how good coffee can make life better.

Who is Alessandro Galtieri

Set in a Piazza that is not a Piazza, Santo Stefano Basilica is a century-old jigsaw full of symbols and myths. The so-called 7 churches Basilica (but where are the 7?) is the most enigmatic church in Bologna. No doubts.To tell its story we need to travel from the Holy Land to Dante's hell, meeting relics, roosters and Magi.So sit down and relax: the gate is opening.

1. From Jerusalem to Bologna: La Chiesa del Santo Sepolcro