An abundance of wildlife, hearty livestock and ample harvests provoked Bologna's nickname, Bologna la grassa, or, Bologna the Fat. These elements have produced a number of the world's favourite recipes, including stuffed tortellini, savoury lasagna, and, the region's specialty, Mortabella,created 2,000 years ago by Roman settlers. Italians know it as a delicately-seasoned pork sausage, now commonly disguised as a well-known lunchmeat under the pseudonym of the city's name.

From full stomachs to full minds, Bologna, the capital of Emilia-Romagna, has sated myriads of scholars at its university, the oldest in Europe. Over 40 km (25 mi) of arcades (arched pedestrian walkways) support second-floor extensions built to house an influx of students. Buildings are crafted out of a rusty brick that earned Bologna its second nickname, Bologna the Red, and its architecture moves gracefully from one epoch to another, old and new merging together seamlessly. The ancient Church of San Petronio, which was never completed to the full extent of its initial plans, is the city's most venerated monument, and Le Due Torre, Bologna's own leaning towers, tilt recklessly over the city's skyline.