What's on in Bologna, Italy through the year

Peak crowds — Christmas markets, Christmas holidays in Italy

• Festival

  Arte Fiera

  6–8 FebMajor festivalCrowdedBook early

  Italy's oldest contemporary art fair, and the week the whole city opens studios and late galleries around it. Hotel prices behave like a trade fair because it is one. Source ↗

Still on: Po valley fog (1 Nov – 15 Feb (usually)), Christmas markets (25 Nov – 6 Jan)

Busy — Arte Fiera, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in February.

Still on: Arte Fiera (6–8 Feb), Po valley fog (1 Nov – 15 Feb (usually))

Shoulder season — school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in March.

Busy — Easter holidays in Italy, school holidays in 5 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in April.

Busy — school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it, one of its best months for weather

Nothing new starts in May.

Peak crowds — Il Cinema Ritrovato, Summer holidays in Italy

• Opening

  Bologna Estate

  1 Jun – 15 SepSummer season opens

  The council's summer programme moves concerts, open-air cinema and bars into the courtyards and the parks on the hill, which is how the city stays usable once the students leave. Source ↗

• Festival

  Il Cinema Ritrovato

  20–28 JunFilm festivalCrowdedBook early

  Nine days of restored film, ending with free screenings on a big screen in Piazza Maggiore after dark. Passes and central rooms both go weeks ahead. Source ↗

Busy — Summer holidays in Italy, school holidays in 6 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in July.

Still on: Bologna Estate (1 Jun – 15 Sep), Il Cinema Ritrovato (20–28 Jun)

Peak crowds — Ferragosto shutdown, Summer holidays in Italy

• Holiday

  Ferragosto shutdown

  5–25 AugSchool holidaysClosures

  The trattorias that make the city worth eating in shut for two or three weeks around 15 August and the students are gone. Check opening days before you build a trip around a restaurant. Source ↗

Still on: Bologna Estate (1 Jun – 15 Sep)

Busy — Summer holidays in Italy, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in September.

Still on: Bologna Estate (1 Jun – 15 Sep)

Shoulder season — school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

• Nature

  Porcini, truffle and new oil

  1 Oct – 30 Nov · usuallyForaging season

  Autumn puts porcini from the Apennines and white truffle from the hills onto every menu in the Quadrilatero, and it is the strongest argument for coming here in the fog months.

Busy — Christmas markets, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

• Season

  Po valley fog

  1 Nov – 15 Feb · usuallyFog seasonRisk

  The nebbia settles on the plain for days at a time and takes the hills, the airport slots and the view from the Asinelli tower with it. The porticoes are the reason the city still works in it.

• Festival

  Christmas markets

  25 Nov – 6 JanChristmas & New YearCrowded

  The nativity-figure stalls under the portico of Santa Maria dei Servi and the Santa Lucia market have run for centuries; the centre is busiest on the weekends before 8 December. Source ↗

Still on: Porcini, truffle and new oil (1 Oct – 30 Nov (usually))

Peak crowds — Christmas markets, Christmas holidays in Italy

Nothing new starts in December.

Still on: Po valley fog (1 Nov – 15 Feb (usually)), Christmas markets (25 Nov – 6 Jan)