Bologna operates a wide variety of outdoor activities, ranging form organised sports such as large-scale football matches to cycling sightseeing tours and golf outings. Parents take younger children to play at local play centres scattered across the city and children of all ages can enjoy the staged performances and workshops hosted by the Testoni Ragazzi children’s theatre.

Cycling
Italy hosts a number of cycling events throughout the year, and Bologna is well equipped to accommodate cycling excursions through the city and into the countryside. Cycling is a great way to get a little exercise while taking in the city’s main sites. You’ll find several bicycle hire shops situated throughout the metropolitan district, with the entire gamut of equipment and accessories available.

Children’s Theatre
Bologna’s premier children’s theatre is called Testoni Ragazzi. Theatre season runs from November to April, during which time the facility hosts staged performances geared for children of all ages (even the very young). During the summer, children are welcomed to participate in workshops and planned activities. Phone: +39 51 415 3800.

Football
Football is a key player in Italy’s sporting obsession, with small neighbourhood matches as popular as organised, regional competitions. Die-hard football fans will want to catch a match if they visit in season. Bologna’s Renato dall’Ara City Stadium (found on Via A Costa) can seat 40,000 spectators and serves as home field for the Bologna Football Club 1909. Phone: +39 51 611 1111.

Golfing
Golf enthusiasts will be pleased to learn that Bologna has several golf courses within reasonable distance of the city centre. The most popular is Golf Club Bologna, an 18-hole course located five miles south of town. This course offers full amenities including a putting green, pro shop (with club hire) and a restaurant. Phone: +39 51 696 100.

Play Centres
Especially well-suited for young children, Bologna’s numerous play centres (called ludoteche or centri giochi) provide a fun and safe environment in which local and visiting children alike can play together. There is usually a nominal entry fee (though the fee is often waived on the first visit) which covers maintenance of the play equipment and light snacks. Children age six and under are most likely to enjoy these play centres.

Bologna boasts a long and storied history that has paved the way for the more than 45 museums that operate here today. The Archaeological Museum is the most popular, drawing tourists from across Italy and greater Europe to view the facility's Etruscan and Egyptian collections. Also of interest are the Palaeontological Museum, the Medieval Museum and the city’s definitive collection of Giorgio Morandi's work. Pick up a museum pass (available for one or three days) from the tourism office for unlimited access to the city’s museums.

Archaeological Museum
Home to a vast collection of artefacts taken from across several millennia, the Archaeological Museum is one of Bologna's top cultural attractions. There is a fascinating exhibit exploring the region's early Etruscan roots, though the new Egyptian section receives the most publicity. The latter gallery contains bas-reliefs taken from the tomb of Horemheb. Phone: +39 51 275 7211.

Giorgio Morandi Museum
Giorgio Morandi was born in Bologna in the late 19th-century and he went on to become one of the most important Italian painters of his time. His museum in Bologna (located in the Palazzo d'Acursio) is the world's most important collection of his work. Aside from a vast collection of Morandi's work (a great deal of which was donated by his sister), visitors can also view artwork from Morandi's personal collection as well as a reconstruction of his studio. Phone: +39 51 20 3332; www.museomorandi.it

Jewish Museum
Housed in the Palazzo Pannolini in Bologna's Jewish quarter, this modern museum takes visitors on a journey through the history of the city's Jewish population. The primary exhibit tracks the Jewish identity in exile and the struggles (both modern and historic) undertaken by Jews in the region. Periodic debates and lectures are held here in the conference centre. Phone: +39 51 291 1280; www.museoebraicobo.it  

Medieval Museum
Located in the Palazzo Fava-Ghisilardi (which dates to the 1400s), this museum boasts a vast collection of medieval-period artefacts sourced from around the world. Among the exhibits, visitors can view Turkish arquebuses, Lombardy gold crosses, Asian armaments, Byzantine ivories and Carracci frescoes. One of the highlights of the museum is a 16th-century bronze piece that was made for the original construction for the Fountain of Neptune. Phone: +39 51 20 3930.

Museum of Geology and Paleontology
This museum has been in operation for well over a century and contains a staggering one million exhibits. The exhibits are sectioned off into four collections: thousands of fossilised plants, thousands of Jurassic period dinosaur fossils, an even greater number of invertebrate fossils and a collection of antique palaeontological implements. Phone: +39 51 209 4555.

Tapestry Museum
This historic collection of traditional tapestries is housed in the 16th-century Villa Spada. The exhibits showcase fabrics and tapestries from around the world, including Chinese, Persian and Indian textiles. There are several Bolognese damasks on display alongside ancient looms that date to the 14th-century. In all, visitors will find more than 6,000 pieces on display in this museum. Phone: +39 51 614 5512.

Throughout its charming historic quarter and expansive university district, Bologna boasts a pleasing array of restaurants, cafés and pizzerias from which visitors can choose. Dining is available to suit every budget, with some of the finest authentic cuisine available on surprisingly affordable menus. Beyond traditional regional fare, you'll also find a wide selection of international cuisine ranging from neighbouring European fare to Asian cuisine.

Bologna has a strong culinary tradition, best known for the rich Bolognese sauce found most often in the dish spaghetti Bolognese. Meats and cheeses are frequently featured in local dishes, as in the favourite tagliatelle al ragu, which is pasta served in a beef sauce. Another dish worthy of travellers' attention is filetto alla Bolognese, or veal marinated in wine and seasoned with cuts of ham and Parmigiano cheese.

A wealth of shopping venues awaits visitors in and around the Bologna city centre. Generally, the shops are concentrated on four streets: Via Rizzoli, Via D'Azeglio, Via dell'Indipendenza and Via Ugo Bassi. Along these avenues, visitors will find all of Italy's major designers represented alongside locally known designers. The latter operate primarily in the university district.

Bologna's fashion and clothing industry is world-renowned, and the city typically hosts substantial sales during peak summer (July and August) and winter (December and January) months. Several speciality markets operate around the city, including a book market at Piazza Maggiore, a weekend collector's exposition and flea market at the Parco della Montagnola, and an antiques market at Piazza Santo Stefano.