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1 History

Bologna was founded by the Etruscans with the name Felsina.
Next the city was the Roman colony known as Bononia, which survived as a medieval city to become a centre of learning and then a major city of the Renaissance papal states.
Due to an efficient system of canalsCanal du Midi in Toulouse, France Canals are man-made waterways, usually connecting existing lakes, rivers, or oceans. They are used for transportation, often by barges or narrowboats on smaller canals, and by ships on ship canals that connect to the ocea, Bologna was one of the trading centres in northern Italy. Part of taxes raised from traders was used to pay the wages of the University professors.

2 Overview

Over the centuries, Bologna has acquired many nicknames. "Bologna the learned" is a reference to its famous university. "Bologna the fat" refers to its cuisine.

Bologna is also called "Bologna the red" due to its abundance of brick buildings. The historic town center is indeed striking, with its mediaval street plan, leaning towers, and brightly colored buildings in shades of red and orange. The townscape is further enriched by elegant and extensive arcades. "Bologna the red" has also been said to refer to the city's left-leaning politics. Until the election of a centre-right mayor in 1999, the city was a historic bastion of socialismFor information on mainstream political parties using the term "Socialist", see Social democracy and Democratic socialism For the governments of the USSR, the PRC, and others, see: Communist state Other variants of Socialism include Marxism, Communism, an and communismThis article is about communism as a form of society, as an ideology advocating that form of society, and as a popular movement. For issues regarding the organization of the communist movement, see the Communist party article. For issues regarding one-par. The centre-left gained power again in the 2004 mayoral elections, with the election of Sergio Cofferati. It was one of the first European settlements to experiment with the concept of "free" public transport.

Another nickname for Bologna is Basket City, referring to Bologna's obsession with basketballBasketball is a ball sport in which two teams of five players each try to score points by throwing the ball through a basket. Basketball is highly suited to viewing by spectators, as it is primarily an indoor sport, played in a relatively small playing ar, unusual for footballFootball is the most widely played and watched team sport in the world. The game is often known as soccer or occasionally association football to differentiate it from other codes of football. Football is a ball game played between two teams of 11 players-dominated Italy. The local derbyIn many countries the term derby is used (often in the form "local derby") to mean a sports (often Association football (soccer), rugby union, rugby league or Australian Rules Football) match between local rival teams. To name two examples, the "North Lon between the city's two principal basketball clubs, FortitudoFortitudo Pallacanestro Bologna is a prominent Italian basketball club based in Bologna. It is now also known as Climamio Bologna after its sponsor, a major dealer in home climate-control systems; it was previously called Skipper Bologna after a former sp and VirtusVirtus Pallacanestro Bologna is a prominent Italian basketball club, based in Bologna. It currently plays in Italy's second division, having fallen on temporary hard times after decades of success. Virtus was founded in 1879 as a gymnastics club, and fiel (often known respectively as Climamio and Kinder, after the clubs' principal sponsors), is one of the most intense in the entire world of sports. Violence has been largely absent in the derby.

Bologna is home to Guglielmo Marconi International Airport. Its central location also makes it northern Italy's major train hub.