City Guide for creatives in Bologna Five places to discover the city beyond tourist stereotypes

We think we know everything about our cities, but there is always something around the corner that escapes us. The urban stage becomes a huge place for research, work, conscious relaxation, or mindful shopping. This is how the City guide for creatives was born: a list halfway between a survival kit and an alternative map for those who live in or move through cities with sensitivity, imagination, and critical sense. A project designed for those who work in the creative industries or simply recognize themselves in rhythms, spaces, and certain silences far from tourist chaos. In the Bel Paese, trajectories are changing: among hidden modernist architectures, time-frozen osterias, and constantly evolving cultural spaces, Bologna has become one of the most interesting cities for cultural workers.

So here is a guide for creatives in Bologna.

The Esprit Nouveau Pavilion by Le Corbusier

When we think of modernist architecture, the first name that comes to mind is certainly Le Corbusier, who, with his principles, for better or worse, revolutionized the concept of building in the 20th century. In Italy, the designer theorized a great deal, between Olivetti, the Venetian utopia, and his Italian grand tour, but if you really want to relive the zeitgeist of modernism and see a finished work, just go to an incredible area of the city, a stone’s throw from the station. In the Bologna Fiere area, together with a skyscraper by Kenzo Tange, you will find a perfect reconstruction of the Esprit Nouveau pavilion, originally built by the Franco-Swiss architect for the Paris exhibition of 1925. Commissioned by one of his Italian collaborators in 1977, the pavilion lies silently in a vast green lawn and cannot be visited inside except at specific times of the year. Here, a bench awaits the most contemplative visitors.

Piazza della Costituzione, 11

L'Osteria del Sole

L’Osteria del Sole has been in Vicolo Ranocchi since 1462: according to documents found in the Bologna state archive, its location has always been the same. Between eighteenth-century legends and the possible arrest of Giovanni Pascoli that allegedly took place within these walls, it is a place frozen in time that deserves to be experienced. You are even allowed to bring your own food and enjoy only regional wine while sitting at very large tables. A perfect space to talk about everything, take refuge on a cold day, and above all, genuinely meet new people beyond generational barriers. In the streets of the historic center, there are no longer many authentic places left, so it is truly worth keeping them alive.

Vicolo Ranocchi, 1d

Gelateria Sogni di Ghiaccio

Since Cattelan made his debut at the GAM in Bologna with Stadium in 1991, countless galleries have followed one another in the city, making it one of the most attractive places for contemporary art – just think of Arte Fiera, which is about to begin. Among these new openings, Gelateria Sogni di Ghiaccio is a space that functions as a true public device. Active since 2016, it is an artist-run space that brings together exhibitions, performances, live sets, meetings, presentations, discussions, portfolio reviews, and more informal moments that often turn into a party. A place to pass through rather than simply visit, where exhibition practice coexists with relational practice and with an idea of culture as a shared experience. Good to know: the gallery will also be present with a booth at Arte Fiera, bringing this approach outside the space and into one of the city’s most institutional contexts.

Via Tanari Vecchia, 5a

Cineteca di Bologna

It often happens that, anywhere in the world, a restored film bears the signature of the Cineteca di Bologna. One of the true cultural lungs of the city, it offers a vast year-round screening program capable of bringing together contemporary cinema and masterpieces from the history of film. The Cinema Lumière is the operational center of daily programming, while the Renzo Renzi Library represents an international point of reference for students, researchers, and enthusiasts, with archives, magazines, and other materials available for consultation. Alongside screenings, the Cineteca promotes training courses, workshops, public talks, editorial presentations, and educational activities related to cinema, preservation, and moving images. An ecosystem that makes Bologna a key city not only for viewing, but also for the production and transmission of film culture.

Via Riva di Reno, 72

Solferino 22

When we talk about avant-garde fashion, especially that which looks toward the East, we cannot conclude this guide without Solferino 22, founded by Daniela Ugolini and Vittorio Venafra — to whom we owe the arrival of Issey Miyake in Europe. From its beginnings to today, the shop tells authentic stories such as those of Marc Le Bihan, Jean-François Mimilla, Tsumori Chisato, Henrik Vibskov, and Boboutic, just to name a few. Today Solferino 22 is also a space for research and cultural production where fashion, art, and critical thought meet. On the occasion of Arte Fiera Bologna, from February 6 to 8, Solferino 22 will present a series of public activities including talks, moments of shared research, and events related to design practice. Among the protagonists is Victor-Hart, fresh from presenting his latest collection at Milan Fashion Week with the support of the Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana. An approach that brings process, material, and experience back to the center, confirming Bologna as a fertile context for experimenting with new languages outside the saturated circuits of the fashion system.

Via Solferino, 22/a