Above the 18th-century Poggi Palace, the seat of the rectory of the Alma Mater Bolognese Studiorum, this tower was built by C. F. Dotti between 1712 and 1725. The Specola Tower, from which you can observe the blue sky, was built because, at the beginning of the 18th Century, the Poggi Palace was transformed into the Science Institute, on the initiative of Count L.F. Marsigli. To reach the specola tower, you go to N°33 via Zamboni, from where you can reach the tower, in which a real Astronomical Museum has been established. At Torre della Specola e Museo Astronomico, you can see instruments from the 18th and 19th Centuries, used by Marsigli himself for astronomical observations: astrolobes, telescopes, sun dials etc. Nest door is the Meridian Room, with a marble and brass meridian, built by E. Lelli in 1741. Admission: Free.

Hotel Paradise is only a short walk from the famous Piazza Maggiore. The 18 stylishly decorated rooms with modest amenities welcome you to a world of comfort and warmth. Their friendly and helpful staff assures that you have a memorable stay during your time in Bologna. The hotel is also extremely well suited for families due to their child-friendly policies, available of cribs and other child care services. If you decide to stay here, feel free to bring along your furry companions as the hotel follows a pet-friendly policy.

This important museum has around one million exhibits. The Museum dates back to 1881, and is divided into four sections. The first section is dedicated to antique collections and materials belonging to the scholars Cospi, Marsigli, and Aldrovandi. The second section contains around 6000 fossilised plants. The third section holds several hundred fossils of vertebrates including a Jurassic icthyosaurus, a huge diplodocus, and a Pliocene rorqual whale. The fourth section contains more than 100,000 examples of invertebrate fossils and thousands of rocks. The Museum contains a valuable fossil called the Ranina Aldrovandi, named after the famous Bolognese researcher Ulisse Aldrovandi (1522-1605).

The park is in the center of the city and it was adapted for use as a park in the 17th Century. People say that in the Napoleonic period, public events like the greasy pole and air ballooning took place here. In 1806, an architect called Gian Battistia Martinetti began to re-organize the park and created the beautiful gardens which are there today. The pool which is at the center of the park was put there by Diego Sarti in 1888. Interestingly, the park is built on some of the castle's remains at the end razed Castello di Galliera. You can see of Via Indipendenza, at the foot of the impressive staircase which leads up to the gardens.

Ta-Boo! sells boxes for building airplanes, cars, ships, and military equipment. It sells by correspondence, and offers period toys too. "Ta-Boo" sells all sorts of articles for model making, and is located in a central area of Bologna not far from Piazza Maggiore. It specializes in car models and sells kits as well as ready made models. The cars vary from commercial vehicles to specialized cars, from earth diggers to agricultural vehicles. The sizes vary from small 1/87 to 1/8. The shop offers accessories for the elaboration of models of all sizes. There is a section reserved for car models for electric tracks with all the relative accessories. In this shop you can find ship models of various sizes, in balsa wood or plastic, airplane building kits, military equipment, motorbikes, and sci-fi articles from films such as Star Wars, Star Trek, and others. The shop also stocks a wide selection of period toys.

Antoniano is a very popular event venue where you can catch the latest cultural happenings here. Dedicated to contemporary cultural work, it also partakes in social work for children. Operational since the late 1950's, it has been entertaining people through various genres. It started with a small beginning and grew into a big movement. It now has a cinema and also a theater. The cinema is a 600 seater where films are screened. You can come along with your family for the film season that lasts from September to May. World movies are shown during this period. The theater is the crux of international culture in Bologna. Rental services are available as well. Antoniano also has a Production Center and another initiative that aims to do social work in various fields and across borders.

Do you love being outside? Are you looking for a quiet, safe place where you can go with your children? The Giardini Margherita is the perfect place to visit! It is situated in the city center, but far from the noise of the traffic and are generally full of Bolognese families. The gardens contain a pretty little lake which is full of gold fish and little turtles, and some "flying carpets" where you can jump like grass hoppers, a basketball court, a small car roundabout for very small children, and lots of open space where you can play ball games. There is also an gelato stall, a balloon seller and a cotton candy stall.

The Testoni Theater is entirely dedicated to children and young people, and organizes several theater workshops, always ready to stimulate the creativity of the little participants and spectators. Since January 2000, after the rebuilding that began in 1998, the youth theater has authority over all the available space; thus it can run at full tilt. It is now open to the city once more as a theater space in the round, for improvisations, sketches and more. It is a space allowing exchanges between children and adults, creating theatrical productions and opportunities for creative expression. Run by the co-operative Baracca, this well-known Bolognese cultural center breathes life into the theater season, which runs from November to May.

Read, read and recount what you read: in the Soffitta dei Libri at Villa Scandellara, you can rediscover your taste for reading as well as borrowing books. All this in a beautiful library for children aged from two to ten years of age, as well as their parents. On Sundays you can attend presentations of fantastic tales performed by narrators and actors. In some workshops the protagonists and new writers are the children who are invited to invent their own stories. Another great initiative organized by the Soffitta dei Libri is aimed at children recovering in hospital who are entertained by the traveling library.

The ecologist and naturalist Alessandro Ghigi left this magnificent villa and its park (over 29 hectares/71 acres) to the City of Bologna. It is a delightful park, which has a beautiful little river running through it. It is located on the Bolognese hills. It is always a pleasure to spend a day amidst nature in this park, and is even better if you start looking for the hidden treasures of a city.

Boasting of a number of luxurious amenities, Ramada Encore Bologna Fiera is a modern hotel that offers guests a swanky stay at affordable prices. The rooms are not only soundproofed but they are furnished with premium bedding to ensure guests enjoy maximum comfort during their stay in the hotel. Minibars, gourmet breakfasts, spa treatments and access to a well-equipped fitness club are some of the other amenities guests can enjoy. There is also a lounge on-site for those who want to see their worries slip away as they while their time over a few drinks. If you are looking for a comfy stay during your time in Bologna, book a room at Ramada Encore Bologna Fiera.

The Love for Ducati's Motorcycles paved way for Livio Lodi to curate the Ducati Museum. Established in 1998, the museum features a collection of all the Ducati motorcycles as well as a few other products from the start of Ducati's history. 2016 marked the 90th Anniversary for Ducati, which made them revise each and every item on their collection list.