Best time to visit Bologna

Tortellini in brodo season is in full force. Tiny hand-folded parcels floating in golden meat broth – and chilled weather to enjoy it in too.

Blood oranges and radicchio fill Mercato delle Erbe, ready to flavour drinks and dishes around the city.

Corno alle Scale opens for skiing. Just an hour's drive south, it’s a little-known Apennine ski option on Bologna's doorstep.

Bologna’s snowiest month, enjoy an excellent quiet moment in the food capital with little competition at the mortadella counter.

Carnevale season peaks across Emilia-Romagna and Cento's carnival (twinned with Rio) is a short drive north – it’s one of Italy's most spirited.

Bollito misto, tortellini in brodo, ragù…The rich, slow-cooked dishes Bolognese kitchens do best in the cold are front and centre.

The first signs of spring may appear including Colli Bolognesi vineyards in shades of green again. Wineries reopen to visitors without the summer heat or autumn harvest crowds.

Enjoy good walking weather under the porticoes – Bologna's 62km of covered arcades are UNESCO-recognised, and unique in Europe for both scale and beauty.

Hiking opens again in the Parco dei Gessi Bolognesi – think chalky outcrops, wildflowers and weather a few degrees warmer than the damp city centre.

Enjoy sunny days sitting around 18-20°C, wisteria draped on courtyard walls, and piazzas fully alive again after winter.

The Portico walk up to the Sanctuary of San Luca is properly lovely – 3.8km of 666 arches climbing out of the city through emerging greenery.

Spring produce is in full swing including asparagus, artichokes, wild garlic, and the first strawberries. Tortelloni fillings turn lighter and herbier.

Enjoy idyllic hiking weather. The Via degli Dei historic trail from Bologna to Florence begins right at Piazza Maggiore, which is walkable end-to-end.

Rose gardens at Villa Ghigi and Giardini Margherita come into bloom, and the city's parks are at their most colourful.

Neighbourhood sagre (small food festivals) kick off across the Colli Bolognesi – weekend village affairs with Pignoletto and piadina.

By mid-June, temperatures can reach up to 30°C with sticky Po Valley humidity setting in. The porticoes suddenly earn their shade again.

In late June, enjoy Il Cinema Ritrovato when restored masterpieces are screened nightly in Piazza Maggiore under stars.

Vines flower across the Colli Bolognesi while Zola Jazz & Wine brings live music into the vineyards on warm summer evenings.

The humidity is heavy in July but this also means rain is rare, while the hills south of the city become a sensible afternoon escape.

Piazza Maggiore's nightly free film screenings make a fantastic evening activity – thousands gather on the warm stone after sunset.

Heirloom and local tomatoes come in properly so Bolognese ragù and tagliatelle al pomodoro hit their summer best.

August is Bologna’s hottest month and many locals disappear for Ferragosto (vacation) on the 15th so the city feels rather deserted.

The open-air cinema in Piazza Maggiore continues through mid-August, still one of the best activities for balmy evenings.

Find a cooler refuge in the Apennines, just an hour south where hill villages like Savigno and Monteveglio are around 5-8°C cooler and blissfully peaceful.

The summer heat starts to subside, and the city’s energy returns with the university students but crowds decrease.

Grape harvest begins across the Colli Bolognesi with Pignoletto, Barbera, Merlot and Cabernet coming in. Wineries welcome visitors for the vendemmia.

Porcini mushrooms arrive from the Apennines, and trattoria menus shift into autumn territory with tagliatelle ai funghi and richer sauces.

Undoubtedly the city’s most photogenic month, soft, golden light streams across the red brick porticoes.

Tartufesta in the Apennine villages begins in late October, exploding with markets, delicious white truffles and Lambrusco to match.

Pumpkin tortelloni (tortelloni di zucca) appear on menus – one of the city's finest autumn dishes, made with butter, sage and balsamic.

Bologna’s wettest and most humid month, fog rolls into the Po Valley and rain is fairly common.

Cioccoshow fills Piazza XX Settembre with Italian chocolate artisans – a dense, happy mid-November distraction from the rain.

White truffle season hits its stride and Savigno's weekends are worth the 30-minute drive for seriously shaved tartufo bianco.

Bologna Jazz Festival runs from late-October through mid-November with a whole host of international acts across historic venues.

The weather is rather chilly and grey, but Christmas lights stretch under the Two Towers and across Piazza Maggiore.

Panettone and pandoro season arrives – historic bakeries like Paolo Atti & Figli do their festive production especially well.

Corno alle Scale (a 1 hour drive away) offers the season's first ski days – a low-key Apennine weekend escape.