Bologna, verdict by verdict

Bologna is Italy's food-first city: medieval towers above a grid of porticoes, the oldest university in Europe, and a market quarter where the aperitivo board counts as dinner. The portico network makes walking painless in any weather, the food scene deserves its reputation, and the city works as a trip of its own or the tastiest stop on a Milan to Florence run.

The caveat is tempo rather than quality. This is a working city that closes up at midday, runs quiet on Sundays and does not perform for visitors, so travelers chasing Rome or Florence blockbuster density may find it small. Summer heat plus the siesta rhythm can frustrate, and it is urban through and through, with no countryside romance attached.

Two days covers the centre, the Asinelli tower climb and the world's longest portico up to San Luca; a third day goes to Modena, Parma or Ravenna by cheap regional train, all easier wins than overplanning the city itself. Winter is cold and foggy but the food argument only improves. It suits travelers for whom eating is the point and anyone wanting a walkable art city without the Florence or Rome crowds.