Although it is true that Bologna's government is largely communist, Bologna is nicknamed La Rossa (The Red) because the city's buildings are built out of red brick rather than stone. This is a characteristic Bologna shares with most of the cities in the Po Valley and is what distinguishes them from the marble and granite cities of the other side of the Apennine Mountains. Bologna is also called La Dotta (The Learned) and La Grassa (The Fat) because of its cultural tradition and world-renowned gastronomical specialties.

During the school year, the population of Bologna increases from 400,000 to almost 500,000. This is due to the influx of students from surrounding towns and cities. Bologna boasts the world's oldest university, founded in 1088, and more than a few famous alumni: Thomas Beckett, Dante, Petrarch, Saint Thomas Aquinas and Copernicus all studied there. Famous professors, on the other hand, include Carducci, Pascoli and Eco.

The plans for the 14th century gothic basilica were so ambitious that construction was curtailed by papal decree to prevent it from surpassing Saint Peter's in size. What stands today would have been but a small portion of the original basilica. From both the inside and the outside you can see exactly where the construction was halted: the marble stops about one-third of its way up the façade, leaving the rest of it as exposed red brick. This is evident from the inside as well: the bottom portion is elaborately decorated but the top is bare and unfinished. Money also ran out towards the end of the project; it is widely believed that the Cardinal of Bologna ran off with the funds!