Zona Universitaria

The university district has the most budget dining and nightlife in Bologna, and feels relaxed for someone on their own. It gets rowdy after midnight, and petty theft and some drug dealing occur around the main student squares.

The university district north of the Two Towers, centered on Via Zamboni and Piazza Verdi, is where Bologna's student life happens. By day it has bookshops, cheap cafes, university buildings and museums, and it is busy with students. In the evening people fill the bars for aperitivo and drinks, and plenty of them are on their own, so going alone does not stand out. After midnight the student bar streets, especially Piazza Verdi and Via Petroni, can get loud and drunk, with occasional pickpocketing and some drug dealing on the edges. Lit portico routes lead back toward the center. Eating alone is easy and inexpensive, and staff and diners usually speak some English.