Daily life in the historic centre

Shopping

The Mercato delle Erbe is at via Ugo Bassi 23: according to the market's website its shops and stalls are open Monday to Saturday from 7:00 to 19:30. The current building was designed in 1910 by Arturo Carpi and Luigi Mellucci and reopened in 1949 after the Second World War bombing.

Libraries

The Salaborsa library is at piazza del Nettuno 3: it has a children's section with its own website, newspapers and periodicals and, beneath the covered square, the archaeological excavations showing the city's history.

The city library card is free and valid in all Bologna municipal libraries. It is available to anyone resident or domiciled in Italy; non-residents submit a self-declaration of domicile in Italy for at least three months. You get it in person at any municipal library with an ID document, or online through the SBN UBO catalogue (adults also with SPID, CIE or CNS), collecting the card on the first visit; minors need a parent's authorisation.

Cars, ZTL and parking

Since 1 January 2026 the virtual permit for hybrid cars is issued only to residents or companies based in the Comune di Bologna: it gives access to the historic-centre ZTL, except for zones with special restrictions, with paid parking. Historic-centre residents holding an R permit can still park free of charge in their own residential zone, one permit per household. Electric cars can still enter the ZTL and park free of charge.