The little window of Via Piella

Bologna's hidden little Venice

Few visitors imagine that Bologna was once a city of water. From the twelfth century, a network of canals, fed by the rivers Reno and Savena, crossed the city, bringing water to the mills, the dyers, the tanneries and especially the silk mills, which for centuries made Bologna one of the most important silk-producing centres in Europe; through the Canale Navile, boats also reached the Po and Venice. In the twentieth century almost all the canals were covered, and the water now flows hidden under the streets.

In Via Piella, a narrow street in the north of the historic centre, a small window, the "Finestrella", opens in a wall on a bridge: opening its wooden shutter, you discover an unexpected view of the Canale delle Moline, flowing between old houses with balconies overlooking the water, a picturesque glimpse that has earned it the name of "little Venice" of Bologna. It is one of the most photographed places in the city, often with a queue of people waiting their turn. From the other side of the bridge, at the end of Via Oberdan, or from Via Malcontenti and Via Capo di Lucca, you can see other stretches of the canal, which was once lined with grain mills, hence its name. In this area, the Bolognese university district and the old Jewish ghetto, with its narrow lanes, are also worth exploring.

Tip: visit early in the morning or in the evening to avoid queues; the canal is fuller and more beautiful after rainy periods.

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