Bologna, one of the main cities of Northern Italy, is also the seat of the oldest existing university in the world. We are therefore very happy to host Lean Kanban Southern Europe 2014 in such an historical place for education! Although the conference will take place just outside the city center at Hotel Savoia Regency, you will surely have a chance to stroll the narrow streets lined by red-brick buildings and mix with locals and students.
Background
An important cultural and artistic centre, importance of Bologna in terms of landmarks can be attributed to homogenous mixture of monuments and architectural examples (medieval towers, antique buildings, churches, the layout of its historical centre) as well as works of art which are the result of a first class architectural and artistic history. Bologna is also an important transportation crossroad for the roads and trains of Northern Italy, where many important mechanical, electronic and nutritional industries have their headquarters.
The city is home to prestigious cultural, economic and political institutions as well as one of the most impressive trade fair districts in Europe. In 2000 it was declared “European Capital of Culture”and in 2006, a UNESCO “city of music”. Bologna is also one of the wealthiest cities in Italy, often ranking as one of the top cities in terms of quality of life in the country: in 2011 it ranked 1st out of 107 Italian cities.
How to reach Bologna
Due to its geographical location and importance, Bologna is easily reachable by means of different transportation modes from Italy and the rest of Europe.
By plane: Airport of Bologna “Guglielmo Marconi”, code BLQ, is used by all major national and low-cost airlines, therefore you can get a flight from Rome or other European hubs. Once you land at BLQ, you can get a taxi to city center or the conference site. Otherwise the aerobus links the airport to the train station and city center.
Travellers landing in Milan (MXP, LIN, BGY), Rome (FCO, CIA) or Florence (FLR) may reach Bologna using local transportation and then a high-speed train from those cities.
By train: Bologna is linked to the main Italian cities by multiple high-speed trains operated by Trenitalia (Frecciarossa) and NTV (Italotreno). Travel time is approx. 75 minutes from Milan, 35 minutes from Florence, 90 minutes from Venice, 2 hours from Rome. While most high-speed trains stop in Bologna, please check your scheduled service is not one of the no-stoppers between Milan and Rome!
By car: The principal motorways meet in Bologna from north (Switzerland and Milano, Austria through Brennero and Modena), north-east (Venice and Padua) or central-south (Florence, Rome and Naples). Italian motorways require a toll to be paid at the exit according to the amount of Kilometres travelled. Once you reach Bologna, you get into the city ringroad (Tangenziale di Bologna) and you take Exit 9 towards San Donato: Hotel Savoia Regency is a few hundred meters ahead (exact address: via del Pilastro 2, Bologna).
Entertainment and nightlife
See the special exhibitions and events happening in Bologna around the conference days.
Nearby
Need further ideas? Check the Official tourist information site of Emilia-Romagna and Bologna Welcome.
(some content from Wikipedia, English edition. Photo of the city: San Petronio, Piazza Maggiore and Palazzo d’Accursio, taken from the top of Torre degli Asinelli, author Steffen Brinkmann from Wikimedia Commons, the free media repository)
