without hiking the Portico of San Luca Pilgrimage Route!

📜Bologna’s porticos date back to the Middle Ages. Originally built to provide shade and shelter for students and citizens, they gradually evolved into a symbol of the city, with a total length of over 60 kilometers! 🌈While planning my trip, I discovered this iconic hiking route—the Portico di San Luca, the longest continuous portico section. 📍 Route Overview Starting point: Porta Saragozza (remains of the ancient city wall). Ending point: Santuario di San Luca (Sanctuary of the Madonna di San Luca). Total length: 3.8 km (one way) ⛅️Number of arches: 666 (symbolizing "driving away demons"). Hiking time: About 1.5 hours. Due to time constraints, we started from Arco del Meloncello at the foot of the hill 🌟 Why you must hike the Portico di San Luca? 🚙 World’s longest portico: A continuous 4 km of red-and-white arches winding up the hill like a giant dragon. It was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1986 🌎 Millennium-old pilgrimage route: The portico was built between 1674 and 1793 to protect processions carrying the icon of the Virgin Mary. Every May, a procession commemorates the "miracle of stopping the rain." #Bologna #Portico #ItalyTravel