Quadrilatero
A medieval market district east of Piazza Maggiore, where narrow lanes are packed with butcher shops, cheese stores, fresh pasta workshops and taverns.
The Quadrilatero is an old market district made up of several narrow lanes, including Via Pescherie Vecchie, Via Drapperie and Via Clavature. In the Middle Ages, guilds of fishmongers, cloth merchants and goldsmiths traded here, and the street names still reflect those trades. Today the lanes are lined with old shops selling Parma ham, Bologna mortadella, Parmigiano-Reggiano and handmade tortellini. Many shops set out small tables at the door, where you can order a cold cuts platter with a glass of local Lambrusco or Pignoletto sparkling wine. Nearby Mercato di Mezzo is an indoor food market where you can sample many small bites in one go. On the nearby Via Piella, a little window called the Finestrella opens onto a canal hidden between the buildings, a famous photo spot. Note that some older shops close on Sundays.
Opening hours
Shops approx. 07:00–19:30; restaurants open until late; some closed Sundays
Nearby sights
- Santa Maria della Vita
- Museo Civico Archeologico di Bologna
- Basilica of San Petronio
- Archiginnasio of Bologna
- Piazza Maggiore & Fountain of Neptune
- Two Towers (Asinelli & Garisenda)
- Palazzo Pepoli – Museum of the History of Bologna
- Prendiparte Tower