University of Bologna

Bologna is home to the first university in the Western world, and one of the largest in Europe! With over 100,000 students from Italy and across the globe, its reputation is well deserved. It was the first institution to officially call itself a university, and the first to be recognised as such by the Pope. The story of this remarkable institution began in 1088. Over the centuries, it’s become a major centre of knowledge, attracting some of the greatest minds in science, sculpture, medicine, and the arts, both to study and teach. Among them were Dante, Copernicus, Popes Alexander VI, Innocent IX and Gregory XV, as well as Enzo Ferrari, Giorgio Armani, and Vasco Rossi, one of Italy’s most celebrated singers. The university was born out of a need to bring professors and students together under one roof. Before that, professors taught in private locations across the city, and some held classes in their own homes. This academic hub gave rise to great advancements in fields like astronomy, mathematics, and science, shaping how we understand the world today. Today, courses are held in historic Renaissance buildings, and the university draws nearly 100,000 students each year. Bologna is actually the top Erasmus destination for exchange students in Europe! The Erasmus exchange programme, launched in 1987, was named after Erasmus of Rotterdam, a key figure of European culture and a philosopher who studied here for several months in the 15th century. This temple of knowledge is a huge part of Bologna’s global reputation. It’s also why the city is nicknamed La Dotta, “The Learned”, as a quarter of its population consists of students. There you have it, everything you need to know about the university that put Bologna on the intellectual map.