I had already visited this WHS several times before its inscription but my main focus of my visits was the city itself and its main monuments and attractions. I had used most of the central porticoes to get around especially when it's rainy weather and while shopping. The only ones that stood out and that I had a crappy photo of were those at Via Farini. This time round in 2022, my main focus were the 12 locations of these porticoes, even though if I were to pick just one for a quick combined visit with the city I'd still choose the ones at Via Farini.

That said, the extra effort involved to get to the Bologna FC 1909 stadium and the hike uphill along the Portico of San Luca are well worth it. This is believed to be the longest portico in the world: 3.8 km long, with 666 arches, 15 chapels and 489 stairs. This portico actually starts at Arco Bonaccorsi and at Via Saragozza turns into an uphill climb to Colle della Guardia where there is the Santuario della Madonna di San Luca (free entrance), which happens to be also the departure point of the Via degli Dei trail to Firenze (I met a number of hikers gathering there quite early in the morning). Although it's tempting to remain within the porticoes in the shade, especially in summer, when you get close to the sanctuary it's a good idea to walk a bit outside of the porticoes to appreciate their architecture better as well as the splendid views.

One of the peculiar sites among the 12 locations is the 13th century Casa Isolani, being one of the highest wooden porticoes of the city (if you look high up at the ceiling of the portico you'll notice three arrows and by simply waiting there for a couple of minutes, you'll be able to listen to guides telling the different legends linked to them to their groups. I listened to three different versions!). The highest portico is slightly more than 10 metres high at the Palazzo dell'Arcidiocesi di Bologna in via Altabella. Another 13th century spot can be found at via Clavature, with the Schiavina houses resting on wide wooden supports. This clearly shows how space was maximised in the Middle Ages (1st examples go back to 1041) due to the ever growing population. This spot reminded me a bit of Cuenca, Spain with its hanging houses.

The widest portico of Bologna is that of the Basilica di Santa Maria dei Servi in Strada Maggiore while the narrowest portico at only 95 cm wide is that of via Senzanome in quartiere Saragozza. Looking back, it would have been a good idea to head at the farthest location at the quartiere Barca or else at the Sanctuary itself, and from there walk all the way downhill to the remaining 10 locations which can easily be organised in a loop. Then either catch a bus or a cab back to your parking spot. If you prefer parking in the city, a safe and convenient underground parking spot can be found at Piazza VIII Agosto although it can be a bit crowded when there is the local market (usually on Fridays and Saturdays).

All in all, it felt as if Italy managed to sneakily add another worthy WHS by beefing up a good nomination dossier focusing on a particular aspect (albeit not so unique either, both on a national level and on an international level), IMHO a bit like Augsburg, Germany or Nice, France. However, unlike the latter two WHS, Bologna has quite a lot to offer on a WH level, probably possessing much more OUV than its porticoes (for example Piazza Maggiore, its leaning towers or the impressive Chiesa del Santo Sepolcro, to simply name the most obvious one which shouldn't be missed).