Bologna

Bologna Football Club 1909, or Bologna FC, was, as the name suggests, formed in 1909 in Bologna, Italy. They won their regional league in their first season, promoting them to the Group Veneto-Emiliano and they never finished lower than 5th during the 4 years they competed prior to its postponement due to WWI.

Following WWI, Bologna won the Northern and National League in 1925, and just a few years later, they became National champions again in 1929, beginning a period of great success for the club. Serie A was created the next year and Bologna won the Scudetto another four times in six seasons. Following WWII, the club was unable to continue its “Golden Era”, as they finished in the top half of the league, but were never able to win it during the 1940s and 50s.

They did manage to win another league title in 1964, over 20 years since their last league title. During the 1970s, the club did not win the league, but they did win the Coppa de Italia twice, with the second being won on penalties. The 1980s signaled a downturn for the club as they began to struggle as they were relegated twice in a row, landing them in Serie C1. They made it back up to Serie B the next year, and after 4 years there, they finally made it back to Serie A in 1989. This was short lived however, as they were back in Serie C by 1993. They were back in Serie A by 96 and even made it into the UEFA Cup (Europa League) during this period.

They were relegated back down in 2005 after losing to Parma in the playoffs. They made it back up to Serie A in 2008 and have remained there since, excluding the 2014-15 season when they went back down to Serie B before getting an immediate promotion back up. Their most recent finish was 5th, secured them a spot in the Champions League for the first time in 60 years.

2023-24 SEASON: 5th in Serie A (Qualified for Champions League), Coppa Italia Quarterfinals

2024-25 SEASON: Serie A, UEFA Champions League

Bologna shares the Derby dell’Emilia with Parma. The derby is named after the region of Emilia-Romagna where Bologna and Parma reside. Recently, we have been fortunate enough to see this derby contested twice a year in Serie A. The derby is not only based on football, as Parma and Bologna are the two biggest cities in the region, which had originally fueled the feud between the two clubs as well.

Surprisingly, the first meeting between the two clubs was played in the early 1980s in Serie C, and since then they have played nearly 50 times, with Bologna holding the advantage with 14 wins. The two clubs are also the only ones from their region to have won major awards, including Serie A titles and Coppa Italia titles.

Bologna doesn’t have a women’s team.

Here is the official hymn, typical of many clubs in Italy:

And another you’ll hear often at games:

Bologna plays their home games at the Stadio Renato Dall’Ara, which is named after a former chairman of the club. It has a capacity of nearly 40,000 and has named its two main stands after a legendary former player, Giacomo Bulgarelli, and former coach, Árpád Weisz, who was killed by the Nazis during WWII.

Its most famous feature is the Torre di Maratona, built to honor Italy’s World War I dead.

They have played there since the 1920s, and other than a refurbishment for the 1990 World Cup, it hasn’t really changed much — truly one of the classy old stadiums in Italy. But it is getting old, and with an eye on Italy’s bid for the 2032 Euros, there’s a project afoot to rebuild it, while playing in a temporary 16,000-seater in the meantime. The initial pricetag of 200 million Euros will undoubtedly prove very low, and as for the timeline — well, this is Italy, after all. So who knows?

GETTING THERE: It’s about 3 km, or 2 miles, from the city center, so it’s best to take a bus. Take the #21 or the #30 from Piazza Malpighi, a short walk west of the main center. The 21 also leaves from the main railway station, just north of the center. Google link here.

PUBS and GRUB: There are a few options right around where you’ll get off the bus, just east of the stadium: Bar Dalla looked the liveliest to me. For food, there’s a kebab place and Pizzeria San Gennaro, plus a great collection of trucks across the street from the stadium. But why, in Bologna, are you eating by the stadium?

AROUND TOWN: Bologna shows signs of over-tourism, and walking around its center may leave you wondering how much sliced meat people really need to eat. Still, what a place! It is packed with history and architecture, and it’s one of the most famous food cities in the world. Nearly half of its buildings were destroyed by Allied bombing during WWII, its historic centre — Europe’s second-largest — was largely rebuilt, and now its famous porticos throng with tourists most of the year.