Historical Landmarks

9th century BC Villanovan civilisation emerges near Bologna.

4–5th century BC Etruscan settlements in Felsina (Bologna).

189BC Foundation of Roman Bologna (called Bononia)

AD402 Ravenna proclaimed capital of the Western Roman Empire.

476 Ravenna conquered, signalling the fall of the Western Roman Empire

751 End of Byzantine domination in northern Italy.

1088 Foundation of Bologna University, the oldest in Europe.

1167 Bologna joins the Lombard League, an alliance of self-governing republics to defeat Emperor Barbarossa.

1374 Bologna’s city walls completed.

1460–1506 Bologna ruled by the local Bentivoglio lords.

1506 Bologna annexed by the Papal States.

1629-31 Bologna loses 15,000 citizens in the plague of 1629−31.

1797-1802 The city becomes part of the Napoleonic Cisalpine Republic.

1815 Bologna and Emilia restored to the Papal States.

1871 Italian Unification.

1915 Italy joins the World War I Allies.

1940 Italy enters World War II as an ally of Nazi Germany.

1943–5 Bologna bombed by the Allies.

1945-1999 Bologna has an uninterrupted string of left-wing mayors.

1980 Fascist terror attack on Bologna Central Station, with 85 deaths.

1982 Italian football team wins World Cup in Spain.

2000 Bologna is European Capital of Culture.

2006 Bologna is named Unesco City of Music

2010 Centre-left Mayor, Flavio Delbono, resigns after involvement in corruption.

2011 Virginio Merola elected as mayor, leads a left-wing coalition. Bologna ranked 1st out of 107 Italian cities for quality of life.

2012 20 May: Earthquake and aftershocks in Emilia-Romagna leave 26 dead, 20,000 homeless. The Genus Bononiae cultural, artistic and museum itinerary opens in the historic centre.

2016 Celebrations mark the 900th anniversary of the founding of the city.