Airport
Bologna G Marconi Airport
IATA Code: BLQLocation: The airport is located four miles (6km) north-east of Bologna's city centre. The drive takes 20 minutes.
Time: GMT +1 (GMT +2 between the last Sunday in March and the Saturday before the last Sunday in September).
Contacts: Information desk: +39 051 647 9617 or +39 051 9680/3.
Transfer between terminals: There is only one terminal building. Departures is on the upper level, while the lower level is for arrivals.
Transfer to the city: Train: The nearest train station to the airport is 4 miles (6km) away, but Bologna Central Railway Station is a major transport hub, with connections to places all over Italy. There is a EUR5 shuttle-bus that departs every two hours during the day. Bus: There are buses departing directly to Modena and Siena every two hours from the airport. Taxi: There are fixed-fare taxis outside the terminal; however, they are in high demand during peak times, so it may be a good idea to book in advance. The fare is EUR10, with a fee for airport pick-up that varies according to time: EUR3 on weekdays from 6am to 10pm, EUR4.70 on Sundays and holidays between 6am and 10pm, and EUR5.60 from 10pm until 6am every day.
Taxis: There are fixed-fare taxis outside the terminal; however, they are in high demand during peak times, so it may be a good idea to book in advance. The fare is EUR10, with a fee for airport pick-up that varies according to time: EUR3 on weekdays from 6am to 10pm, EUR4.70 on Sundays and holidays between 6am and 10pm, and EUR5.60 from 10pm until 6am every day.
Car rental: There are plenty of car hire agencies at the airport, including Hertz, Avis, Alamo, Budget, Sixt and Thrifty. You need to be over 18 and have an International Driver's Permit to rent a car in Italy.
Facilities: Money and communications: a bank, ATMs, currency exchange offices. Luggage: There is a left luggage and found objects office near the business lounge. Left luggage costs EUR6 per item per day, and lost property costs EUR5 to recover. The Re-Pack & Go service is located in Area 2 on the ground level of the terminal building. Conference and business: The Marconi Business Lounge offers business services like wi-fi and broadband internet, photocopying and audiovisual machines, satellite TV, and a cafeteria. It's open daily, from 5am to 9:30pm. Other facilities: Other services provided by the airport include travel agents, a first aid station, and handicapped facilities. Wi-Fi: Free wi-fi is available in the Marconi Business Lounge, which charges an entry fee. Information: There is an information desk at the IAT office in the arrivals area. It provides information on flights and airport services, public transport, accommodation in Bologna and tourist information. Shopping: Shopping in Bologna Airport is uniquely Italian, with both Ducati and Ferrari shops. You won't come out with a new car, but you will find tons of branded merchandise to take home for your gearhead friends. There are also Italian fashion shops like Conte of Florence, Furla, Piquadro and La Perla, and other general store and duty-free options. Food and Drink: There are about a dozen food and drink options in the airport, ranging from ice cream parlours and snack bars, to cafes and coffee shops, to sit-down restaurants and wine bars.
Parking: For short-term parking, the Express Car Park is adjacent to the terminal building, and charges EUR2.20 per hour, or EUR22 per day. Medium- to long-term parking rates are EUR9.50 for up to seven hours, and EUR15 per day.
Departure tax: None.
Website: www.bologna-airport.it
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Florence
The principal Tuscan city of Florence (Firenze) nestles below the wooded foothills of the Apennines, along the banks of the Arno River. The works of Botticelli, Michelangelo, Bruneschelli, Leonardo da Vinci, Boccaccio, Alberti, Masaccio, Donatello, Vasari and Fra Angelico imbue the city with the magnificence of their contribution to art and life. The city itself is muse to some and home to many stylish citizens, who enhance the cobbled streets and fashionable piazzas with their inimitable Italian flair.
The heart of the city, where everyone from tourist to tout seems to congregate, is the Piazza de Duomo and the Piazza della Signoria. The statues dominating the Piazza della Signoria commemorate major historical events of the city's life, and the magnificent Palazzo Vecchio still performs its original role as Florence's town hall. The adjacent Uffizi is the oldest gallery in the world, with a collection of the greatest works of the Renaissance commissioned largely by the Medici family. The man who founded the great long-ruling Medici dynasty was Cosimo il Vecchio. His legacy is imprinted in the city's northern area, marked by the churches of San Lorenzo, San Marco and the Palazzo Medici Riccardi.
The western stretches of the city are formed by Florence's railway station at one end and the Ponte Vecchio at the other. The quaint Ponte Vecchio bridge was built in 1345, and was one of the few areas to emerge unscathed from the wartime bombs. Little workshops that used to belong to butchers, tanners and blacksmiths peer onto the river from their timber supports. The church of Santa Maria Novella also rises from the city's western boundaries in true gothic splendour, preserving some of the most important works of art in Florence.
The Oltrarno (meaning 'over the Arno') area became the place from which the Medici ruled from the Palazzo Pitti. The magnificent Boboli Gardens were designed and laid out around it. The area surrounding Via Maggio and Piazza di Santo Spirito boasts a collection of other palazzi built during the late-16th and 17th centuries.
