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A week will give you time to enjoy the above essential sights at a more leisurely pace and linger in some of the city's interesting districts such as the Mirasoli at the end of via Castiglione, the via del Pratello and the canal area around via delle Moline. You might also want to inspect the treasures of the chiesa di San Domenico and the magical hidden Chiesa della Madonna del Colombano in via Parigi. If you go up to the shrine at San Luca, the surrounding hills offer many lovely parks, monasteries and villas such as Parco di Villa Ghigi and San Michele in Bosco. Bologna is also an excellent springboard for day trips or even one-night stop-overs to Italian cities such as Modena and Ferrara. Parma and its world-famous cheese and ham is less than an hour away, as is the coastal resort of Rimini. Ferraris are made just up the road at Maranello and raced on the grand-prix circuit at Imola just south of Bologna, while the hills southwest of Bologna offer spa towns, trekking and winter skiing, all within easy reach by both public and private transport. Such is the embarrassment of choice you may wish to organize your visit into themes, such as art, food, technology, or just shopping. Be daunted by the basilica of San Petronio, awestruck by the delicate interwoven churches of Santo Stefano. See the abundance of sculptures and fresoces by Bolognese and Renaissance masters in San Martino, San Domenico, San Giacomo Maggiore and Giovanni in Monte. Discover the exquisite secrets upstairs in the Chiesa della Madonna del Colombano. Get an overload of Bolognese masters at the city art gallery, La Pinacoteca and the Collezioni Comunali d'Arte in the Palazzo Comunale. For a trip into modernity, visit the Galleria d'Arte Moderna and the Museo Morandi dedicated to Bologna's answer to Cezanne. Take a culinary tour of the city's delicatessens, central and outlying restaurants. See fresh pasta being made outside Trattoria Anna Maria. Visit the food markets of the Quadrilatero, especially Tamburini. Visit the cheese factories of Parma. Visit the Ducati museum, the Ferrari museum at Maranello and the Formula One circuit at Imola. Go to the university museums and relive the pioneering of Marconi and Galvani. Visit the Exhibition Centre of the Quartiere Fieristico and attend one of Bologna's many important trade fairs, especially the Motor Show and Futureshow. Shop and window-shop in an array of classy, chic and costly designer stores around town. Seek out some more hip and experimental stores offering innovative Italian takes on London grunge.
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