The Longest Portico, Bologna, Italy

Bologna is a city of porticos and arcades, each of them lovely unto themselves, and collectively it is stunning to see. The word on the street is that there was encouragement to build an addition over the sidewalk to provide housing for the voluminous number of students in town. It also has the longest portico in the world, an UNESCO World Heritage site. The Portico di San Luca stretches from the city to the sanctuary of the Madonna di San Luca- more than 3.5 kilometers from end to end. Constructed in the early 1700s, this amazing architectural feat is a beautiful accomplishment that provides a lovely walkway where you can enjoy the views of the surrounding countryside, and be protected in any weather. There are 666 arches in all, some chapels, and lots of steps along the way. But the rewards of a brisk walk, nice scenery and a quiet country retreat at the end make up for it. The pathway starts at the city gate known as Porta Saragozza and leads up to the Sanctuary of the Madonna di San Luca, a beautiful Baroque church that houses an iconic image of the Virgin Mary with the Christ Child, attributed to St. Luke, the apostle (though others say it dates to the Byzantine period). The arcade was built to protect the holy icon from weather during the annual procession that transports it from its home in the church above down to the city center for veneration by the faithful. Many walk it both ways, but we took a little tourist train up the hill and walked down.