San Luca Sanctuary

The Portico

Portico di San Luca is the longest and undeniably the most spectacular portico in Bologna. The walkway is 3.5km long, and is supposedly the longest covered walkway in the world. It connects Porta Saragozza, one of the old city gates, to Santuario della Madonna di San Luca, a beautiful basilica sited atop a hill, overlooking the city. The more interesting section of this portico starts at Arco Del Meloncello. You can start your walk there and the ascent is just 2km. A number of local buses stop at the nearby station.

Walking up to Santuario della Madonna di San Luca is one of the best things to do in Bologna. It's less about the church itself, and more about the view from it and especially the journey to it. This is the ultimate Bologna portico. To learn more about the iconic porticoes of Bologna, see my other post.

Unlike most of Bologna’s porticoes, the section of Portico di San Luca leading to the sanctuary is standalone, and doesn’t form an extension to any building. So why build such an elaborate structure instead of a conventional path or staircase?

The sanctuary at the top has been an important place of worship for centuries, and, while today’s basilica is more recent, its story goes back as far as the late 12th century. Most importantly, the place houses an important religious relic, the Madonna di San Luca icon. A procession takes place every year during Ascension week (sometime in May), where the painting is carried from the sanctuary all the way to the city centre, stopping at Basilica of San Petronio in Piazza Maggiore. The portico was erected in the 17th century, over the course of 40 years. There may have been some other practical considerations, but part of the reason for building the portico was to protect the precious byzantine painting during its annual descent into the city.

They say there are 666 arches in total - possibly a metaphor of good triumphing over evil?

The Sanctuary

The sanctuary is a beautiful place. The red colour of the building, as well as the lateral tribunes and its garden make for an interesting exterior. Inside, it’s nice, but nothing too special, at least by Italian basilica standards.

On the way to the sanctuary, you can see Bologna’s city centre in the distance at various points. But if you want to take this view to the next level, you can climb up the dome of the basilica. A panoramic terrace opened in 2017, called San Luca Sky Experience, which offers great views of Bologna as well as the surrounding country area. It’s an easy climb, at a cost of 5€.