Live in Bologna, Italy with a community of like-minded people.
Bologna invites you to slow down, eat well, and wander — through medieval arcades, centuries-old markets, and a city where life is still lived with deep, unhurried pleasure. Italy's greatest culinary tradition isn't in a cookbook. It's here, in the piazzas and porticoes, waiting to be tasted.
Centrally Located Exclusive Apartments
Community Activities and Events
In-Person Bologna Support Staff
Weekly Lunches and Happy Hours
Get Bologna Details
Request a digital brochure with dates, prices, housing, and activities for our experience in Bologna, Italy.
As Seen On:
Live like a local in the Italian city that Italians keep to themselves — where the food is extraordinary, the pace is human, and every plate tells a story.
There's a reason Italians have long considered Bologna their best-kept secret. Less visited than Rome, less polished than Florence, less theatrical than Venice — and all the better for it. This is a city of substance: 38 kilometers of UNESCO-listed porticoes sheltering centuries of daily life, a university founded before the First Crusade, and a food culture so revered it earned the city the nickname La Grassa — The Fat One. Bologna doesn't perform for tourists. It simply lives, richly and generously, and it will pull you right into that rhythm.
Live in Bologna
Exclusive Apartments
Your home sits in Bologna's elegant historic center — steps from the porticoes of the university quarter, the Quadrilatero market, and Piazza Maggiore. Everything that makes Bologna extraordinary is walkable from your front door.
Local Community Manager
Your dedicated Community Manager knows Bologna the way only a local can — which osteria to trust, which pasta class is worth your Tuesday, and how to make the most of every day in one of Italy's most rewarding cities.
Cultural Experiences
From the world's oldest university to Renaissance masterworks at the Pinacoteca Nazionale, Bologna's cultural depth is staggering — and it's best discovered slowly, on foot, with good company.
Health & Wellness
Bologna is a walker's city. Miles of covered arcades mean you're never at the mercy of the weather, and the city's pace — unhurried, convivial, centered on good food and long meals — is good for body and soul alike.
Your Home in Bologna
Bologna’s historic center is one of the great walking neighborhoods in Europe — and your apartment puts you squarely in the middle of it. You’ll be steps from the Quadrilatero market, the medieval porticoes, and Piazza Maggiore, with the city’s best trattorias, wine bars, and cultural landmarks unfolding naturally from your front door.
This is a neighborhood where daily life is still lived at street level — where mornings begin at the corner bar with an espresso and a cornetto, afternoons drift through covered arcades, and evenings gather in candlelit osterie. Living here, rather than passing through, is the difference between visiting Bologna and actually knowing it.
Every member of your group will be housed within walking distance of one another — close enough to meet for a morning coffee or a spontaneous evening out, without sacrificing the privacy and independence of your own space.
All apartments are fully furnished and equipped for a comfortable month-long stay, with everything in place so you can focus on the city rather than the logistics.
Authentic Bologna Experiences
Bologna is a food city, a university city, and a medieval city — and your time here engages with all three. Community activities are designed to move beyond the surface and into the genuine texture of Bolognese life.
Browse the Quadrilatero market alongside locals who've been shopping the same stalls for decades. Roll pasta dough with nonnas who learned the technique from their grandmothers. Sip Pignoletto in a shadowed osteria. Wander the colonnaded streets of the university quarter, past buildings that have housed scholars for nearly a thousand years.
Included community activities:
Welcome reception and farewell party
Tuesday Lunch Club — rotating trattorias and osterias
Fresh pasta-making class with a local chef (tagliatelle al ragù and tortellini in brodo)
Guided tour of Piazza Maggiore and the historic city center
Quadrilatero market tour and food tasting workshop
Wine tasting: Pignoletto, Lambrusco, and Sangiovese
Day trip to Modena by public bus
University quarter walking tour (the world's oldest university, est. 1088)
Weekly "Happy (to be 55+) Hour"
Additional Experience Options:
Unique personal experiences that can be arranged at an additional cost with your Community Manager (options vary depending on the time of year.)
Climb the Asinelli Tower for panoramic views over the rooftops of Bologna
Getaway with Day & Weekend Trips
Bologna sits at one of Italy's great geographic crossroads — connected by high-speed rail to Florence in 35 minutes, Venice in 90, and a ring of extraordinary day trip destinations in every direction. Getting there is half the pleasure.
Modena
Birthplace of Pavarotti, Ferrari, and traditional balsamic vinegar. The cathedral and baptistery are UNESCO-listed, the Ferrari Museum is nearby in Maranello, and a spoonful of aceto balsamico tradizionale straight from the source is worth the trip alone. (~30 minutes away)
Parma
Italy's gastronomic capital, and rightly so. Walk through the breathtaking Baptistery, visit the Teatro Farnese, and tour a prosciutto curing facility or a Parmigiano-Reggiano dairy — farm to table, Italian-style. (~1 hour away)
Ferrara
A perfectly preserved Renaissance city and UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Este Castle is magnificent, the medieval streets are a joy to get lost in, and the city's famous cycling culture gives the whole place an unhurried, open-air feel. (~30 minutes away)
Florence
The Renaissance made permanent. The Uffizi, the Duomo, Michelangelo's David, the Ponte Vecchio — a full day here barely scratches the surface, but what a scratch it is. (~35 minutes by high-speed train)
Your Month-Long Bologna Experience
A month in Bologna doesn't just pass — it settles into you. By the end of the first week, you know which portico leads to your favorite bar and which market vendor saves you the best Parmigiano. By week two, you're a regular at the Tuesday Lunch Club. By week three, you've been to Modena and Florence and still had long, unhurried evenings left over. By week four, you won't want to leave.
Your Tailored Experience Includes:
Furnished Exclusive Apartment
Weekly 'Tuesday Lunch Club'
Weekly "Happy (to be 55+) Hour"
Weekly Walking Tour or Workshop
Travel Medical Insurance
Included Extras:
Fresh pasta-making class with a local chef (tagliatelle al ragù and tortellini in brodo)
Guided tour of Piazza Maggiore and the historic city center
Quadrilatero market tour and food tasting workshop
Wine tasting: Pignoletto, Lambrusco, and Sangiovese
Day trip to Modena by public bus
University quarter walking tour (the world's oldest university, est. 1088)
Get Bologna Details
Request a digital brochure with dates, prices, housing, and activities for our experience in Bologna, Italy.
What Our Community is Saying
"I like Lisbon because it's a wonderful place to be solo and a wonderful place to connect with like-minded travelers who are either solo or with a couple—and it's fabulous."
From Philadelphia, PA
Experienced Lisbon, Portugal
"Our impression of Lisbon is—wow! You've got gardens, you've got a lot concentrated in the center of town. Music on the streets, restaurants—whatever you can imagine, cable cars like you're in San Francisco. It's exciting and it's historic. And there's pastries on every corner—what could go wrong?!"
From Redondo Beach, CA
Experienced Lisbon, Portugal
“Lisbon's relaxed atmosphere and friendly locals make it perfect for travelers. Everything we need is within a few minutes' walk from our waterfront apartment.”
From Alpharetta, GA
Experienced Lisbon, Portugal
Frequently Asked Questions
TGLA is designed specifically for adults 55 and older who want to experience life in another country — not as a tourist, but as a temporary local. Bologna is well-suited to travelers who love food, history, walking, and authentic Italian culture.
Yes. The historic center is compact and almost entirely flat, making it one of Italy's most walkable cities. The covered porticoes mean you can walk comfortably in any weather. Public transport and taxis are readily available for day trips.
Your stay includes 30 nights in a furnished apartment, all scheduled community activities, utilities and Wi-Fi, weekly cleaning, Tuesday Lunch Club, weekly Happy Hour, support from your Community Manager, and travel medical insurance up to $100,000 (with medical evacuation coverage up to $500,000).
Airfare, airport transfers, groceries, phone services, optional tours and activities, and weekend travel costs are not included.
Yes — guests are welcome to stay with you for part of your trip. They won't participate in included community activities, and a small additional fee applies. Guest passport information will be collected to comply with local regulations.
Prices vary by apartment type, party size, and season. Visit our booking site for current availability.