For our series on ten things you can do for free in Italy's most popular cities, we head to Bologna, Emilia-Romagna food-loving capital, which is attracting more and more fans every year. If you're on a budget, there's plenty you can do in Bologna, here are the top ten picks from our contributing editor Silvia Donati, who is a Bologna native.

1. Basilica of San Petronio

One of Bologna’s most important monuments, the Basilica of San Petronio is free to enter. While not the city’s cathedral, San Petronio, as we simply call it, is the Bolognesi’s favorite church – although it was not consecrated as a church until the mid-1950s. The basilica was built as a public space for the people of Bologna, dedicated to the city’s patron saint, Petronius. It is one of the world’s largest churches. Please note there’s a fee of €2 if you wish to take photos, and a €3 fee to see Cappella Bolognini, with a striking depiction of Heaven and Hell.