Pilgrimage Walk Bologna: Portico di San Luca to the Sanctuary

While in Bologna, Italy, I enjoyed the local San Luca pilgrimage walk along the Portico di San Luca. This is the pilgrimage route to the Sanctuary of the Madonna of San Luca, which is on a hill overlooking Bologna.

The route includes walking the length of the Portico di San Luca, the longest in the world. This is one of many tourist attractions in Bologna.

Notable Sites on the San Luca Pilgrimage in Bologna

Portico di San Luca: UNESCO World Heritage Site

The Portico di San Luca is a 3.8 km-long roofed arcade leading to the Sanctuary of the Madonna of San Luca on a hill overlooking Bologna in Italy. It leads all the way up the hill to the church. They started building it in the 17th century and completed it in the 18th. There are 666 arches along the route, making it the longest in the world. It and the city’s other porticos are listed and protected as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

There are lots of interesting things to see while strolling along the route, including artworks, unique decor, small chapels and some scenic views. This was one of my favourite walks in Bologna; I can see why it is a popular pilgrimage.

Sanctuary of the Madonna of San Luca, a Basilica in Bologna

At the top of a hill overlooking Bologna is the Sanctuary of the Madonna of San Luca. The Sanctuary of the Madonna of San Luca is a basilica church and a pleasant place to visit. The basilica is Baroque in design. The current church was built in 1723. The church is 300 metres above the city and thus has some splendid views.

The interior and outside of the building are beautiful and well worth the ascent up the hill. Inside there are lots of lovely sculptures and religious works of art. There are also altarpieces created by Guido Reni and Donato Creti, who are both famous artists.

The most popular thing at the church is the shrine of the Madonna, which draws many pilgrims to the site. It’s a relaxing church and a great place to reflect. Looking up at the ceiling is nice too; the dome and ceiling are decorative.

You can enter the church for free; however, you can also climb the dome for a fee. The dome climb enables visitors to take in some lovely views of the local Italian countryside and the city from above.

San Luca Pilgrimage History

San Luca is a traditional destination of religious pilgrimages linked to devotion to the Blessed Virgin. There is a legend of the origins of the Sanctuary of the Madonna of San Luca. In 1160, a pilgrim, the Greek Teocle Kmynia, received the painting of the Madonna with Child. The evangelist Luke made this in the church of Santa Sofia in Constantinople. The pilgrim, Teocle Kmynia, had to take it to the church of the Colle della Guardia.

However, when he reached Rome, Kmynia met a Bolognese senator who showed him the way. Once the pilgrim reached Bologna, he was made very welcome and carried the painting in procession to the top of the Colle della Guardia. Later, the church became the present Sanctuary of the Madonna of San Luca.

Another superstition linked to the church is that reaching the Sanctuary of the Madonna of San Luca on foot can make a wish come true. If only I knew this beforehand.

My Walk to the Sanctuary of the Madonna of San Luca in Bologna

My walk was initially a way to test the new trainers I had purchased; I needed a challenge and to test the new footwear. Thus, I did the length of the portico and ascended the hill to the Sanctuary of the Madonna of San Luca.

The walk was impressive, with lots to explore on the way up. This included some splendid views and some other points of interest along the way.

The first part was a great warm-up, walking through the portico on mainly flat ground. That was until you reached Arco del Meloncello near the Bologna FC football stadium.

I took a slight detour beforehand to visit Villa delle Rose and explore the grounds.

I then reached Arco del Meloncello, an impressive structure that crosses the road. Before the arch, I used the pedestrian crossing to take a photo before having a mooch inside the arch.

From there, it is uphill all the way through the Portico di San Luca. This involved both slopes and many flights of steps, passing through many of the 666 arches that make up the portico. I appreciated the many rest breaks to admire the differing views during the ascent.

Also on the way up was some artwork telling the story of Jesus Christ. These are referred to as the mysteries, and there are 15 of them, from the birth of Christ to his execution. The paintings were a great depiction of the story and also a welcome break to have a read on a hot summer day.

It took over an hour to reach the top and was quite popular with people doing things at their own pace, from strollers to runners. There were also a few dog walkers; however, no Henry was with me, as churches tend not to be dog-friendly.

Reaching Arch 666 and the cross at the top was a relief, and it felt rather good to catch the first view of the church and its grounds.

Next up for me was to pop into the church for a mooch around. I sat on a pew and cooled down while enjoying seeing the interior of the church and a spot of people watching. There were people who came to pray, others to explore the attraction and others who made a religious pilgrimage to the Madonna.

After cooling down and drinking lots of water, I liked seeing all the artwork, including the notable altars in the church.

The organ was nice, too. I always keep an eye out for organs when visiting churches, for an unknown reason, as I know very little about them. I certainly would have loved to have heard this one play.

The final ascent was to visit the dome of San Luca and to take in the views. I purchased a ticket at the entrance and then was guided to a hidden door to climb the narrow stairs to the dome on top of the church.

The views were splendid, and you get to see a 180-degree view of the area.

Next was to explore the grounds of the church and to take a few photos of the frontage before descending. The grounds were pleasant, and they had an “exercise area”. This had some benches to sit on and see the views above the city.

On the descent, a Twitter discussion had highlighted the Renato Dell’Ara Stadium. Which is home to Bologna FC and has an interesting entrance, so I headed to have a look. As a bonus, I found a cheap beer, by Bologna standards. After hydrating, I proceeded back along the portico into the centre of the city.

Other Ways to the Top

There are other options to reach San Luca: cycling, taking a taxi or riding the San Luca Express. The San Luca Express departs from Piazza Maggiore in the centre of Bologna.