What to do in Bologna on 20–22 November 2026
From Nineveh and Palazzo Poggi to puppets and the Ageop market, with age groups, prices and booking links for a Bologna weekend.
From 20 to 22 November 2026, Bologna has a weekend you can put together largely on foot. The Nineveh exhibition opens at the Archiginnasio on Friday, alongside the Ageop market at the Baraccano. On Saturday, discover Anna Morandi and Laura Bassi at Palazzo Poggi. On Sunday, choose a free archaeology workshop or a puppet show. Book Palazzo Poggi at 11 am for either weekend day, reserve the light workshop by Friday and buy puppet tickets before going to Palazzo Pepoli. If you are taking children, start with the age ranges. They will narrow down the options faster than a long list of things to see.
Friday 20 — An ancient library and a charity market
At 4 pm, a free exhibition on Nineveh opens in the upstairs quadrangle of the Archiginnasio, with cuneiform texts found in Iraq and high-resolution digital models. The exhibition runs until 20 February and opens 9 am to 7 pm, Monday to Saturday. Go on Friday or Saturday if you want to fit it into your weekend, as it closes on Sundays. Afterwards you can continue to Via Santo Stefano 119, where the Ageop Christmas market at the Baraccano is open 10 am to 7 pm for three days. Proceeds support children and teenagers with cancer and their families. Start with the gifts and see what an individual purchase can contribute to.
At the Archiginnasio, make time for a tablet as well as a photograph of the courtyard. The libraries that held the Nineveh texts included collections in private homes. In the exhibition you can zoom in on the marks digitally, and imagine the tablet as something someone once studied and kept. For a walkable Friday plan, pair the Archiginnasio with the Baraccano via the city centre, without adding another fixed start time. That pairing also works on Saturday. The Archiginnasio is closed on Sundays, so move the exhibition forward if it is the main reason for your trip.
Saturday 21 — A morning with scientists and an afternoon with puppets
Choirs come together at Santa Cristina
On Saturday 21 at 9 pm, CantaBO – Vocal Friends brings Vocal Vibes Bologna, Coro CAI Bologna and Coro Idica di Clusone together at Santa Cristina della Fondazza, Piazzetta Giorgio Morandi. The programme brings Alpine folk singing into conversation with contemporary repertoire. Admission is free while seats last. Have dinner first and stay around Santo Stefano for the concert.
At 11 am, the Palazzo Poggi Museum, Via Zamboni 33, tells the stories of Anna Morandi and Laura Bassi. One modelled wax to study anatomy, while the other taught physics at university. The guided tour is free and requires booking, and it is suitable for adults and families with children aged ten or over. It runs again on Sunday at the same time. Families travelling with older children can also look at Young lab: prove di futuro at 4 pm at the Industrial Heritage Museum. For an afternoon in the centre, Romagna in musica is at the Music Museum at 5.30 pm. Palazzo Poggi and Strada Maggiore make an easy pair, with time for lunch between them.
If you are with children younger than ten, try Le avventure di Sganapino at Palazzo Pepoli, Via Castiglione 10, at 4 pm or 5.30 pm. It is a puppet show of about 45 minutes, recommended from around age four or five. Buy tickets online. Sganapino is trying to get a driving licence, a predicament that may make the adults who remember their own driving lessons laugh as well. Two showtimes make it easier to fit around another visit earlier in the day. For music, Romagna in musica at 5.30 pm costs €6 full price or €5 reduced, with a €1 online surcharge. The 4 pm puppet show gives you more leeway if you want to try both.
If you feel like seeing a film on Saturday, at 1 pm the Modernissimo in Piazza Re Enzo brings the five shortlisted shorts together in a single Visioni Italiane screening. It is a chance to watch very different work in the same part of the day. At 2 pm, the Caffè Pathé hosts a free meeting with the directors. Check the running time of the screening before making plans for the talk as well. If you are coming into town especially, you can make Nineveh your second stop. The exhibition is open until 7 pm on Saturday.
Sunday 22 — Three outings for different ages
Guitar at the Mazzacorati before lunch
On Sunday 22 at 11 am, at Teatro Mazzacorati 1763, Via Toscana 19, Spagna, Tango e Romanticismo goes from Bach to Tárrega and Albéniz. The concert is free with an optional donation and requires a booking. It overlaps with the Palazzo Poggi tour. To do both, book Palazzo Poggi on Saturday and the guitar concert on Sunday.
At 4 pm, Giochi di luce is a workshop for ages 6 to 12 at the Industrial Heritage Museum, Via della Beverara 123. It costs €5 per child, with free admission for one accompanying adult. Book by the preceding Friday on 051 6356611 or at museopat@comune.bologna.it. If you prefer to stay in the centre, Voices in Colour sings at 5 pm in Sala Biagi at the Baraccano. You can pair the morning tour at Palazzo Poggi with the afternoon market. If you choose the workshop, build in more travel time, as the Via della Beverara museum sits outside the group of central venues.
At 3 pm, the Civic Archaeological Museum, Via dell’Archiginnasio 2, has Dall’origine della tecnologia a oggi, a guided visit and workshop for families with children aged 6 to 9. It is free with WhatsApp booking on 334 701 1061. Include the activity name, number of children, each child’s full name and age and the accompanying adult’s name. It is a central option if you do not want to go as far as Via della Beverara. For younger children, Palazzo Pepoli has the puppets of Canzoni infernali at 4 pm and 5.30 pm. The mysterious voices Fagiolino and Sganapino have to figure out introduce younger audiences to a kind of theatre built out of voices, noises and gestures in a single room.
If it rains or you have only half a day, pick two stops and only one timed ticket. On Saturday, for instance, you can go to Palazzo Poggi at 11 am and keep the Baraccano visit flexible. On Sunday, if the choir is your must-see, skip the workshop in Via della Beverara. Stay in the centre, have an unhurried lunch and head to Sala Biagi for 5 pm. The market and the tours also work as individual outings. Choose the place you want to spend the most time in, then use the other ideas to fill out a day that suits you.
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