A long time ago, as a student, I made a one-month architectural pilgrimage, InterRailing in Italy with friends. About a week into the trip, somewhere between Terragni and Tuscany, a female friend insisted we should spend a couple of days in Bologna, as we had to switch trains there anyway. Bologna did not have an important role on my ‘pilgrimage’ map, so I prepared for idle cups of coffee on a shady terrace. It is incredible how the absence of expectations can be liberating – Bologna has given me what may be the best lesson on what a city can be.