Bologna: as in the city, not the meat

Bologna is a fairly large city, only an hour by train from Ravenna, where I was studying all summer. We made it out there a couple of times, and we always had a great time.

There are lots of great stores, the city's central square is Palazzo d'Accursio. And the two main streets are Via dell'lindipendenze and via ugo bassi which turns into via rizzioli. Unfortunately, during our stay they were restoring the buildings in the main square, but lucky for us they put up a sheet showing what the building will look like when it is finished.
Not too far from the center of the city there is the University of Bologna. There are a few small cafes where you can find the university students sitting down for a coffee between classes. The school is filled with beautiful architecture, alleyways, and gardens.

There are plenty of hotels all around town, including some right across the street from the train station. One night, after a very long an confusing day of traveling, we stayed at the Starhotel. They had english speakers, which was great, and great service. it was primarily a business hotel, but reasonably priced (99 euro a night), for a nice room, of modest size.