Despite the great distance from the city of the sea, boats were for centuries among the most widely used means of loading and transport in Bologna, since a dense network of canals made it possible to reach all the main centres of the plain towards Ferrara and as far as the coast, as well as connecting with the Po and reaching Venice.
The canals served as a route for transporting goods and people, and in times when roads were slow and uneven the possibility of proceeding by barges was a valid alternative, very convenient and practical even for long journeys. There were therefore docks and warehouses in Bologna, but all outside the city limits.
Over the centuries the main port was brought closer to the city and in 1578 work began on the construction of the final port within the city walls, behind Porta Lame. The project was signed by Pope Paul III and entrusted to Jacopo Barozzi, the Vignola, and it was a work that transformed the area of today’s Via del Porto into a true urban commercial centre.
Together with the docks and the docklands, storage warehouses, areas for the maintenance of boats and even the customs house were created, as well as public places.
The port inside Bologna functioned for centuries with additions and improvements, such as the salt store built at the end of the 18th century, the Salara, which is still one of the symbols of the city of water.
