After a weeklong stage throughout Emilia Romagna, I had the wonderful opportunity to discover my new favorite city in Italy – Bologna. Famed for tortelli with ragu, Ferrari, and arguably the oldest university in the world, Bologna seems the perfect synergy of modernity and antiquity in all elements. But after climbing the 498 wooden steps of the Asinelli Tower I was even further amazed to learn about the hidden network of canals that run 60 km of the city, mostly underground. Similar to Amsterdam or Venice, the Savena and Reno Canals were dug during the Middle Ages to bring the water of those two rivers to the city center of Bologna. Most of the waterways were covered in the 1950’s to make way for parking lots and apartment buildings, but there are a few secret viewpoints where you can peek into the ancient network that drove secret mills of the flourishing cities silk trade.