Bologna was a great center of learning and culture in the Middle Ages and early Renaissance. 
 In the medieval center of the city are buildings of warm-colored brick and stucco, arcades 
 lined with small shops, many cobbled streets, and numerous piazzas. Modern suburbs surround 
 the inner city. San Petronio, the most imposing church of Bologna, fronting on the main plaza, 
 the Piazza Maggiore, was begun in 1390, but the exterior was never finished. The spacious 
 interior is constructed in a Gothic style. Other notable churches are San Domenico, built 
 in 1221 but completely altered between 1729 and 1732, and San Francesco, built from 1236 to 1263 
 and repaired after heavy damage in World War II. An educational and publishing center, 
 Bologna is also the site of the University of Bologna and of museums of painting, archaeology, 
 and Etruscan artifacts.
 
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