Italians like to give their cities affectionate names. Bologna in central Italy has been called La Grassa (“the fat”), for the quality of its food; La Dotta (“the learned”), for its great university, and La Rossa (“the red”), for its incorrigibly leftwing politics – and the colour of its rooftops.

Now the city is bent on acquiring a different reputation – for its modernity. After growing incrementally since its foundation 2,500 years ago, it is about to adopt a big-bang approach to its next phase of development: a €25bn ($37bn, £23bn), 15-year urban renewal project that ranks among the largest in Italy, if not in Europe.