Bologna Self-Guided Detective Murder Mystery Game

Bologna sets you off at the Palazzo d'Accursio on Piazza Maggiore, with porticoes running away from the square in every direction. The route works east under the arcades towards the Torre degli Asinelli and the Torre Prendiparte, then south to Piazza Santo Stefano. Played as a self-guided murder mystery game, it uses the old centre as the ground to search. Almost all of the walking is under cover, which makes Bologna a sound choice in rain or heat for families with children, groups of friends, couples and colleagues, and for anyone playing alone. Teams are up to four people reading from one phone, so a larger party arrives as two or three teams. There is no guide keeping you together and no set departure, and the arcades give you somewhere to stand while you argue about an answer. How to playThe practical side is short and runs entirely through an app. Book the City Game Check the email with your play link Open the link on your phone Start playing whenever you like The case is the murder of Balthasar. Codes have to be broken, photographs taken at named spots and the accounts of digital characters set side by side. Near the Palazzo Malvezzi de' Medici and the Monumento a Marco Minghetti the story stops adding up, and each solved puzzle cuts the list of suspects. Put two teams on the same route and it becomes a race, which is why it stands up as a teambuilding activity as well as an afternoon out. Pause for a meal, return to the trail, and settle the case under the arcades of Bologna.