University of Bologna

University of Bologna (Italian: Alma Mater Studiorum – Università di Bologna, abbreviated Unibo) is a public research university in Bologna, Italy. It is the oldest university in continuous operation in the world, and the first degree-awarding institution of higher learning. The university was founded at 1088. With over 90,000 students, the University of Bologna is one of the largest universities in Europe. The university housed and educated many influential figures in history such as Nicolaus Copernicus, Petrarch, Paracelsus, Dante Alighieri, Erasmus, Guglielmo Marconi, Pope Alexander VI, Giovanni Domenico Cassini, Umberto Eco and Giovanni Pico della Mirandola.