A little chaotic getting on the train on a busy day but once you’re off it’s magical and fun. The basilica is really beautiful and the views are astounding on a good day. If it’s clear it’s 100% worth it to pay extra at the top to climb to the dome viewing deck. The free lunch tickets are great but they may not fill you up too much! Relax, enjoy and have a laugh at the buffoons who ran all the way up the portico.

Train with its audioguide was great. Also, tasting the local pastry was quite a nice thing (warning though: each person only gets one type of pastry), however the other part of the food tasting (the "main dish") was quite dissapointing (Bologna is world famous for its cuisine, however we were literally given just one type of fast food). My advice: book the train to the basilica separately and then explore Bologna's cuisine on your own.

I boarded the San Luca express at 4.10pm and we were provided with headphones so to listen to the tour on the way. We arrived at the Basilica of St Luca about 30 mins later - it took us along the road adjacent to the Portici where people can walk all the way to the Basilica - it is used as a place to exercise also for sportspeople. When we arrived, we had about 50 mins till the next San Luca Express. We could take photos from the outside visit the Basilica inside and pay our respects (it was a pilgrimage place that many believers would visit). It was a most glorious evening and a view of the mountains on the outskirts of Bologna was visible.