A pilgrimage of sorts: Visiting Bologna's Sanctuary of the Madonna of San Luca

Approximately 300 metres above Bologna's centro storico, the Sanctuary of the Madonna of San Luca sits atop the Monte di Guardia, and it's a must see for anyone visiting Bologna - as long as you're up for a bit of a walk.

The first time I made the journey was on one of my first days here, when I naively joined what I thought would be a pleasant Erasmus outing. What better way to spend a sunny Sunday afternoon than a leisurely stroll and the chance to meet new people? Famous last words. The walk takes at least an hour, most of it uphill as you ascend the world's longest portico - 658 archways in all. Not ideal in searing heat and inappropriate footwear, and I soon fell to the back of the group along with a few others, although on the bright side we were able to bond over the inhumanity of it all.

Then there was a bit of an unfortunate moment when we were at the actual Sanctuary. Anxious to see if the church was worth the walk, we headed straight inside, and had somehow made it almost to the front when someone in distinctly priestlike attire started talking. "Nel nome del padre, del figlio e dello spirito santo..." Hang on, that sounds like - yep, we'd managed to gatecrash the Sunday service. Cue shifty exit from the church, and probable eternal damnation.

The church itself is huge and a bright orange colour, managing to be both beautiful and imposing. The reason it's a top destination for Catholic pilgrims is that it houses a Byzantine portrait of Madonna and child, supposedly painted by St Luke. The portico was built to shield the painting during its annual parade down to the city centre and then back up again - presumably this tradition is for the benefit of the lazier of the pilgrims.

The Sanctuary must have the world's most dedicated, not to mention fittest, congregation. But although I'm not religious, the views alone are worth the trek. You don't see much of the scenery until you reach the top as most views from the path are blocked by trees, plus I was slightly distracted by the searing September heat, and the aching of muscles I'd forgotten I had. So when you reach the summit and are greeted by miles of Emilia Romagna countryside spread out below, it certainly has an impact.

Pilgrimage number two took place whilst Jason was visiting, and the third was with some of my friends, including one from Bologna who had never done the trip. These visits were better timed, as we made it to the top just in time for the last of the sunlight, bathing the church in a warm glow. The 4km hike also felt noticeably easier the third time around, thankfully, though I'm a little way off using it as a running track like many of the nutty locals. Being overtaken by a lycra-clad pensioner zooming past has become a more common occurrence than I'd care to admit.

There's a superstition amongst Bologna students that walking up to the Sanctuary brings you good luck in exams, so if they're to be believed I must be on for a first... If nothing else, at this rate I'm going to have thighs of steel by the end of my time here, definitely justification for the amount of food I'm eating.