Pre-dinner drinks. Just like for lunch, it is not unusual for an Italian to go out and have something to drink before dinner. Not quite surprising since dinner frequently only starts after 8pm. This predinner drink is again called an aperitivo and the usual rules apply.
After dinner. Bologna is a university town which guarantees a very lively nightlife. Night life traditionally took place in osterie, but today besides those you can always find a lot of people around bars and gelaterias that stay open late.
La Linea
Under the arcades leading to the Cathedral, this is a great place for an easy coffee. They have a bunch of Italian left-wing newspapers you can read and play laid-back music all morning.