Bologna

Arrival in Bologna was early and not too far from Venice. The weather has been fantastic, not too hot, and a breeze that is just comfortable. We had a cheap taxi ride to our accommodations with a helpful driver. We are staying in an old area and close to the oldest university in the world(1088). It is a nice walk down a cobblestone street shared by both cars and people with the utmost respect for each other. When your room is not ready on arrival, you go for a drink, or an Aperol spritz or cappuccino no matter what time of the day it is. After dropping our bags off, we headed off on an adventure to look for food and drink, Bologna is a gastronomic dream. The city Square of Plaza Maggoria was crowded with people enjoying the Francescano festival. It overflowed to the streets in the area. It was difficult to find a place to eat outside on the street for 7 people. One restaurant sat us in a room, our expectations high for our first meal in Bologna. The meal of pasta bolognese, which it is famous for was good but the service was terrible. We had to set the table ourselves. No utensils before the food arrived, or glasses for wine. It just did not leave a great first impression. Since our accommodations did not have a kitchen or living room, we brought back snack foods and wine for the evening. We also found the gelateria recommended to us below the two towers in Bologna. We have yet to miss a day of gelato.Read more