Bologna

We have a good look at the very large Bologna Centrale railway station as we try (several times) to find an exit with buses. Previously, Ursula had been studying the public bus schedule for Bologna. Tony had tried an Uber quote. Outrageous. Once outside, Tony gets the bus tickets. Very reasonable. Ursula finds the bus stop. Google Maps tells us when to get off. The wheelchair space on the bus is perfect for our suitcases, and a fellow passenger shows us how to scan our tickets. There are 2 different machines. Very convenient way to travel.
All contact with our hosts here proves to be via WhatsApp and they are very responsive. The instructions get us in. Only 2 locked doors and a gate this time. Tony is nonplussed by the apartment. Ground floor, but seems to be in a cave. It is actually a fine space with separate bedroom, well-sized bathroom and living room, tiny courtyard and minuscule kitchen. Ursula has to exit the kitchen if Tony wants to open the fridge. At night the apartment looks warm and cosy.
We find a Conad supermarket. These seem to be the go-to for this trip. Dinner in and we utilise the washing machine.
Tony books tomorrow’s GuruWalk walking tour. Frederik (our guide) doesn’t confirm until a couple of messages at 11pm.
Now on Wednesday 24th Sep we have a relaxed start. Wander into Piazza Maggiore, the historical centre. We had thought we were a bit out of town, but it’s a simple walk along our street, Via Santo Stefano. The tour group is much smaller than that in Bergamo. 8 adults and 2 small kids. Frederik has a Danish mother but has lived all his life in Bologna. He’s a lot more earnest than Matteo but gives us a wonderful background and tour of culture, historical features and FOOD.
The Romans built many aqueducts which still exist under the city’s surface. There were canals. Hard to believe, but there are still about 60km of them. Today many are obscured by buildings both beside and over them. Bologna had a river port with warehouses lining the bank. This was to service the silk industry, both for transport and power (water mills).
There are several leaning towers. The most obvious leans 4°, but looks more. Around 800 years ago (end of 13th century) there were arguably as many as 80 to 100 towers in Bologna with the tallest about 60 metres high. It looked a bit like Manhattan does now. Now there are 18.
Frederik told us there is no such thing as spaghetti Bolognese. There is a famous meat sauce, ragù alla Bolognese, which many people find delicious. If you are going to have it you should use tagliatelle. He guided us through a foodie heaven street and showed us proper balsamic vinegar (de Modena). Has to be aged and is quite thick. Most of us like Parmigiano Reggiano. It has only 3 ingredients. Milk, salt and rennet. The best balance between flavour and price needs to be aged 30 months. The king of Bolognese pasta is tortellini. Local pastas also are Passatelli (a sort of fat spaghetti in chunks like fusilli) and Gramigna (curly smooth fat chunks).
The tour ends at lunchtime and of course after the food tour everyone was feeling hungry. U and T went to La Salsamenteria Bologna which Frederik recommended, for local pasta. Really nice, surprise surprise. Afterwards we found the elusive Tourist Information office as we are now in the habit of obtaining tourist maps of each place we visit. Easier to obtain the big picture, and a handy list of must-sees.
Just off our street is Piazza Santa Stefano which contains the Basilica and Sanctuary of Santa Stefano. This is most unique as it contains 7 churches. Lovely and peaceful with not too many tourists. Most buildings here were erected between the 10th and 13th centuries. Final Bologna experience today is to visit a pasticceria. We need to try Torta di Riso. Sweet, lemony and almondy; it’s delicious.
Next day, 25th Sept, inspired by Frederik’s descriptions of the canals, Ursula is hell bent on finding Finestrella di Bologna. It is a window overlooking the Canale delle Moline, which would otherwise be obscured in this direction. On the other side of the road there is a bridge offering views over the canal. We suspect something has recently been demolished to offer this view. This area is called “little Venice”.
We had previously contacted Tony’s cousin, David, who works in Bologna and lives not far away. He is in Africa at the moment but gave us some suggestions. One was the walk to the Basilica of San Luca. 5km from the city centre at the top of a hill at an altitude of 270m. In the 16th century they decided to make the walk more comfortable for the many devotees. They constructed about 3.8 km of colonnaded pathway from the edge of the city. In the interests of maintaining Ursula’s ability to walk for many miles to come, we caught the tourist mini-train up to the Basilica. Magnificent views. Then we enjoyed the long and leisurely walk back down to Piazza Maggiore.
During our lunch, marred by arrogant waiters, the 40% chance of rain manifested itself. We needed a little wall-hugging after lunch. BUT, now one of the standout features of Bologna became really useful. The colonnades. There are about 40km of these; longest in the world. Parts are UNESCO heritage listed. Around the 11th century the townsfolk avoided some tax (based on ground area of dwellings) by extending their dwellings over the footpath. Later the City of Bologna made it obligatory to build masonry support structures as you see today. These are a beautiful and unique feature of this fascinating city.
For an early evening drink Tony had spotted Dublo, a wine bar. It occupies a narrow 3m wide space above our street. Really nice Aperol Spritz with a few snacks. We could sometimes hear the music over the traffic noise as it rumbles over the cobblestones. Fortunately the traffic gradually thinned out, making an increasingly pleasant experience.
Tony had always wanted to go to Bologna since reading The Broker, a John Grisham book about a US lawyer who the CIA tries to hide in Bologna with a new identity. They teach him about the Italian language and lifestyle and include lots of descriptions of meals at cafés and restaurants. This time Tony couldn’t find the list of trattorias and bars. We’ll have to return, next time better prepared. We have really enjoyed Bologna, apart from the outrageous prices for accommodation.
After 3 nights here, Friday 25th September is time to move on to Lecce. It’s a 9 hour train journey to cover the 830km. We leave early as the train departs at 8am. The bus to the station is no problem and we settle into our seats as the train departs on time.Read more