Last Day in Bologna

We had a quiet morning at the apartment. Finished packing and then set out for a short stroll and lunch … this time with a reservation that Mui made before we left the AirBNB.

Our short meander eventually led us to Corte Isolani to find the arrows that tradition would have us believe are embedded in the ceiling of the portico on Strada Maggiore.

There are a couple of versions of the story of the “le frecce” (arrows).

One says that they were shot by assassins out to kill a nobleman or a noblewoman accused of adultery by her husband. However, when the archers were preparing to take their shot, a woman noticed them and exposed herself to the killers. The three archers were so shocked, they shot their arrows into the vault of the arcade, missing their target.

The second story says that the arrows came from a battle between two nobles and their guards. Lastly, Bologna is a city full of students and some believe that a few of them decided to shoot the arrows into the building during the restoration.

Regardless of which story you believe, the dark wood and the glare of the daylight made it hard to see clearly, but I think the photo I took captured two of the three. I’ll have to go back with my long lens after we move to Bologna to be sure.

Lunch was at Vicolo Colombina … to celebrate our successful Bologna recon trip. The food was delicious. I opted for the tortellini in brodo (capon broth … male chicken that has been castrated to produce more tender, flavorful, and juicy meat for consumption) … Mui ordered the tagliatelle al ragù. A glass each of San Giovese red; and a torta di crema e amarene Fabbri … the cream reference is actually to a custard that has Fabbri cherries in it.

Our post-lunch stroll — which ended up being over 11,000 steps — took us through neighborhoods we had not yet been to … a bonus of today’s outing.

We were home by 3:00p … ready for a quiet wrap up to our day.

Mui tried to schedule a taxi to pick us up tomorrow for the ride to the airport. But the dispatcher said reserving is not possible and to call 10 minutes before we are ready to leave. So that is what we will do.Read more