What I thought were silk trees from a distance turned out to be real trees — Bologna, Italy.

Another one of the many historic porticos of the city — Bologna, Italy.

Mural near a poster announcing the gelato festival scheduled for April — Bologna, Italy.

An antique door knocker From our city stroll — Bologna, Italy.

Torresotto di Strada Castiglione — Bologna, Italy.

Santuario della Madonna Baraccano ... from Giardini Margherita — Bologna, Italy.

Spring has sprung ... what's left of the blooms ... Giardini Margherita — Bologna, Italy.

Private garden with spring blooms — Bologna, Italy.

Portico del Baraccano ... quite different from other porticos in the city — Bologna, Italy.

Fresco surround ... Teatro del Baraccano — Bologna, Italy.

Another portico ... this one with a lumber ceiling — Bologna, Italy.

An interesting antique door knocker — Bologna, Italy.

All things Pinnochio, but what I found interesting was the old stove ... my grandma had one like it.

Even an ironing board from IKEA requires some assembly 😂 ... 16-page instruction booklet included.

Fixing the kick plates so they don't keep falling — Bologna, Italy.

IKEA big box deliveries ... assembly work ... and a trip to the paper recycling bin — Bologna.

The entry coat/shoe closet and stool ... all assembled.

Mui's been busy in the kitchen — Bologna, Italy.

Stroll to Giardini Margherita

March 19 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 61 °F

A few days ago, we saw a photo of trees laden with pale pink spring blooms. It was taken at Giardini Margherita. Today, with the sun shining bright and the temp promising to be warmer than yesterday, we took a stroll to the gardens — more like a park really — to check them out for ourselves.

We first visited the gardens, a favorite of the Bolognese, when we were here last October. It was a Sunday, and this green space in the city was crowded with families, couples young and old, and groups of friends enjoying the beautiful fall day.

Today being a weekday, the gardens were quieter. Older couples strolling quiet paths, solo runners and bikers, an occasional nanny or young mom pushing a pram. It was a lovely, quiet setting amidst the hub-bub of the city. Alas, the trees were not filled with blooms as we expected … yesterday’s wind and cold temps must have taken their toll.

No matter, we still enjoyed our visit … and walking along streets that we weren’t familiar with to get there and back gave us an opportunity to get to know our city a bit more. It was a nice change of pace from the errands and chores that are an essential part of daily life, regardless of where one lives.

P.S. Sorry … no photos of the grounds at Giardini Margherita. Having taken those photos last fall, I neglected to do so this time. I’m sure we’ll go back at some point … I’ll try to remember to rectify the oversight then.Read more