San Michele in Bosco

On the flight from İzmir to Bologna last fall, Mui’s seat-mate was a Bolognese man who suggested that going up to San Michele in Bosco to see the best view of Bologna should be on our list of things to do. We didn’t make it there back then.

When today dawned as a beautiful spring day — with blue skies and sunshine, and a forecast of 72F as the high temp — we headed off to do as the man had suggested.

First a walk through the city … to a new-to-us area of Bologna. Then, leaving the urban setting behind at Giardino Remo Scoto, a hike through the San Michele in Bosco Park. The dirt path up to the top of the hill was wide, grass and trees on either side. Nothing manicured about this park … it was all natural. Quiet, too. The only people we encountered were locals walking their dogs off-the-leash … all well-trained and well-behaved … the dogs, that is.

Catching a glimpse of the church at the top through the trees, we enjoyed a brief commune with nature.

Our outing may have started out just for the purpose of enjoying aerial views of Bologna. But we found so much more to explore once at the top of the hill.

San Michele in Bosco, which translates as San Michele in the Forest, was built as a monumental monastic complex on the site of previous monastic settlements dating back to the 4th century. It was rebuilt by the Olivetan monks after they arrived in 1364.

Over the following centuries, the monastery was abandoned, re-settled, and renovated … sometimes used for its original religious purpose, at other times as military barracks, a jail, a villa for a pontifical legate, and a residence for the King of Italy. At the end of the 19th century, the monastery was converted into what became one of the best orthopedic hospitals in the world.

Checking out the views, next, we wandered into the church … single nave with several chapels, the presbytery and the high altar at the top of a staircase with a marble portal. A quick peek into the sacristy with a beautiful fresco at the back of the room; a careful look at the open confessionals with beautiful details.

Going through a door at the far end of the presbytery, we were hoping to find the cloisters … the unusual octagonal one promising more frescos. We found both eventually, but first we found ourselves in a 530-foot long corridor lined with doors. Here were the rooms that once served as monks’ cells. Each one now has a sign indicating it’s an office for a doctor. We had inadvertently entered the Rizzoli Orthopedic Institute.

Of interest in the corridor were several frescos; a Meridian Line similar to the one we saw in the Basilica di San Petronio last fall; and the window through which one can see the city view. The window is aligned with the top of Asinelli Tower. As I understand it, the length of the corridor causes a perceptual illusion. Moving away from the window, the tower looks bigger than it does when you move closer. We were about to test this out when we were distracted by what sounded like a door being locked.

It was 11:55a and, as it turns out, the door connecting the corridor to the church had indeed been locked for siesta! The good news? We were able to walk around the hospital complex at leisure, check out the cloisters, and eventually make our way outside to a garden at the Institute … a bench in the shade served as a place for us to have a quick snack before hiking down.

A fun outing … one that gave us an unexpected chance to explore new-to-us sights. There’s still plenty to see at the San Michele in Bosco Monumental Complex. Perhaps we’ll make an appointment for a tour next time.Read more