Heart of the Diverdeinverde

The reason we went out in the first place this morning was to check out the ‘secret garden’ at Palazzo Boncompagni … usually closed to the public. Turns out that the garden was small and there wasn’t much to see.

Done with our outing way earlier than expected, we decided to head to the eXtraBO info point to ask about the Diverdeinverde event that was taking place over the weekend.

Diverdeinverde = Di verde in verde = from green to green!

Unlike Bologna Welcome, the main tourist office, eXtraBO focuses on the outdoors — “… trekking, cycling, slow-tourism adventures in the surrounding Apennines, plains, and hills.” As such, a DIY tour of some of the historic private gardens, cloisters, and urban green spaces that open for the Diverdeinverde special event, falls under their jurisdiction.

Using our Card Cultura to get an €3 discount per person, we purchased our tickets for €12 each — sent to us by email — and set about studying the map we were given to determine our route. Some of the 40 gardens participating in this 12th anniversary event were Saturday-only sites; others were outside the Centro Storico; and still others were ones we had already been to. In the end, we cobbled together 8 green spaces for a personalized route.

At the risk of offending the Bolognese people, I will say that several of the gardens were less-than impressive. Yes, we got to see these normally hidden green spaces, but they were in need of some TLC [tender loving care]. There was also very little in the way of the colorful flowers that one expects to find in a garden … except in a few places. The places outside the city and in the hills may have been better, but I can’t speak to them.

That said, we did get to see the city from a different perspective, and spent more time wandering around the city than we originally intended … over 11,000 steps in three hours or so. There was the occasional art work or fresco to enjoy as well. My ‘photographic eye’ found something at each garden. In most cases, the garden was peacefully quiet … always a bonus.

Besides, it was such a lovely day to be out and about after so many days with overcast and rain this week. So, not a bad outing in general.

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Card Cultura Update: With today’s €3 discount, I am now €2 ahead of the game and Mui has broken even. The cards have definitely been worth the purchase, and we haven’t even visited all the free sites yet!Leggi altro