Cesare Battisti Still #1 Contender
25. Oktober 2025 in Italien ⋅ ☁️ 64 °F
This is still a preliminary decision since there are questions that need to be answered. We also need to revisit the apartment to go through our checklist, take a peek at the cellar storage unit, and see where our mail and packages will be delivered.
Why is Battisti the #1 contender? Well, we like that it is a brand new renovation in a 20th century building … with some quaint touches … such as the Madonna medallion in the foyer. And we figure that the smaller size will keep us honest in terms of purchases and such. Less housekeeping, too … which is always good.
After our mid-day breather, we put together a list of questions, translated them into Italian, and sent them off to Mirco. Now we wait. It is doubtful that we will hear from him until Monday, so we can take tomorrow off from all things move-related.
To that end, willing to take the train down for the day, we sent a note to friends who happen to be in Rome to see if they are free tomorrow. We have not heard back yet, so at 7:30p it looks like we won’t be going to Rome unless we hear from them before we go to bed tonight. No worries, we have closer options in mind as an alternative.
Our mid-day breather took us out for a bite to eat and a bit of sightseeing.
We had our bite at Dal Brillo, a wine bar on Via Marsala. The place was doing a booming business … inside and out. As it was quite cool, we opted for a tiny table in the cozy inside space.
After perusing the menu, we ordered a couple of lemon bitter and ginger spritzers. Mui was determined to finally have mortadella — one of the specialties of the region. He ordered the Cinghialino platter … a selection of wild boar truffle salami, wild boar mortadella, sausage, and wild boar salami … served with Apulian bread. I opted for a mortadella dish described as a bruschetta … nothing like the one topped with chunks of tomato that we’re used to from our previous visits to Italy. This one was piled high with thinly shaved Mortadella on a thick cut slice of bread coated with melted Calabrese provola cheese (similar to provolone) … garnished with thin slices of courgette. Incredibly tasty … but OMG, the size. In fact, Mui’s platter was large, too, so next time we know to order just one thing to share.
After our meal, we walked toward the Cesare Battisti apartment to get a sense of how busy — read for that … noisy — it might be on a Saturday. The good news? It was quiet. You see, Ugo Bassi, just down the street from the Via Cesare Battisti intersection is closed off to traffic on weekends and becomes pedestrian-only. That stretches all the way down Via Rizzoli to the Due Torri. Naturally, that limits the traffic and the crowds. Perfect.
Our meandering stroll took us next to the Piazza Malpighi area. Spotting some unusual sarcophagi on raised platforms we crossed the street to find ourselves at the Basilica di San Francesco.
The church dates back to the 13th century. What was a Gothic building then now has elements ranging from the Romanesque to the Renaissance. It was apparently damaged quite extensively during WWII bombings, and renovated afterwards.
When we went inside today, we found restoration work underway … the main altar covered; only one chapel open for sacraments; scaffolding set up around the inside perimeter. A small sign explained that they were repairing the damages from the 2012 earthquake that shook northern Italy.
As for the sarcophagi that caught our attention to begin with … they apparently belong to the Glossatori … law professors of the University of Bologna, which gained fame in 1158. These professors were so renowned that Emperor Frederick Barbarossa is known to have consulted them on the imperial rights in Roman law … leading to his assertion of powers in Italy as the Holy Roman Emperor. The oldest of the tombs dates back to 1265.
On the way back to the AirBNB, we got some gelato from Velchi, where there was a short line. Frankly, I didn’t think it was nearly as good as the gelato we’ve gotten at either Cremeria or Vero.
On that note, time to join Mui on the couch to watch a You Tube move.Weiterlesen
Last Apartment Showings
24. Oktober 2025 in Italien ⋅ ☀️ 68 °F
After a light breakfast, Mui called the realtor from Haus Gruppo who had scheduled today’s 10:00a appointment to get the exact address. The woman’s a bit ditsy, I think, since nothing was set up on her end. Anyway, she checked with the agent who has the Via Farini listing and we rescheduled to 11:00a, which gave us a bit of time to dawdle at home.
What can I say about the Via Farini apartment? Spectacular views of the Basilica of San Petronio; the Due Torri; the Sanctuary of San Luca; and so much more over the rooftops of the city. A wonderful terrace with awnings providing shade; a cute loft … perfect for a den. Open plan living space … small but doable. But there was one big problem … a tiny, galley-style kitchenette with a sink barely larger than a medium-sized bowl … suitable perhaps for a single person or a couple who dines out most of the time. Otherwise, the kitchen was woefully inadequate.
It broke our hearts to strike this property off our list, but it just wasn’t doable for us as a long term place. If it was being marketed as an AirBNB, we would have loved staying there a couple of weeks.
Before leaving the place, we asked Mirco, the listing agent, about the Cesare Battisti property for which his office manager had sent us a link. Turns out that it was one of his listings, but he wasn’t aware that he was supposed to show it to us today. Luckily, after a quick phone call, he was able to set up an appointment for 4:15p.
With time to kill until the showing, we headed back to the AirBNB. Along the way, Mui suggested that we take another look at the Griffoni property with the terrace … the one we had written off. Maybe we could make it work. A quick call to the realtor resulted in a 5:30p repeat showing.
Around 4:00p, we left to meet with Mirco to see the Cesare Battisti property. Admittedly, fairly compact with limited storage space. But recently renovated in an early 20th century building … on the 5th floor … with just a penthouse apartment above it; nice furnishings … an owner — at least according to Mirco — who would be willing to add a few missing pieces. Brand new, we would be the first to rent the place.
The apartment was a winner!
The apartment was now the #1 contender … pending a meeting with the owners to ask and answer questions … and a chance to see the basement storage unit linked to the apartment. Mirco will contact the owners and set up a meeting for Monday.
Although we now felt that we had made a decision, we went to see the Griffoni terrace apartment anyway since we had an appointment to do so. As we remembered, terrace was the highlight … but there was no furniture to utilize and enjoy the space. Very limited furnishings inside … we’d have to buy more stuff than we wanted to. The kitchen needed some work … acceptable, except that the grimy dishwasher had to be replaced. We walked away once again agreeing that it just wasn’t going to work for us.
We returned to the AirBNB for a quiet evening. Having had enough of apartment comparisons for today, we shelved any further discussions until tomorrow. We’ll weigh pros and cons, and make a list of questions to be answered.
It feels good to be wrapping up the hunt for a suitable apartment with two contenders … the Griffoni apartment without the terrace being #2 on our list.Weiterlesen
Museo Davia Bargellini
23. Oktober 2025 in Italien ⋅ 🌧 61 °F
Between our disappointing apartment showing and lunch, we went to a museum I spotted yesterday … across the street from Piazzetta and Basilica dei Servi di Maria.
The Museo Davia Bargellini, is housed in a restored palazzo by the same name ... described as “… one of the most significant senatorial structures in Bologna. …” Dating back to the 17th century, the palazzo was renovated in the early 1900s and the museum was opened in 1920. It is one of the four museums that make up Bologna’s Musei Civici D’Arte Antica (Civic Museums of Ancient Art). With no admission charged, it was a good place to while away a few hours.
The seven rooms that make up the museum are filled with pieces from the Davia Bargellini gallery and a collection of applied arts.
On exhibit was everything from old keys and lock plates; to ceramic plates and jars from 17th to 19th century pharmacies; to paintings of mostly a religious nature … with some secular-themed canvases; to examples of Meissen and Murano pieces; to a marionette theater and a miniature palazzo with furnishings; to a sculpted oxen harness and a giant bellow; to a scagliola altar front and period furnishings; to an ornamental wrought iron gate and a gala carriage from the 1700.
And more, and more, and more.
In fact, there was so much to see that small as this museum is, it was overwhelming. We enjoyed it nonetheless. A return visit when we have more time is warranted.Weiterlesen
Another Showing
23. Oktober 2025 in Italien ⋅ ☁️ 59 °F
Bummer! We had high hopes for the apartment listed with an address at Piazza Santo Stefano. But it turned out to be unacceptable.
We arrived for our noon showing a little early to wander around the neighborhood a bit, then met the realtor at the residential entrance of the Palazzo Bolognini Isolani.
Yes, we’d be checking out an apartment in the ‘attic’ of a palace … which dates back to 15th century.
Piazza Santo Stefano is a busy place, but once we entered the apartment, the first thing I noticed was that there was no noise filtering inside. No surprise, I guess. Not only is the attic apartment, with dark wood exposed beams, set away from the front of the building, there was just one tiny window in the living room! The showing went downhill from there!
The place was dark … it felt dingy. The bedrooms held a mish-mash of furnishings; one of them looked more like a storage room than a bedroom. The kitchen … well it just felt old and worn. And the two tiny terraces were literally cut out of the roof with tall walls on all four sides … the only light coming in from the open top. A couple of buckets were strategically placed under what looked like leaks in the hall ceiling.
The realtor’s attitude, which was quite abrupt, was the clincher. We crossed the property off the list there and then.
After the showing, we went to a museum I spotted yesterday. I’ll leave that part of our day to another footprint and move onto lunch.
While I was finishing up at the museum, Mui was looking for a restaurant for a late lunch … something other than the usual trattorias we’ve been patronizing. He found it in a “pesce in osteria” … a fish tavern, if you will, on Piazza Aldrovandi … named for the man considered the father of modern geology.
Pescheria Aldrovandi turned out to be a small eatery under one of the porticos … outside of which were a bunch of stalls selling everything from fresh fruits and vegetables, to sweets, to fresh fish. Thanks to our off-hour dining, we managed to yet again get seated without a reservation.
The waiter spoke English, and there was a menu in English and French, so perhaps the place was a bit touristy … but the prices were reasonable and none of the other patrons were speaking anything but Italian. It very much felt like a local establishment.
I opted for the fried seafood dish … calamari, shrimp, white fish, courgettes, and carrots. All very good. Mui ordered the grilled seafood dish … calamari, shrimp, tuna steak; prawns (head and all), and a salad. We had white wine to accompany our meal, but skipped dessert in lieu of gelato later.
By the time we left the restaurant, the rain that had been threatening all day had started to fall … with occasional thunder and lightning. After we got our gelatos, I headed to the apartment; Mui went to check out a couple of furniture stores to see what they carry.
We are quickly nearing the end of our hunt for an apartment. We’ll be seeing the last two tomorrow. One of them is a long shot; but we have high hopes for the other one.Weiterlesen
Basilica Santuario di Santo Stefano
22. Oktober 2025 in Italien ⋅ ☁️ 59 °F
The Basilica Santuario di Santo Stefano is a complex consisting of multiple places of worship … locally known as Sette Chiese (Seven Churches).
We entered through the Church of Saint Stephen … aka the Church of the Holy Crucifix … different from other churches we have visited in that the presbytery is raised over the crypt. If there was access to the crypt, I didn’t see it … but then, services being conducted in the room behind the staircase, so I did not look too closely.
Following the “way of the visit” signs, we headed to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. The building is attached to the Church of Saint Stephen. This part — octagonal in shape and built over a temple that was dedicated to Isis — dates back to the 5th century. At the time, it was built on the orders of Bishop Petronio (later, San Petronio … the patron saint of Bologna) to resemble the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem.
The next church we found ourselves in was dedicated to Saints Vitale and Agricola, the first two martyrs from Bologna (305 AD) … their sarcophagi on either side of the altar. It is said to be the oldest part of the complex. Fragments of frescoes on the columns and remnants of the mosaic floor from Roman times were some of the interesting elements we noted.
The Courtyard of Pilate would have been next, except that it is presently surrounded by a construction fence.
So, we moved on to the Church of the Trinity … aka the Church of the Martyrium. This church was left incomplete by Bishop Petronio. In the late 19th century, it was rebuilt in the neo-Romanesque style. Adding interest here were fragments of frescoes, including one of a rarely seen pregnant Madonna, and a memorial to the Bersaglieri, the elite infantry corps of the Italian army, recognized by the hat worn by its members … wide-brimmed and adorned with black feathers.
We concluded the first part of our visit at the Benedictine cloister … with a well in the center of the courtyard, and zoomorphic and anthropomorphic columns rimming the perimeter.
We returned to complete our exploration after lunch … by which time the museum was open to visitors. Consisting of just a couple of rooms, the museum exhibits an eclectic collection of artifacts ranging from artworks, to ceiling shingles, to frescoes, to reliquaries and religious vestments; to the “Urn of the 40 Martyrs” … which dates back to 1568; and more.
Our unplanned visit to the Basilica Santuario di Santo Stefano is one of the highlights of our time in Bologna thus far. I am looking forward to returning after we are settled in Bologna next year. Perhaps take a tour … and learn more about the ancient traditions involving the prostitutes of Bologna and the pregnant women in the city.Weiterlesen
Exploring Santo Stefano
22. Oktober 2025 in Italien ⋅ ☁️ 59 °F
With no showings on the calendar for today, we took it easy this morning … meaning that we stayed in and did our chores … laundry, cleaning the apartment. You get the idea.
Around 11:00a, our chores completed, I suggested that we go out for a walk and check out the location of the Piazza Santo Stefano apartment that we’ll be seeing tomorrow. Along the way, we detoured to check out the AirBNB we’ll be moving to for the last few days of our Bologna stay.
Our meandering walk eventually took us to Basilica Santuario di Santo Stefano. We decided to check it out … but I’ll write about it separately.
We ended up splitting our basilica visit into two parts due to timing. In between, we grabbed lunch at Trattoria Leonida … on a quiet side street not too far from Piazza Santo Stefano … a nice, intimate, white-tablecloths-on-the-table kind of place that felt like it was eons away from the hub-bub of the busy piazza. The menu was in Italian only … the price of the tagliatelle al ragù consistent with the ‘local-eatery’ pricing. Perfect.
I had a ragù of sorts … the house specialty … Cordonetti a la Leonida. Google described it as a dish consisting of “short, narrow tagliatelle with a Parma ham ragù.” It was delicious. Mui was equally pleased with the Polpettone di vitello con salsa verde that he ordered — a veal meatloaf with a green sauce … for want of a better description. This trattoria is known for only serving vegetables that are in season … artichokes boiled with spices was on the menu today, so we added that to our order … an excellent choice.
To kill time until the museum opened, we headed to Cremeria la Vecchia Stalla for gelato. OMG! No wonder there seems to always be long lines here. Our timing was good, however, and we beat the group that showed up after us.
Once we completed the museum portion of our basilica visit, we returned to the AirBNB for a relaxing afternoon and evening.
We have a showing tomorrow morning and a free afternoon to do a bit more sightseeing. Maybe a museum? We’ll see.Weiterlesen
Thumbs Down on Alessandrini
21. Oktober 2025 in Italien ⋅ ☁️ 55 °F
With our next apartment showing scheduled for later in the day, we spent the morning at home.
One of the things we needed to do was to either extend our stay at the current AirBNB or find another property for the last 10 days of our stay in Bologna. Turns out that the property manager could give us until 6 November … which we accepted. And then we browsed the AirBNB website to find ourselves another place for the remainder of our time here. Good to know we won’t be sleeping on the street!
Today’s apartment showing was for the place Mui found a while back that is available as of 1 November. Our impression of the neighborhood didn’t change from when we first checked it out a few days ago. Basically, not ideal. The apartment itself proved clean and well-maintained … newly repainted after the last tenant moved out. But the place was cramped … very cramped. When we learned that the building overlooking the narrow balcony was a university dormitory … well, it sealed our decision … a BIG NO!
After that disappointing showing, it was time for some fun.
We walked to Piazza Maggiore under a misting of rain. At the Biblioteca Salaborsa, we headed inside to check out the archaeological dig … hidden under the glass-tiled floor of the library. I had to laugh when we got home later and I read an article warning women visiting the library about wearing short skirts since looking up into the library from the ruins, people could be looking straight up their skirt. Actually, I doubt one would see much … the glass is thick and it has become quite badly scratched up over the years.
The ruins in question are from the period of the ancient Roman city of Bononia … around 189 BC. We followed the catwalk that goes through the ruins, reading the signage explaining what we were looking at … parts of the remains of the civil basilica of Bononia, foundations of medieval houses, sewer lines, cisterns and wells. I understand that one can take a tour led by a librarian, which might go into areas that are not open to the public. Something to look into later.
Leaving the ruins, we decided to get a bite to eat. Pizza sounded good since we have not yet had any on this trip. Mui found a hole-in-the-wall place called Pizzeria Nettuno on Via Fossalta … a small place with five tiny two-top tables and a bistro table that can accommodate six. I scored one of the two remaining tables while Mui ordered us a medium, thin crust pizza with mushrooms … shaped like a heart. Very good … and comparatively inexpensive.
We had a quiet afternoon at the apartment. I did some writing and photo processing. Mui took a nap and then cooked the eggplant he bought yesterday so we’re all set with dinner for a night or two.Weiterlesen
![Alfonso Lombardi’s “Compianto su Cristo morto” [Lamentation of Christ] ... at the cathedral.](http://media.fp-files.com/footprint/69900cdc3205a2-39856333/6ebgv6a9xf3sj_m_s.jpg)
![Alfonso Lombardi’s “Compianto su Cristo morto” [Lamentation of Christ] ... at the cathedral.](http://media.fp-files.com/footprint/69900cdc3205a2-39856333/9npcuvurbv8te_m_s.jpg)
We Have A Contender
20. Oktober 2025 in Italien ⋅ ☁️ 63 °F
That we have our first contender for an apartment is good news.
That my throat is scratchy and my eyes are burning is not. I was hoping that it was just allergies, but I think that was just wishful thinking.
The Haus Gruppo agent Mui reached out to yesterday responded this morning and we have a couple more showings scheduled for later this week. She suggested another property as well … on a busy street it looks like, but we’ve added it to the list, too.
Our day getting off to a good start, we left to meet the realtor from yesterday to see the second apartment she wanted to show us. Wow! What a difference from the first place. Bright and airy; quite spacious with two bedrooms and two baths; a dryer as well as a washer … the former is a luxury for sure. The furnishings are in good condition, too. The only downside … no terrace or balcony. Nonetheless, we are keeping it on the contender list.
It was after noon by the time we bid the realtor ciao. We had earlier spotted a place called Il Duca d’Amalfi … around the corner on Piazza de’ Celestini. Figuring that we should check it out as it might become our neighborhood café/patisserie, we headed there for lunch.
As the temp had been falling and a light drizzle was adding to the chill factor, we opted to sit inside instead of dining al fresco. We both ordered the tagliatelle al ragù and wrapped up our meal with a fresh-filled cannolo that was excellent.
It was still drizzling when we left Il Duca. We were prepared for the rain, however … and also took advantage of the porticos to stay dry where we could.
With our ‘work’ completed, it was time to do some sightseeing. First, we went to Cattedrale di San Pietro. It wasn’t easy to get to as we entered Via dell’Independenza on the wrong side of the construction work for laying tram rails. No matter, we walked until we found a break in the construction barrier. The bonus was that coming the way we did, we were able to check out a big supermarket located adjacent to the cathedral.
The current cathedral, which dates back to the 17th century, with some parts a century older, was built on the site of a former cathedral from 1028 … destroyed by a fire; rebuilt; radically remodeled to the extent that it caused the dome to collapse; and rebuilt again from scratch.
The lights were off, but we managed to see bits and pieces, including Alfonso Lombardi’s “Compianto su Cristo morto” (Lamentation of Christ) from the 16t century, and some beautiful frescoes in the side aisles.
Our next stop took us into Biblioteca Salaborsa, a modern multimedia public library. Located in a wing of the massive Palazzo d’Accursio — the historic seat of the Bologna municipal government — it is the city’s main library.
The first thing that struck me was the amazing ceiling over the central area, which is known as Piazza Coperta. I went up to the third floor for a bird’s eye view of the interior and got a closer look at the ceiling. The floor of the piazza is a much-mentioned feature. Made of glass tiles, it allow people to see down into the ruins that have been excavated under the building … ruins that date back to Roman times … some to Etruscan times. We’ll return another day to take a peek at the ruins.
After we left the library, I opted to go back to the apartment since my throat was getting scratchier by the minute. Mui went off to run a few errands … withdraw Euros using our fee-free Schwab ATM card; check out options for cell phone and internet providers; replenish the larder as we have hardly anything left in the fridge … except for the leftovers from lunch.
Our time in Bologna is proving to be fruitful. We are making good progress with our search for an apartment and getting to know the city while we are at it. Since the wheels of bureaucracy tend to turn slowly, we would like to decide on which property to rent by Monday. That will leave us with two weeks to get the lease signed and registered with the authorities.
Keeping fingers crossed all goes to plan.Weiterlesen
First Showing!
19. Oktober 2025 in Italien ⋅ ☁️ 64 °F
We spent most of the day at home.
But it wasn’t to rest. Nor was it to do chores.
Rather, hoping to start viewing apartments next week, I wanted to create a quick-glance spreadsheet to help us compare properties. Once I had a basic template, I added the details for the six properties on our list.
We also looked at the photos of the properties on Mui’s laptop … the larger format uncovering some oddities that weren’t apparent when we were looking at them on the phone. One thing is for sure … furnished doesn’t seem to mean the same in Italy as it does to us in the USA.
While I worked on the spreadsheet, Mui sent messages to the real estate agents for the apartments … all but one have a different agent. We hit pay dirt with one agent who responded almost immediately. Turns out that she could show us the apartment this afternoon.
We found the apartment on a quiet street … just 15-minutes walking distance from Piazza Maggiore. At first glance, the second-floor apartment — with a large terrace — seemed perfect. Unfortunately, a closer inspection of the furnishings — what little there was — showed them to be less-than-gently used. Overall, the place just felt worn.
Ultimately, we decided to pass on the terrace apartment, but agreed to see another one in the adjacent building tomorrow. That this other property will be available effective 1 January is a bonus, so fingers crossed we can keep it as a contender.Weiterlesen
Continuing the Neighborhood Recon
18. Oktober 2025 in Italien ⋅ ☀️ 66 °F
Up early again!
As we sipped our morning beverages, we chatted about our plan for finding an apartment. We also took a look at a map of Bologna, which shows the main quarters of the city and the neighborhoods within them. Now that we know the city better, we feel more confident about getting a real estate agent involved in our search sooner rather than later.
When we left the apartment for today’s neighborhood tour, we headed out to find the building that’s been on Mui’s list almost since we decided to pursue expat life in Bologna. The building looked good, but we didn’t like the vibe of the neighborhood. We’ll still check it out when the agent calls us back, however … just to see how it compares to other properties.
We then took a meandering walk to see some other apartments Mui found on the real estate website. They were all in quiet neighborhoods, even though they were close to the hubbub of Piazza Maggiore. One of them was great because it would be available on January 1st, so we wouldn’t have to pay rent for it to sit empty in the interim. Another was great because it was a duplex penthouse with a big terrace and amazing views. Some properties didn’t make the cut for a variety of reasons. Anyway, we now have a list of potential apartments for which to schedule showings.
With the ‘work’ part of our day done, we were free to do whatever we wanted, if only we could decide what that was.
Since it was Saturday, it seemed like all of Bologna was out on the streets. Looking down Via Rizzoli from near the Due Torri end of the street, it looked like there was a sea of people walking down the street. Feeling like salmon swimming against the currents, we decided to seek out a trattoria on a back street, grab a bite to eat, do some people watching, and talk about what to do with the rest of our day.
Finding a table on a Saturday was quite the challenge! We finally decided to try sidewalk dining at Bella Pasta on Via Altabella. It looked a bit touristy, but it had a rating of 4.5, so we figured we’d give it a shot. The food was delicious—I had tagliatelle al ragù, and Mui enjoyed the Polpetti Bolognese (Bolognese-style meatballs). The table wine we ordered to go with our meal was very smooth. Sadly, the cozy atmosphere of a trattoria was missing.
Volleying ideas back and forth as we ate, we settled on Giardini Margherita for today’s ’fun after work’ sightseeing. Plus, it would give us a chance to walk off the calories from lunch. The gardens — more like a park really — are said to be a favorite among the Bolognese. It felt peaceful, even with all the people enjoying the warm afternoon sun. We walked along the paths, took a stroll around the pond, and stopped to admire the fountains. The trees were starting to show some fall colors, making the scenery beautiful.
After resting our feet on a bench in the shade, we started our walk back to the apartment.
An easy day is called for tomorrow. Well-deserved, But also because we have some computer work to do, showings to schedule, and one more apartment location to check out. After that, we’ll just see where the day takes us.Weiterlesen
Let the Recon Begin!
17. Oktober 2025 in Italien ⋅ ☀️ 66 °F
After a relaxing day yesterday, we kicked off our apartment hunt today by wandering through the neighborhoods around the Centro Storico. You see, having a signed and registered lease is a must for applying for an ERV (elective residence visa).
First up was Bolognina, a neighborhood mentioned to us by the Bolognese guy on our flight to Bologna. Naturally, there were plenty of photo ops and sightseeing along the way.
We started by taking a little detour from our apartment, just to shake things up a bit, and popped into the Basilica Parrocchia di San Martino for a quick peek inside. Then, we retraced the route we took to the apartment from the train station on the 15th. The buildings along the canal were another great spot for photos, with reflections and pigeons splashing around in the puddles.
As we walked past Piazza dell’8 Agosto, we checked out La Piazzola, a historic market that’s open on Fridays and Saturdays. Then, crossing the street, we made our way to Montagnola Park, Bologna’s oldest urban green space … which has been open to the public since 1664. We followed the path along the park’s edge and exited through the monumental staircase, which offered a nice view of the ruins of the 14th-century Castello di Galliera.
After crossing the bridge over the train tracks at Bologna Centrale, we decided to make a couple of stops. First, we snapped a photo in front of the Teatro Testoni Ragazzi, which I discovered online is all about young people’s culture. Then, we quickly peeked inside the Chiesa del Sacro Cuore di Gesù (The Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus). This huge parish church, with its copper dome and brick decorations that blend into the walls, is quite impressive—almost monumental, you might say.
Around 11:15a, we arrived in Bolognina, one of Bologna’s youngest and most cosmopolitan neighborhoods. Young people = working, and at that hour, the tree-lined streets were surprisingly quiet. I think we only saw about 10 people the whole time we were wandering around.
There were older buildings mixed with modern high-rises, but the latter only had apartments for sale. A quick check on the real estate website Mui had been looking at showed only a few apartments for rent near the stadium. No thanks. Maybe a realtor will have some options for us to check out. In the meantime, we moved Bolognina to the bottom of our list and retraced our steps back towards the train station.
After stopping at a candy store to buy some Baratti & Milano chocolates — from the company that has been around in Turin since 1858 — we arrived at Porta Galliera, one of the 10 gates of Bologna that still stands today
By this time, it was well past noon, so we turned our attention to food. Again, wanting an out-of-the-way trattoria, Mui searched Google and found Valerio, which started as a grocery store in an old salt warehouse back in 1898. The restaurant, which serves traditional Bolognese cuisine, has been in the same family for over 100 years, though the current location isn’t where it all began.
Since sidewalk dining wasn’t an option, we settled inside … fortunate to snag a table since we had no reservation. We really appreciated the cozy, old-world feel of the little place as we shared a caprese salad, tortelloni stuffed with ricotta and served with sage-infused butter, and a pork cutlet cooked Bolognese style with ham and melted cheese. It was all absolutely delicious!
After lunch, Mui suggested we take a walk to the Porto-Saragozza district, where he had recently stumbled upon what looked like a lovely penthouse apartment … walking distance to Centro Storico.
We wandered down some side streets, stopping along the way … to peek inside a small church, get some delicious gelato from Vero, and snap photos of the murals we saw.
Of course, we couldn’t see the apartment itself — it’s by appointment only — but we got a good sense of the peaceful neighborhood. We liked what we saw, so we’re planning to try to get in to see the apartment next week. But we have one concern. The listing says that it is unfurnished. If that’s true, it would be a deal breaker. Maybe the realtor will have furnished properties he can show us in this area, since we liked the neighborhood.
After heading over to Porta Saragozza, another one of Bologna’s last remaining gates, we strolled back to Piazza Maggiore — about 20 minutes away — by way of a road lined with colorful buildings and porticos.
We wrapped up our day shortly after 4:00p by taking a different route back to the apartment, passing salumerias and prosciutterias that had us salivating. We’ll have to go back for a tasting.Weiterlesen
Getting to Know Bologna
16. Oktober 2025 in Italien ⋅ ⛅ 66 °F
We kicked off our Bologna adventure with a relaxed first day, starting with a leisurely breakfast, some grocery shopping, and a stroll through the beautiful Centro Storico (historic center).
Our steps first led us to the iconic Due Torri (Two Towers), built between 1109-1119 … Asinelli, the taller of the two leaning towers, and Garisenda. Sadly, neither is open to visitors due to their pronounced tilt.
We were a bit surprised by the bustling — chaotic one might say — atmosphere around the towers. Of course, we were in what is probably the most touristy part of the city. We’ll have to see how the residential neighborhoods compare once we begin our recon in earnest.
Next, we headed to Piazza Maggiore, the heart of the city … which preserves Bologna’s 15th-century layout. We admired the beautiful palazzos, like d’Accursio (the city hall) and Biblioteca Salaborsa (the main public library), checked out the Fontana del Nettuno, and studied the architectural details all around us.
We had not planned to go inside any particular building, but we couldn’t resist checking out the Basilica di San Petronio, which was open and had no lines. The façade of this minor basilica, the construction of which began in 1390, remains incomplete to this day. Intentional or not? We’ll find out when we tour the city in earnest after we move here 🤞🏻. Inside, we found some cool murals and beautiful stained glass windows.
We continued our stroll, wandering by more palazzos and exploring the city’s UNESCO-listed arched porticos. One in particular caught our eye with its fresco-decorated roof vaults. The signs explained that Bologna’s porticos are an old architectural style that has stayed the same while changing over time. Contradictory? Sounds like it. We look forward to learning more about them.
Around 1:00p, we headed back to our neighborhood for lunch at a trattoria that Camilla, the manager of our AirBNB, had suggested. “The ragù tastes almost like my nonna’s!” … couldn’t ask for a better endorsement.
Trattoria La Montanara, with its striking red entrance, perfectly captured the Italian neighborhood vibe we were hoping for. The menu was entirely in Italian, and the owners and servers didn’t speak a word of English … which added to the authentic experience. The place was booked up inside, but we wanted to eat al fresco on the sidewalk anyway.
We knew exactly what we wanted: tagliatelle al ragù, a dish Bologna is famous for … more commonly known in the USA as Pasta Bolognese. It was absolutely delicious, and we enjoyed a ½ liter of the house red along with our pasta. For dessert, we shared a chocolate torta with Mascarpone and a Zuppa Inglesa. Yummy!
After lunch, we headed back to the apartment. Mui took a nap and then we started planning our neighborhood recons for the next few days. We have a short list of the areas we are considering and want to explore one of them each day before meeting with a realtor early next week.
A light dinner and now to bed.Weiterlesen
Hello Bologna!
15. Oktober 2025 in Italien ⋅ ☀️ 68 °F
After two uneventful flights, we landed at BLQ … Bologna’s Marconi G. Airport … a small facility that saw us deplaning directly onto the tarmac, walking to the terminal, and going through immigration formalities.
Just three days prior, the EU rolled out the new EES program. The initials stand for Entry/Exit System, marking the first step toward the long-awaited ETIAS program, which — once implemented — will require advance travel authorizations for visa-exempt travelers to enter 30 European countries.
With EES now active, we were able to join the shorter immigration queue to use the automated e-Gates to enter Italy … something we hadn’t been able to do when we visited Switzerland and Italy this summer. What a relief! From deplaning to exiting the airport with our bags, it took 15 minutes or less. Then, we hopped on the Marconi Express, an elevated electric monorail that connects the airport to Bologna Centrale, the train station.
The Via Valdonica AirBNB we rented for the first part of our stay in Bologna was just a 20-minute walk from the train station … a pleasant stroll even with bags in tow. I had to keep my phone in my purse to avoid stopping every few minutes to snap photos of everything that caught my eye along the way.
The apartment is in the Old Jewish Ghetto district of Bologna’s Centro Storico (historic center). Finding it was easy thanks to the directions provided by the apartment manager. Bright and airy — and with some quirky furnishings — it looks and feels like this will be a comfortable place for our stay. … and convenient too, since it’s pretty much walking distance to everything the city has to offer.
After checking out the amenities in the apartment, we headed out to grab a few groceries to tide us over until Mui goes to Conad City, the larger supermarket down the street tomorrow.
Our bags are now unpacked, the groceries are neatly stored, and our bellies are full after a simple dinner — a deconstructed caprese salad off sorts with juicy tomatoes, creamy burrata, olive oil, and aged balsamic vinegar … and a side of prosciutto. We were too tired from a long day of travel, especially after spending yesterday showing our friends from the US and Canada around İzmir, so we skipped the wine and beer this time. We’ll definitely make up for it tomorrow!
Bedtime!
P.S. You’ll see a lot of graffiti in the photos from our neighborhood. If we hadn’t already learned that graffiti is a way of life in Bologna, we might have left as soon as we arrived.
So what makes graffiti a way of life here? Here’s the AI response I got when I did a search on the web (an answer confirmed earlier by the Bolognese man Mui was walking with on the plane): “… due to its large student population, long history of political expression through street art, and the presence of a thriving street art scene. The city's historic architecture, particularly the iconic porticoes, provides abundant canvas space for both artistic works and unauthorized tags, creating a constant debate about vandalism versus art.”Weiterlesen
Bologna: Residency Recon
15. Oktober 2025 in Türkei ⋅ ⛅ 54 °F
Our days visiting family in İzmir tend to be busy anyway. They have been especially packed since making the decision to pursue being expats in Italy by applying for an ERV (Elective Residence Visa).
We’ve been looking into what it all means, and it’s given us a bit of confidence that things might actually work out.
🇮🇹 We better understand the tax stuff … the good news is that the tax treaty between the USA and Italy helps soften the blow.
🇮🇹 We’ve got a list of what we need to do to get an ERV … and it looks like we’re well-qualified for meeting those requirements.
🇮🇹 We’ve picked Bologna as our home base.
Why Bologna? Why not! Can you imagine eating as much tagliatelle al ragù as you want? Or mortadella? Or ricotta and fig gelato? And so much more. All specialties of what some call “Italy’s most delicious city!”
Seriously, though. We want to be in the north of the country. We want somewhere less crowded and less touristy than Rome, Venice, or Florence. We want a spot that’s easy to get around … that is a good transportation hub. We want a place that has a good mix of culture and history. And we want it to have easy access to all the services necessary for setting up residency. Bologna fits the bill.
But! And it’s a big but … we’ve never been to Bologna! We don’t know the city firsthand. Our knowledge comes only from what we’ve read about it in our research.
So, to rectify the situation, we are leaving today for a three-week recon trip to Bologna.
Most of our time will be spent ‘working’, so to speak. But we’re expecting to have fun too as we get to know the city we’re hoping will be our home for a while.Weiterlesen
It Started With A Dream
16. September 2025 in Türkei ⋅ ☀️ 88 °F
When: April 2024
Where: Crossing Australia’s “Red Center” on The Ghan
It was the third day of our train journey from Darwin to Adelaide, and we were about to explore the opal mining town of Coober Pedy. We were enjoying breakfast as The Ghan chugged along to the Manguri rail siding, where we’d be detraining for a couple of hours for our excursion.
Mui, sipping his coffee — iced as usual to avoid burning his mouth — started sharing a dream he’d had the night before—or maybe it was in the early morning hours. “I was walking the hallways of the FAO headquarters in Rome,” he said, “on my way to a meeting.”
FAO, the Food and Agricultural Organization — a specialized agency of the United Nations — was where his father had worked in the early 60s … when Mui was just a kid. That assignment had taken the family to Rome for three years, sparking Mui’s lifelong love affair with Italy.
There was more to the dream, but let’s skip ahead.
We chatted about the possibility of moving to Italy to live there as expats for a year or two, or maybe even longer. If he had a job, our expenses would be covered. Maybe the dream was an omen. So, Mui started looking into job opportunities with the FAO, found one he was well-suited for, and submitted his application. Then the waiting began … while we went about life as usual. Eight months later, he got a letter saying the position was canceled because of funding issues.
In the meantime, we were thinking about other options. We could use the 90/180 Schengen rule to spend shorter spurts of time in Italy. Or, we could apply for an elective residence visa (ERV) for a longer stay.
We started focusing on these two ideas.
We talked back and forth about what to do. Then, our travels took us to Northern Italy as part of our summer 2025 road trip. Spending a week in Orta and Verbania sealed the deal … we decided to apply for the ERV and see where it would take us.
But there was a challenge we had to overcome first.
Our residence being in Colorado, we would have to wait to apply for the ERV after we returned home at the end of December. But we could use the time until then to make plans … figure out where we wanted to base ourselves and maybe even squeeze in a recon trip … find out what the tax implications of the move might be … research the nitty-gritty of the requirements for the ERV … get advice from a friend who lives in Bologna when he is not on a ship somewhere around the world … etc, etc.
Decision made. The real work started.Weiterlesen
