Walking tour

I am currently at Bar Vittorio Emanuele, facing the main church. I don't think it is a "duomo. " Maybe a basilica? I'm having an espresso and a cornetto before my walking tour of Bologna.

The tour started at the two towers in the center with about 12 people. Our guide was from Ferrara and gave a shout out to there. We learned about why there are so many porticos in Bologna. It was very dirty and smelly near the street, so they put pillars over the walkways to extend their 2nd floor. Next, we went to the old market, which is now the chamber of commerce. It seemed like we crisscrossed the main area several times. We went to the old university, which is now a library. There were city and country crests from all over the world--including the US and Peru. She took us down the market street, which was amazing!

Finally, we went to the original Jewish ghetto. I knew that the first ghetto was in Venice. But I learned that at first, the ghettos were only in the towns ruled by the pope. She showed us a "peep hole" in the ceiling of the portico that they would use to see if there was danger. Then, they could escape through tunnels and passages between the buildings.

This is where she left us. The girl next to me asked whether I had changed for a 20€ so she could tip. We started chatting, and I found out that she is Polish, but she has lived in Rome and currently lives in Barcelona. There was a young guy from San Francisco who I'd talked to a bit, and the 3 of us decided to get lunch...Read more