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Palazzo della Mercanzia

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    • Italia 2023 🤩
      253
      Day 16

      Heladería la Vecchia Stalla y más

      September 5, 2023 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

      De postrecito, unos deliciosos helados de donde trabaja Daniellita pero en la Cremeria del centro. 🍨🍦🍦 deliciosossss! Gracias Daniellita 😘 😘 😘
      Luego pasamos por, las dos torres de Bologna.

      Las dos torres son comúnmente reconocidas como símbolo de Bolonia y están situadas en el corazón de la ciudad en el punto de salida de la antigua via Emilia.

      Se construyeron durante el medioevo con una función militar (de señalización y de defensa) y representaban con su grandeza el prestigio social de la familia que había financiado su construcción.      Read more

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    • Laurie ReynoldsChristmas in Italy --2017
      Day 8

      Day trip to Ferrara

      December 24, 2017 in Italy ⋅ 🌙 5 °C

      Another nice sunny day with temps getting above freezing, hooray! We took a morning train to Ferrara, where the main attractions are the 14th century castle, a medieval quarter-Jewish ghetto, and a Romanesque cathedral. Lots of walking, a cappuccino or two, into dungeons, through narrow streets and big plazas, but BAM-- turning one corner to see the facade of the cathedral covered for repair. Talk about bummers. I am no stranger to cathedral facades being covered, as the one in Santiago has been covered for years. But unfortunately I won't be back in Ferrara anytime soon, unlike Santiago. Oh well, we had a great lunch to make up for it, in the Osteria del Ghetto.

      After lunch, walking up to the Renaissance quarter, we passed the Resistance Museum and went in. The woman asked where we were from and when I told her the US, I added that we needed some training in resistance right now. Lots of interesting stuff from early fights for Ferrara independence up through WWII. Some very graphic and sad.

      Now back in Bologna, the city is busy and animated, not at all like I remember Lisbon on Christmas Eve. I'm sure we will have no trouble finding a good meal, once Joe gets up from resting his sore feet.

      Merry Christmas one and all!!!      Read more

    • Laurie ReynoldsChristmas in Italy --2017
      Day 5

      Arrived in Bologna

      December 21, 2017 in Italy ⋅ 🌙 0 °C

      Took a fast train to Bologna and we were checked into out apartment by 2. We spent the afternoon getting our bearings and doing some grocery shopping — not that we plan to cook much! What a beautiful city. We are right in the center of the old town and every direction you walk you see something beautiful. Heading out for an early dinner because we are taking an early-ish train to Ravenna for the day.Read more

    • Laurie ReynoldsChristmas in Italy --2017
      Day 7

      Day in Bologna

      December 23, 2017 in Italy ⋅ 🌙 3 °C

      Today was another beautiful day in Bologna. We climbed the 498 stairs to the top of the tallest of the Two Towers, with gorgeous views below. We then went to the Medieval Museum that had some amazing stuff for people who like medieval things like me (and Joe tolerates it). Then to a special exhibit of Mexican muralists -- Diego Rivera, Siqueiros, and Orozco, apparently the trinity of Mexican muralists. Great exhibit -- it had been scheduled to arrive in Santiago Chile the very day Salvador Allende was deposed, so it never was shown. Now it is making a comeback.

      After a grilled panini, boy are they wonderful here, we spent a few hours wandering around, looking at Renaissance buildings, and marveling at the beautiful historical center. On weekends, no cars are allowed in many places, so it was really wonderful. Dinner at Cesarina, in San Steffano square, near an amazing complex of churches starting in 350 AD. The food was absolutely great, this is definitely a place to recommend. The waiter recommended a San Genovese wine, and we were happy. After a post-prandial saunter around the old town, ending in the Piazza Maggiore, we were filled to the brim with good feelings. Tomorrow a day trip to Ferrara, which is a fully walled town (I'll have to compare it to Avila) will a highly touted historical center. Hoping for good weather and good food, which seems to be the norm so far!      Read more

    • Laurie ReynoldsChristmas in Italy --2017
      Day 9

      Christmas Day in Bologna

      December 25, 2017 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 7 °C

      Our day can be summed up in three words -- walking, eating, and churches. We had a reservation in a fancy place (the menu had been vetted by our foodie friends Tina and John and they told us to go for it) for 1:30. That gave us a few hours in the morning to work up an appetite and a few hours after lunch to walk off some of our massive caloric intake. The morning walk included the Jewish Ghetto and several churches, my favorite being Sao Giacomo. Then a 3 1/2 hour pause for a very excellent lunch (probably my longest meal ever). And then more walking for more churches, where we saw a beautiful automated nativity scene in San Francesco and the church of San Dominic (where he is buried and his resting place is adorned with three Michaelangelo statues!). Walking from church to church is also a fun way to see the city. They are spread all over, in all kinds of residential districts, frequently in beautiful piazzas. Most streets in the old part of Bologna are arcaded, so even if the weather hadn't been marvelous, we wouldn't have needed any umbrellas. Rain is in the forecast at last, so we may test those arcades out!

      Christmas Day is a great day to visit churches in Bologna, as you might imagine. All seemed to be open well beyond their stated opening times. We often heard bells ringing, Christmas carols being sung, lots of candles lighted inside. Lots and lots of people out walking in the squares, but now that it's about 8 pm we are ready to call it quits on what has been an outstanding Christmas Day. Hope yours was very merry as well!      Read more

    • Laurie ReynoldsChristmas in Italy --2017
      Day 10

      Day trip to Parma

      December 26, 2017 in Italy ⋅ 🌫 4 °C

      Today as we walked to the Bologna Train Station, it was misty and chilly. Same when we got off the train in Parma. No sun today, but hardly any precipitation either, so we are not complaining.

      Though most people think of parma ham and parmigiano reggiano when they think of Parma, I think of a Romanesque cathedral and a Medieval Baptistry. They were just gorgeous. Well worth the trip in and of themselves. Unfortunately, Dec. 26 seems to be a semi-official holiday, and though the monuments were all open, all of the salumerias (places selling all those local goodies, like a delicatessen I suppose) were locked up tight. There are also local factories to visit, but they are all out of town and we had no means of transport. So we took our guidebook's advice and went to eat lunch at a place called Trattoria del Tribunale. Best sauteed spinach with garlic and parmesan I've ever had. Plus an eggplant parmegiana for me and a yummy veal cutlet for Joe. Definitely highly recommended if you ever get to Parma!

      After lunch we spent a couple of hours in the art and the archaeological museums —a Leonardo, some Carveggios and an El Greco. And I finally found some pilgrims to Santiago in a 14th century tryptych.

      The one hour trip to Bologna was easy.

      Many restaurants are closed on Dec. 26 in Bologna, but we were lucky and found the Osteria Broccaindiso. Joe’s tortelloni with ricotta and sage was very yummy.      Read more

    • Laurie ReynoldsChristmas in Italy --2017
      Day 11

      Last full day in Bologna

      December 27, 2017 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 9 °C

      This morning we started in the Resistance Museum, a pretty somber place dealing with Italian fascism and WWII. Lots of information and pictures, with even an interesting room about Italian participation in the International Brigades in the Spanish Civil War. We were very happy to get English translations of all of the panels, even though the translation at times was not quite clear!

      Wandering through the old town, we came upon the oldest building of the University of Bologna, which itself is one of the contenders for the title "world's oldest university." Though the city now owns the building, several of the rooms are open for visitors, very nice.

      At noon, we met up with a good friend of our pal Lorraine. Irma, an African Historian at Bologna, took us to lunch at an old lively place where they still make their pasta by hand, the Osteria dell'Orsa. This was the place to eat tagliatelle with bolognese sauce, no doubt about it.

      After a walk through the university district with Irma, we went to the largest art museum in Bologna. Lots of medieval art (yay) and lots of Baroque/mannerist (boo). The rain stopped by the time we left the museum, and one more stroll through the old town looking at all the food and markets was a nice end of the afternoon. Some good dark chocolate was a special treat. We are now trying to decide on dinner, not sure whether to return to a known place we loved or to try something new. Hard choices here in Bologna!      Read more

    • Laurie ReynoldsChristmas in Italy --2017
      Day 12

      Modena Museum Moratorium

      December 28, 2017 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 4 °C

      We decided to have a low key strolling the streets kind of day, which we stuck to even though there were showers off and on, and the pull of the art museum with its Velazquez painting was tempting. But we decided we were pretty oversaturated with museums right now, and given that we would have many days of many museums in Venice, we opted for the outdoor approach to Modena.

      Of the day trips we have taken, Modena was probably my favorite little town. It is just beautiful in the center -- well maintained, obviously prosperous, and the Piazza Maggiore with its pure, unadulturated, un-updated, "unimproved" Romanesque cathedral is one of the most beautiful I've ever been in or enjoyed from the outside.

      The town market is one of those classics, great for walking around and seeing how lucky the townsfolk are to have this place for all sorts of beautiful looking food. And it’s also the place where balsamic vinegar got its start— we saw some little perfume size jars with prices near 100€. No, I did not buy one.

      And the food was great, the little we sampled. From Joe's cappuchino (pronounced excellent) to our plates of pasta in the Trattoria Giardinetto (mine with a creamy lemon sauce, Joe's was arrabiata, and the pastas were all made on the premises) we were very happy when we got back on the train in the late afternoon for the half hour ride back to our little apartment.

      Sent from my iPad      Read more

    • skip's retirement travelItaly
      Day 29

      Bologna

      March 31, 2022 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 11 °C

      Bologna is a north central Italian city with human habitation dating to at least the 3rd millennium BCE, although as a city, it is essentially Etruscan in origin. World war 2 saw extensive damage to the city, including the historical center. The Roman road the Via Emilia passes through Bologna and was a significant factor in it's early development.
      After world war 2 a significant effort was made to restore the historic buildings that had been damaged, and a careful restoration and conservation protocol is in place to help preserve it.
      Bologna is a city of loggia, arched and covered sidewalks like in the 1st picture. These are throughout the historic city center. The 2nd picture is the Piazza Maggiore or large plaza that is the center of town. The church to the right is the Basilica of San Petrino. The 3rd picture is in the nave of San Petrino.
      The 4th picture looks at an older version of the loggia. These are old houses where the 1st story extends over the street.
      The 5th picture are the iconic 2 towers that are located where the ancient Via Emilia entered the old city. The towers date to the early 12 the century. Yes, one is leaning badly, so much so that Dante made it famous in the Inferno.
      The 6th picture is the Archiginnasio of Bologna that dates to the 16th century as a building where all the medieval disciplines could be studied under one roof instead of separate buildings.      Read more

    You might also know this place by the following names:

    Palazzo della Mercanzia

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