Santuario di Santa Maria della Vita

We had every intention of waking up early, getting on Italian time, and wandering around the city. But that wasn’t reality. Somehow our alarm didn’t go off (more likely I didn’t set it right) and we didn’t wake up until noon. Whoops! But then we were off and running.

We started our day with an Italian lunch at San Marini Bistro- a random bistro we found just walking around. Lunch consisted of a beautiful charcuterie tray with local meats and cheese and spaghetti carbonara. I loved the appetizer and Dave was in heaven with his first carbonara in years! We finished it off with a doppio espresso and we were ready to go!

The afternoon was lovely but uneventful. We wondered around the city noticing beautiful architecture everywhere we turned. We came across a random water fountain where a small little dog was cooling off. We did a little shopping (which Dave made fun of me for doing) but of course he’s the only one who bought something.

We wandered a little more enjoying the beautiful pasta and meat shops before we came to the plaza San Stefano. We took in our first church of the visit which was beautiful, but we were hot and tired and decided to seek out some gelato to cool off. While I’ve always sworn off fruity ice cream- I may now be a convert, at least in the daytime. We had the most amazing and refreshing mixed berry and lemon gelato. Delicious!

A quick stop back at the hotel and we are ready for our real adventure of the day! We are climbing one of the Due Torres- the two towers of Bologna. These medieval towers are the tallest medieval tower in the world and was built between 1109 and 1119 by the Asinelli family. Just 498 stairs- we can do it, right?

Post-climb update: we did it! We started up and immediately commented how narrow the staircase was. How do we get back down?? Well- soon we found out- the same way! Every time you hit a platform, you would have to stop and wait for one group to come down before the other went up. The stairs were old and steep. Made of wood that you could see how worn it was from all the steps taken there. It’s really astonishing to think about how they were able to build something like that over 900 years ago. We made it to the top and it was well worth it. The views of the city and even better, the views of the surrounding area was amazing. We saw many of the churches we had previously seen on our walks but never appreciated how large and grandiose they were.

The climb up (and maybe even more down) helped build an appetite so we stopped at pasticcerria caffeterria San Stefano for an aperitivo. We had been eyeing a “Hugo” since last night (Prosecco with elderberry and mint) and it didn’t disappoint. We also ordered their special, Tagliere salumi formaggi crescentine calvo, and think we found heaven on earth. A huge platter of meat and cheese were served with fresh fried puffs of dough and they did not disappoint. We definitely love this atmosphere ,where one can sit, relax, eat and enjoy watching all of the people walk by.

We finished the evening with dinner near the main Piazza at Clavature where we finally tried Tortellini which originated in Bologna. One was the traditional way “en brodo” and one stuffed with pumpkin, Balsalmic vinegar and bacon. Plus a beautiful salad with fresh mozzarella. Plus a wine and beer. Plus a tiramisu. All while listening to a live guitar. Oh- and we had to stop at a gelato place I had been eyeing since we got here and where we split a mint chocolate chip and Nutella gelato. That’s it- I promise. My stomach can’t handle any more! it was a perfect end to a day of nothing, but everything.

Walking tally for the day: 17.2k steps, 7.08 miles, 21 flights climbed.Read more