It was so nice to wake up in beautiful Bologna this morning. We had a late one last night, after reaching our accommodation, then finding a restaurant close by to have some dinner. It is very typical of Italian's not to eat at restaurants until at least 8pm. So when we ventured out after 9, there were plenty of people out and about. I had a leisurely sleep in today, unusual for me, and only woke because Shannon woke me at 9am! Our B&B host Maria, was kind enough to leave us some breakfast supplies in our apartment, so we were able to enjoy fresh fruit, toasts and spreads, juice and coffee before we ventured out to explore.
 |
| Taking in the beautiful sights of Bologna |
I've had the conversation with many people before, about how people are drawn for some reason or another to certain places - for us it is most certainly Italy. Walking the cobbled stoned streets of Bologna this morning, I couldn't help but smile - feeling so lucky to be enjoying this beautiful town. Bologna is an ancient walled city. While you're surrounded by a Medieval wall and ancient buildings, this is a town that has a great contrast of old and new. Many designer shops line the streets along with the coffee bars, Tabacchi which sell an array of items, mini supermarkets and restaurants. The locals are bright and friendly and bend over backwards to make you feel welcome, with their very good English. An attempt at the Italian language goes a long way with the locals and we are pleased to have remembered the basics from last time, to communicate a little.
Being a Saturday morning, the town was all a bustle with locals enjoying the sun and the shopping. We wandered through the main square "Piazza Maggiore" and admired the fountain of Neptune.
 |
| The fountain of Neptune |
We decided to hit a few museums today, to understand Bologna's history and how it came to be. First we visited the Medieval Museum, which was quite interesting - a place I wish I could bring my year 8 students when I teach Medieval History - it really brings it to life.
 |
| Medieval horse armour |
Next we went to the Anatomical Theatre and Stabat Mater Lecture Hall. This was the very first part of Bologna's University - in the anatomy theatre, they would dissect bodies right in the centre of the lecture hall - delightful.
 |
| Anatomical theatre - where dissection took place |
It was at this point we decided to have some lunch. We found a bar right in the centre that served lunch and faced the main square. There was also some mini music festival happening - to my absolute delight an acapella gospel group performed in English! What a treat to feast on Margherita Crostini and listen to beautiful harmonies.We left and were headed for the museum of Bologna's history, when we arrived at the "Two Towers". Bologna was once a town of many towers. These days there are two that stand proud in the centre - Asinelli and Garisenda. Asinelli is open for people to climb to it's top and be rewarded with amazing views over Bologna. The catch - Asinelli has 495 wooden stairs to climb. Shannon had read about this before the trip and decided he was going to climb to the top. I was not confident. So, Shannon bravely set off for the top, winding up narrow staircases, while I waited at the bottom, watching the world go by. He made it in 20 or so minutes! I was so proud! The views he had were simply breathtaking...
 |
| view from the top! |
 |
| steep staircase! |
 |
| about to climb 495 stairs... |
We eventually made it to the museum of the history of Bologna which was very informative and enjoyed a latte macchiato, before walking back to our accommodation via a tiny supermarket for snacks. Maria had put together a list of top restaurants for us, so we headed to number one on her list. "We don't open til 8"...So we headed to number 2..."fully booked"...hungry and slightly frustrated we walked on. We eventually stumbled upon a tiny restaurant in a back street and very glad we did. The service was fantastic and the food very good. While a little pricey, the tortellini and grilled steak were very good. We had an amazing day and can't wait for tomorrow for some more exploring.
 |
| Enjoying a traditional Bolognese dinner. |
Tomorrow - the little train that could.
No comments:
Post a Comment