Do as the locals do

Today wasn't about hitting the 'must see sites', but about relaxing and enjoying the city. As the Italians would say, 'La dolce vita' or Live the sweet life. This is a reminder to slow down and live in the moment. So, we took the opportunity today to have a leisurely morning, catching up on laundry and reading before we ventured out in the late morning. We were peckish but didn't feel like a huge meal for lunch. Our wandering led us to a narrow street lined with bars and restaurants. We came across a tiny place with high tables outside that literally served one type of dish - 'Tigelle'. Tigelle are a typical Bolognese snack or light lunch dish. They are small, round toasted sandwiches, shall we say, filled with various toppings. Shannon and I both chose Mortadella from Bologna, along with asparagus cream, soft cheese, and a tomato/onion relish. Simple and delicious and exactly the kind of thing we were looking for. They also paired nicely with a glass of Lambrusco.

  

We left our lunch spot and headed off on a slow walk around the city, watching people on their daily business, gazing in at windows of shops and enjoying some sunshine. Most businesses close between 1 and 3:30pm, particularly in the winter, which means window shopping only if you're out and about this time of day! We drooled over parmesan and tortellini sold fresh, meats and vegetable dishes available to 'take away', fresh flowers and bread. We could picture life as a local here - purchasing different goods at smaller places rather than the larger supermarket.

Parmesan cheese shop!

Local butcher - tongue anyone?

  

On the way back to our accommodation, we stopped at a little cafe two doors down from our apartment that we had walked passed several times a day. I needed a little coffee hit, so we ordered Macchiato 'grande' (espresso with a dollop of foam and make it big). I asked the cafe owner if she had cake, and she enthusiastically pointed out the Baclava in the glass case. Turns out she is from Morocco and making a living running a little cafe in Bologna. We got back to our apartment and spent some time reviewing the next week's activities and prepared a simple dinner.

We headed back out after dinner in search of Gelati. Yes, it's winter, but gelati is practically mandatory daily. We returned to a little place we had been to a couple of days ago, where they had some creative combinations of flavours. Shannon chose a chocolate fondant and milk and egg, and I had tiramisu and nocciola, which is hazelnuts. Delicious! 

It was getting chilly, so we started walking back in the direction of our apartment but stopped when we came to the main square. A large group of people formed in front of the cathedral, some with instruments and they started singing. You can imagine the joy this brought to this choir singer! So rather than go straight home, we found a wine bar on the piazza where we could sit outside and enjoy a glass of wine while listening to the singing. Our glass of wine turned into a tasting of three different wines and a purchase of a bottle to take home. Another delightful day.

Wine tasting and a 'snack' - gnocco fritto and mortadella