We used our last full day in Italy exploring the city of Bologna. Most famous for its cuisine (see day 8), Bologna also has a dynamic history going back to 1000 B.C. It’s been a center of culture, architecture, art and music in Italy for centuries and, as home to the world’s oldest university, it’s steeped in academic tradition.
One of its most distinctive features are the thousands of porticos, or arched walls, that fill the city, many of which were built in the Middle Ages. They’re such a part of the city’s personality that they’re being considered for a UNESCO property listing. They give a character to the town that can’t be found anywhere else.
The Fountain of Neptune stands near the city’s main public plaza, Piazza Maggiore. Completed in 1597, it was commissioned in honor of the election of Pope Pius IV. Luxury auto brand Maserati uses the statue’s trident design in its company logo.The basilica and clock tower of Santi Bartolomeo e Gaetano near Bologna’s iconic Due Torri (Two Towers).A little of everything Bologna… Asinelli Tower, the tallest of Bologna’s iconic Two Towers, and the porticos lining the old streets.A piazza in the center of the University of Bologna campus.Porticos surrounding the central piazza on the University of Bologna campus.The late afternoon sun finally broke through after two days of fog during our time in Bologna.Graffiti on storefronts near the University of Bologna campus.
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Travel days are often the worst part of traveling. They’re full of unexpected delays, bad food and mysterious sights, smells and sounds. The first half of day eight of our adventures around Europe became one of those travel days.
Fog delayed our train from Florence to Bologna by more than an hour. What should have been an easy 35 minute trip became a multi-hour ordeal. Being in Italy, we missed out on the bad food experience, killing 90 minutes in the train station cafe drinking espresso and enjoying Ortolano sandwiches from the deli. We scored seats on the train next to the lady who spent the whole trip talking on her phone while her fussy kids cried for attention.
But it can always be worse and our travel karma balanced out when we arrived in Bologna. Our B&B was wonderful and our host, Mario, gave us a perfect lunch recommendation nearby.
Ristorante da Bertino e Figli is exactly how we pictured a small Italian restaurant; several tables packed closely together, the walls plastered in framed photos and newspaper clippings. Everyone had wine with their lunch, the conversation growing more boisterous with each passing sip. Dogs accompanied their owners into the restaurant, laying quietly under the tables as if they’d been here before.
And the food… One of Bologna’s nicknames is “La Grassa,” or “Fat” thanks to its world-famous cuisine. Tortellini, lasagne and mortadella (Americans might be more familiar with Oscar Meyer’s version called bologna) all got their start here. We had gnocchi and spinach/ricotta-stuffed tortelloni, both smothered in tomato sauce. For dessert, almond cake and semifreddo al mascarpone.
Each bite was to be savored, exploring the textures and flavors as the layers melted away in our mouths. At the end of the meal, we were looking for someone to hug or somewhere to cry tears of joy from an unforgettable meal, the best so far in Italy.
The lobby of Ristorante da Bertino e Figli.Dessert of almond cake and semifreddo al mascarpone, better known as tiramisu.Students walking around the Communications campus of the University of Bologna. The city also earned the nickname of “La Dotta,” or “Eridite,” for its long history of higher education. The University of Bologna is the world’s oldest, dating back to 1088 and boasting alumni like Nicolaus Copernicus (who figured out the sun was the center of the solar system), author Dante Alighieri and Guglielmo Marconi, the inventor of the radio.The corner supermarket by our B&B had a nice selection of local nuts, and these guys who were a long way from home! Yay for Oregon hazelnuts!
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There are just a handful of landmarks that are intertwined with the identity of a place. The Great Wall of China. The Statue of Liberty. The Eiffel Tower. And the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
On our last day in Florence, we took a day trip out to Pisa to see one of the world’s great architectural follies. Construction on the grand tower began in 1173, but stopped just a few years in as the first three tiers began to list. Pisa’s artisans started again 100 years later, but could never solidify the foundation, built atop soft sand and clay. To compensate for the lean, the builders created a subtle curve in the remaining tiers.
The tower continued to sink as the centuries passed. By the 1990s, it had a five degree lean and was in danger of collapsing. To bring the tower back to its original lean, workers excavated more than 70 tons of soil from the north side, effectively sinking it back to “level.” The solution is expected to preserve the structure for another 300 years.
In person, the lean of the tower is far more impressive than in photos. The flag atop the tower is perpendicular to the ground and the neighboring Baptistry (which leans 51 cm itself) provide a baseline to see how far off-plumb it really is.
The quintessential Pisa photo is the “holding up the tower” shot. Watching all the tourists holding contorted positions and balancing precariously on posts and rails, all for the perfect shot, is part of the experience.
The neighboring Baptistry provides a point of comparison to show the amount of lean in the tower.From this angle, the “banana curve” of the tower can be seen. The original builders attempted to compensate for the tilted base by curving the remaining tiers.Close-up of the base. The tower began to list after the first three tiers were built due to the unstable sand and clay soil under the foundation.Holding up the tower is a lot of work. That’s why the tourists take turns.Imagine this scene without the tower…The tower’s neighbors in Campo del Miracola, the Duomo and Baptistry, are also slightly crooked at 25 cm and 51 cm respectively.Back in Florence to finish the day, we walked through the south part of town and across the Ponte Vecchio bridge. The bridge is lined with shops on both sides. Originally butcher shops, they now host jewelry and clothing shops.
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On our sixth day in Italy, we set out on a tour of Tuscany’s wine country by way of its historical medieval villages.
We started in San Gimignano, home to a village that dates back to 3 B.C. During the Middle Ages, the city was a popular stop for Catholic pilgrims and experienced an era of growth, adding several churches and large towers. Many of those towers still stand today, making the walled city on a hill look like a mini stone metropolis from a distance.
Lunch was at Trattoria Borgo di Racciano, a nearby vineyard, olive grove, restaurant and bed and breakfast. The menu boasts typical Tuscan food, but they do a set menu for tour groups. We started with bruschetta topped with their homemade olive oil and slices of local cheese (most plates had two slices of salami, but everyone was envious of the cheese on the vegetarian option). The second course was a simple penne pasta with tomato sauce, but it was easily the best I’ve ever had. We finished with biscotti and Vin Santo, a strong, sweet dessert wine. The cookies are meant to be dipped in the wine. All the while, bottles of white and red wine from the vineyard lined the tables. I had a bit of a nap on the bus after lunch.
From lunch, we went to the city of Siena. Possibly the most famous of Tuscany’s hill towns, it has a recorded history back to 900 B.C. Walking through the old streets was like stepping back in time, although the luxury jewelry, clothing and gelato shops kept one foot planted in the present. Our favorite part was the town square, Piazza del Campo, where we watched kids playing with confetti and silly string while dressed in costumes as they celebrated Carnivale.
We had one last brief stop in the small village of Monteriggioni. It was after dark already and the town had mostly shut down for the day. It’s most notable for being used in the description of the rings of Hell in Dante Alighieri’s 1320 poem “Divine Comedy.”
The streets of San Gimignano.A group of locals gathered in San Gimignano’s town square to chat and watch the tourists go by.Torre Grossa, the tallest of San Gimignano’s 14 towers.It’s darks day in San Gimignano.A view of San Gimignano’s towers from Borgo di Racciano.A lonely olive on one of the trees in Borgo di Racciano’s grove.
The Siena Cathedral, built in the 13th century, features one of the world’s most ornate church facades.Confetti and silly string color Siena’s Piazza del Campo.
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After four wonderful days in Rome, we moved north to Florence. Known by the locals as Firenze, the town is like stepping into a Renaissance time machine.
There are a ton of amazing sights and experiences in Florence, but our first day was all about seeing David. Michelangelo’s iconic statue of a naked David after slaying Goliath stands in the heart of the Galleria dell’Accademia. The museum was originally intended to be the quintessential collection of the Master’s work, but in the end, it only contains a few of Michelangelo’s unfinished works and, of course, David.
We arrived before the tour groups, giving us a good 30 minutes with David unencumbered by other visitors. We took a ton of photos, then just sat and observed the craftsmanship. The joints and striations of the muscles and tendons are impeccable, as are the details of the veins bulging from his hands and arms. The proportions are near perfect, although his hands and feet seem a little large.
Then there his, well, manhood. It’s the primary feature by which people recognize the work. And it’s prominent. The statue is elevated on a marble base, so it’s front and center in every photo. At the time, you don’t give it much thought, but after we got back to the hotel and started looking at some of the pics, we couldn’t help but giggle a bit.
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The Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore is one of Florence’s most popular landmarks. Built in the 1400s, it’s one of Italy’s largest churches and certainly doesn’t fit in a single photo frame!
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