A Slice of Bologna
May 30, 2016 0:33:02 GMT
Post by fumobici on May 30, 2016 0:33:02 GMT
I had a few hours to spare travelling from Venice to Arezzo on the train, hadn't been to Bologna in some time and thought I should at least do a quick spin as I was passing through. Probably the singular most defining architectural feature of the city are its covered sidewalks in the centro.
Not having a lot of time I head directly from the station to the heart of the city Piazza Maggiore-
The city's Duomo faces on the P. Maggiore-
Not really atypically in Italy, the duomo is only half finished on its facade and exterior, they having apparently run out of money before the white marble facade could be hung over the plainer brick or stone work that is under all old Italian churches.
I love this little nearby park dominated by a single huge tree-
Wandering the centro I stumble upon a flea market/antique fair-
I continue along the covered walks through the old city-
As one often sees in old cities, one of the original city gates stands in a square with its walls no longer connected-
At a convergence of streets in the center stand the two towers that are icons of Bologna-
This video gives a far better sense of what it was like there on a Sunday afternoon than my still shots-
I'd never seen the street I am walking down in the last part of the video closed to traffic before, I love it. Very nice passaggiata.
I also love this very old timbered building, you'd never see this in Tuscany. I think it's a club for ex-soldiers now.
There are a network of canals running through Bologna, but almost all are completely hidden or underground, although they can be glimpsed in a couple of places from the street.
I pass through a green park and by a book fair on my way back towards the station.
That was much too brief a visit, I hope I am back before long and can stay a while. The food here is enough by itself to make the city worth staying in.
Not having a lot of time I head directly from the station to the heart of the city Piazza Maggiore-
The city's Duomo faces on the P. Maggiore-
Not really atypically in Italy, the duomo is only half finished on its facade and exterior, they having apparently run out of money before the white marble facade could be hung over the plainer brick or stone work that is under all old Italian churches.
I love this little nearby park dominated by a single huge tree-
Wandering the centro I stumble upon a flea market/antique fair-
I continue along the covered walks through the old city-
As one often sees in old cities, one of the original city gates stands in a square with its walls no longer connected-
At a convergence of streets in the center stand the two towers that are icons of Bologna-
This video gives a far better sense of what it was like there on a Sunday afternoon than my still shots-
I'd never seen the street I am walking down in the last part of the video closed to traffic before, I love it. Very nice passaggiata.
I also love this very old timbered building, you'd never see this in Tuscany. I think it's a club for ex-soldiers now.
There are a network of canals running through Bologna, but almost all are completely hidden or underground, although they can be glimpsed in a couple of places from the street.
I pass through a green park and by a book fair on my way back towards the station.
That was much too brief a visit, I hope I am back before long and can stay a while. The food here is enough by itself to make the city worth staying in.
But seriously, Bologna would serve very well as a regional base as you can see Florence, Milan, Venice , Modena, Padua, Verona, Ravenna and much more, all within a couple of hours reach on the fantastic and cheap Italian train system. What did I eat? Lunch. I had a caprese salad and a glass of wine 'al banco' at an enoteca (wine bar) and later a pastry and coffee at a bar. No proper meals at all unfortunately. Bologna is one city where I am not afraid to drop some money to be well fed a proper sit down meal, but it just wasn't in the cards for this visit I'm afraid. I'll be getting to Florence soon enough, I was lucky enough to have a few days there before I flew home from the little airport there.
