We used this title because, while we’ve walked through Bologna at night, we are finally going to see different areas during the day. Prepare yourself for lots of pictures.
One of us slept in so we didn’t leave the house until almost 11 am. It was a bustling morning – dining in the alleyways, shopping, walking the baby, walking the dog(s)… the make-up of the crowd here consists of plenty of retired couples but age 0 to 40 looks to be the majority. A lot of them are university students.
Today we are doing our pre-planned walking tour around the Piazza Maggiore (Main Square). One our way to the piazza, we realized that they shut down the major roads leading to and around the piazza to motorized traffic. It made getting around the area easier (except for trying to stay out of the sun).
The first place we stopped was Cattedrale di San Pietro (Cathedral of St. Peter). This was one of those, “We’ve walked by here over and over. Let’s stop.” moments that resulted in a wonderful stop. The artistry of the sanctuary was beautiful. The church was built and consecrated in 1184.
We went into a chocolate shop, but most things are wrapped up beautifully, so the scent wasn’t like chocolate shops in the US.
While Linda stopped in an optical shop, Dave visited Palazzo d’Accursio. This building used to be the administrative offices site. It is now commercial property. Dave was amazed by the difference between the exterior and interior look and feel.
We continued our walk and stopped at Tower Galluzzi which is one of the remaining defensive towers from the 12th century.
We entered the Palazzo dell’Archiginnasio which is on Piazza Maggiore. The buildings originally were a part of the University of Bologna. Now they house the library. Dave read that the scholars quickly built the Palazzo so as to impede the expansion of Santa Maria della Vita’s growth.
The shops and outdoor markets were overflowing with cured meat and cheeses, bread, and pastries (see lunch photo), fish, fruits, and vegetables. We decided to do some ‘take away’ ordering and go home for lunch. We had a bottle of prosecco that our host greeted us with that we hadn’t drunk and we didn’t want to carry it to Florence tomorrow. We bought salami, prosciutto, mortadella, gorgonzola, a loaf of bread, a wild berry tart, pompoloni (which was like a lemon cream filled roll) and with the fruit we bought in Modena yesterday, it was quite a spread. Yum.
As we headed home, we encountered the Asinelli Tower and Garisenda Tower. These are considered the “Two Towers.” They are likely the most famous of the ancient towers. As you can see in the picture, the Garisenda Tower has a significant lean to it.
At 5 pm we headed back out, starting at the Basilica di San Petronio then going to Santa Maria della Vita. We have seen so many beautiful churches that we didn’t feel the basilica stood out, though there are plenty of pictures. Maybe we were just expecting more. Santa Maria is a small church and quite beautiful. It’s strange how our expectations have changed regarding how nice the churches need to look.
Basilica di San Petronio
Santa Maria della Vita
We walked down streets we either hadn’t been on or couldn’t remember if we’d been on them, did a bit of shopping (bought a funky pair of reading glasses at the Farmacia). After that, we decided to sit and listen to the jazz ensemble that had Piazza Maggiore packed with people.
Then Linda found a gelato site that was in the top seven in Bologna and it was close to our apartment. We both had Nocciola (hazelnut) and Caramello Saltato (salted caramel).
Dave let me into the apartment then went back out to listen to more music.
When he got back, we tried some of the walnut liqueur that the host offered – it was strong and nutty
Dave brought up the Cubs game, figuring it was a good way to relax before bed. We had about 14,000 steps today (which is not the record for this trip!).
2022 Italy Vacation 