THE IDEA
Over the last few years Jon and I have had lots of short breaks away from home and its been fun establishing criteria for how they should generally work. Rule one was that the destination should be no more than half a days travel time from home, rule two that we should take a room in a budget hotel or B & B and rule 3 that we should develop as full an itinerary as possible for the trip.
In almost every case we've had a terrific time and gone back home feeling we've had a good break from the regular routines of home life. Keeping the costs down has also made it possible to do this frequently. I suddenly thought that as we spent our last week of 2017 here in Umbria, it would be a great idea to see if we could transfer the same formula to Italy. After making a short list we chose to carry out the experiment by organizing, on the spur of the moment, a trip to Bologna from our place near Castiglione, putting a cap of 36 hours on the trip from door to door. This posting is a resume of how it all went and a review of Bologna as a place to visit for a short stay.
GETTING THERE
Using the Trenitalia app that Jon has on his phone we booked tickets from Chiusi to Bologna leaving home at 8.30am. We took the 9.10am regional intercity train from Chiusi to Florence Campe di Marte and with a 10 minute stopover boarded the Freccia Argento high speed train to take us to Bologna.
This was a special and fun part of the trip for me as we've never travelled on one of the high speed trains before. This section of the line opened in 2009 and it was shocking to discover that on leaving Florence 90% of the 78km route was via a spectacular series of tunnels through the Apennines. There are 9 of them in total and we saw hardly anything of the landscapes in between them. I can't imagine how many billions of euros must have been involved in blasting those tunnels through the hard rock. Whatever the cost the journey time between the two cities has been reduced to 37 minutes!
We arrived in Bologna at 11.50am to another surprise - a virtually brand new underground station specially built to accommodate the high speed train services. Designed by Japanese architect Arata Isozaki and directly beneath the original 19th century station where the regional trains run, it has three below ground levels; the Freccia trains running through on the lowest level. There's a whole shopping centre on the floor above. Walking though this part of the station and upward via the escalators is a rather surreal experience. Its a complex orchestration of black, white and grey, concrete, steel and glass, with special effects created by surface light brought downwards by sculptural roof lights and other clever devices. The impression is one of modernity, importance, and prosperity - not surprising given that Bologna, along with Rome Terminii, is one of the 2 busiest stations in Italy, accommodating up to 800 trains a day travelling to all parts of the country and beyond. We'd got our first impression of Bologna as a national and international travel hub for there's an important airport here too.
But the big question was - would the historic city centre live up to expectations? - it was time to find out.
Outside the station we took a 10 minute cab ride to our hotel which was close to the centro historico. We arrived well within the upper limit of our half day travel time allowance.
IN A NUTSHELL
Bologna is Italy's 7th largest city and the capital of Emilia-Romagna province. As well as being an important agricultural, business and manufacturing hub, it has a long and fascinating history reflected in a city centre which oozes atmosphere, charm and character. With a fine geographical location on the edge of the Po plain (which makes it a very flat city) but close to the Appenines, its not surprising it has prospered over the centuries.
If now asked to describe it in ten words - these are the ones I would choose:
HISTORIC ENTERPRISING
ATMOSPHERIC LEARNED
VIBRANT ARCHITECTURAL
CHIC SOPHISTICATED
EPICUREAN WELL-PRESERVED
On the negative side I would have to say that whilst I often find Italian unrestored buildings charming with their care worn appearance and flaking plaster, there was too much graffiti and tagging evident in several of the districts we walked through!! There was no impression the city authorities were trying to sort this out.
A PLACE TO STAY
The aim had been to find somewhere close to the city centre that wouldn't cost a fortune but would allow us to walk to all the places we wanted to see - a tall order I'd thought. We used a hotel booking app to search for somewhere and my attention was immediately take by a place located in a historic building called Residenza San Martino situated just moments from the main piazza.The web site didn't give a lot away other than describe the accommodation in detail which was fine.
When the cab dropped us off in the small square where it was located I was optimistic we'd made a good choice. My eye was first drawn to the front of the church that dominated the square, 19th century in origin, but gothic in style and I later discovered it dated back to the early 13th century with parts of the interior of 15th century date. In front of the church was a tall stone column with a sculpture on top of it of the Madonna del Carmine of early 18th century date - another clue relating to our hostel. "The Residenza" we soon discovered was in the corner of the square next to the church and I now knew we were going to stay in a former Carmelite convent - the nuns having had a presence there since the 13th century. It was now the home of the three padres connected with the church but also doubling as a hostelry for paying guests. There was no lobby or front desk and we'd been asked to phone 15 minutes ahead of our arrival so we could be welcomed and given our keys. Despite the fact we'd turned up early (check-in is normally from 3pm) we were told by our host Massimo on the phone that we could have our room straight away.
After getting our four keys from the office on the second floor of an attached building it was time to see what we were in for with Massimo as our guide. The first key opened a huge pair of studded doors which gave access to a long covered corridor and at the end of which was a large and fine double arcaded cloister which we would come back to look at in detail later.
The second key opened a glazed door to an inner courtyard and we could see our room was up on the first floor overlooking this space. The third key opened another door off this courtyard which led to our room. This we found to be recently refurbished and furnished with 2 double beds, warm, spotlessly clean and with a good en suite bathroom with shower. There was no breakfast available at the Residenza but unusual for Italy the room did have a tray with a jug kettle and all the stuff to make tea and coffee. What a lucky find this place was!!
THE AFTERNOON
After a brief lunch of a bagette and coffee at a bar just off the square of San Martino it was time to begin our exploration of the old city. Walking up the narrow street of the Via G Oberdan we were soon to encounter one of Bologna's defining characteristics - its arcaded thoroughfares. At the same time the city was having new walls built in the early14th century there was huge pressure on the space within them as Bologna grew as an economic hub and centre of learning (its University was founded in 1080). The population was expanding and the demand for living space was growing at an exponential rate. Only the Black Death would slow it down for a while. To increase living space houses were built with porticos at ground level,wooden in the first instance, and following the city stipulation that they should be tall enough to allow a horse and rider to pass under them comfortably. Other buildings had arcades constructed at street level following the same principles and thus allowing for an expansion of square footage on the floors above. These went on to be one of the most characteristic features of the city and they are everywhere - built at different points of time, but nearly always spacious and tall. There are today a network of 35 kilometres of them and its possible to traverse the city through them hardly getting wet when its raining. They are both functional and aesthetically pleasing - quite captivating in fact. Here is an example below.
At the end of Via G Oberdan we entered one of the main thoroughfares of the old city - Via Rizzoli and it was time to turn left where we could see one of the city's landmark buildings - a tall tower - in fact one of tallest in Italy. It's common in parts of Italy after the 10th century for tall towers to be built close to the domestic quarters of an important family. Originally they were constructed for defensive purposes, but in subsequent centuries they became symbols of prestige. Originally there were hundreds of them - 20 survive in the city today. This one dominated all of them and it was constructed for the Ansinelli family and its known as the Ansinelli Tower today. Constructed in 1119 there are almost 500 steps to climb to the top and allegedly the finest views in Bologna can be had from the parapet. Needless to say we didn't see them!! Almost next door there is another more junior tower built at the same time and no doubt in a competitive spirit. This is the ~Torre Garisenda and what is most alarming about it is that it leans like the Tower of Pisa. They are shown below.
Evidently Dante mentioned the Garisenda Tower in "Inferno" in Canto XXXI when he and Virgil encounter the giant Antaeus in ice at the bottom of hell. Whatever - they are not to be missed,but climb the taller one at your own risk! We walked along Via Rizzoli to the base of the towers situated on the Piazza Porta Ravegnana - site of the main gate of the original Roman era walls. This was a hub of the city in the medieval period and several important streets radiate out from this piazza, but we only had time to follow one route past the Palazzo della Mercanzia and then down Via Santo Stefano.
At the end of the medieval street we found it widened in to a triangular shaped piazza and in front of us stood the extraordinary church complex known as San Stefano, also known as "Siette Chiese" - the seven churches. Today there are in actual fact 4 of them, a cloister and a couple of chapels - mostly all constructed between the 8th and 12th centuries and altered through various restorations in later times into a strange, fused whole.
Legend tells us that Saint Petronius, a 5th century city bishop and the patron saint of Bologna, had a basilica built here on the site of a Roman temple dedicated to the Eygptian goddess Isis with the desire to develop a church complex reminiscent of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem. Quite how that came in to being in later centuries is still an incomplete picture, but somehow it did and there are different parts of the complex which are associated with this concept. One example will suffice here.
The courtyard known as PILATE'S COURTYARD recalls the "lithostratus" where Jesus was condemned by Roman Governer Pontius Pilate in Jerusalem. A basin on a pedestal in the centre - suggestive of the one where Pontius Pilate washed his hands of the trial - was crafted in the 8th century by a Lombardy sculptor. Evidently there's a carved stone cockerel present in the courtyard too - symbolic of Jesus's betrayal by Judas Iscariot, but I missed that on this first quick visit. Next time!
In the old pharmacy of the monastery part of the complex there's a small museum showing artefacts associated with San Stefano's history. Given the time of year I was particularly taken with a carved and painted set of wooden sculptures from the collection of the Adoration of the Magi dating from the early 14th century.
San Stefano is a fascinating, rich and labyrinthine largely Romanesque religious centre to visit with a myriad of things to see and I haven't done it justice here - another positing for the future I'm sure. It's well worth allowing at least a couple of hours to look round it (admission is free though donations are requested) and I'm not surprised its known locally as "Bologna's Holy Jerusalem".
By now it was 3.30pm and it was time to set off to our next destination - one with a secular theme.
In central Bologna nothing is very far from anywhere else and we had only a five minute walk to the nearby Piazza Galvani which is sort of behind and alongside the Basilico of San Petronio. Here we were looking for the Palazzo dell Archiginnasio - an important 16th century building associated with the history of the University of Bologna.
Bologna enjoys the distinction of founding the world's first University in 1080 based on private teachers working with groups of students in associations - "universitates" - tutorials being given in the private residences of professors or in rented premises. The Palace was built in c1562/3 to house all tutorial groups in one place - law, philosophy, medicine, mathematics and natural sciences. This fine classical 2 storey building constructed round a courtyard is shown below. Notable on the outside of the building are the escutcheons and coats of arms of former tutors and some of the students who attended the university from round the world and this is a theme continued in the embellishment of the rooms and corridors inside.
Upstairs on the first floor there were 10 independent classrooms (now connected) and two grand halls - one named the SALA DELLA STABAT MATER - in memory of the first performance of Rossini's Stabat Mater in the room in March 1842 and available for viewing.
Also up on the first floor was the mid 17th century anatomical lecture theatre which we particularly wanted to see. It was constructed in fine wooden panelling with niches which included 12 statues of famous physicians. Either side of the canopy above the lecturer's chair we could admire the fascinating early 18th century "Spellati" statues based on anatomical sketches of skinned male human bodies. In the centre of the room the marble topped dissection table gave a note of sombre seriousness to the interior. This room was badly damaged by a bomb during the second world war and what we saw that day was a careful restoration including as much salvaged material as possible and completed in 1950.
By the time we'd toured this building it was 5pm and we were beginning to feel a little footsore so it was time to find a Pasticceria for coffee and cake!! Then it was a slow walk back to the Residence via the main square (more on that later) for a short power nap before setting out again.
At about 7.30 we decided it was time for dinner and we'd already spotted a place we wanted to dine in. Down a narrow street near the main square we'd discovered a branch of "EATALY" the eat and shop experience founded by Oscar Farinetti in a disused Vermouth factory in Turin in 2007 and now with branches worldwide. The ambiance was good, the pasta excellent and the displays of delicacies and books enticing. Interestingly our host at the Residence, Massimo, had told us of a new eating and shopping experience which had only just opened just outside Bologna in November and which he'd been to the day before. It turns out its another "Eataly" concept - this time according to one critic I looked up on line - "a pasta lover's version of an amusement park." If you want to go truffle hunting, learn how to make Italian gelato, take an amusement park ride, eat the best of Italian food and shop for delicacies then this 20 acre park is probably for you. The investment was evidently 106 million dollars. Massimo said you could get a shuttle bus from the station for a 5 euro return ticket and that admission to the park was free. He didn't like it - said it was too much like a massive supermarket. We didn't partake on this trip - there just wasn't time - but maybe it would be fun to try it next time we visit the city. It's called FICO EATALY WORLD by the way if you want to check it out online.
It's not surprising the Eataly company have chosen Bologna as a centre for investment as both the region and the area are famous throughout Italy and the world for food and drink. Not only are there restaurants in the city centre to suit all tastes and budgets - but there are many purveyors of fine foods local to the region. Bologna is known for tortellini, lasagne and ragu sauce pastas and meats including the Mortadella - the orginal Bologna sausage, not to mention the hams and cheeses. A walk down the narrow streets off the main square brought us to shop after shop selling tempting foods. There was one such place just moments from the Residenza - Bruno & Franco's shown below.
Walking the streets of the centre of Bologna at night, especially just after Christmas, was an
experience, for not only are there Christmas lights in abundance but many of the arcades were specially lit and shop owners had gone to town with unique, creative and stylish window displays.
Here are a few of my favourites! The pictures speak for themselves.
Phew - it had been a long first day so it was back to the Residenza for a good night's sleep!!
The following morning we were a little dismayed to find the heating had gone off during the night and our room was cold. We later discovered from Massimo that the central heating pump had failed for our part of the building. They profusely apologized and clearly this was not the norm!! We had a snack breakfast in our room with bought items from the little coop just opposite Piazza San Martino and by 9.30am it was time to check out of the Rezidenza, leave our luggage with Massimo in the office and set off again. Not having stayed up late we felt remarkably refreshed.
Our first destination was the main square - Piazza Maggiore - just a 5 minute stroll from the Rezidenza. To walk in to this space is to step back in to earlier centuries for this was the hub of the old town where its most important buildings were constructed - on all sides; the main ones are shown in the photographs below.
The basilica, dedicated to St Petronius, the city's patron saint, is one of the largest cathedrals in Europe begun in 1390 and taking 250 years to get it the point we saw it in today. In 1514 the decision was taken to enlarge it beyond the size of the original plans which would have made it bigger than St Peter's in Rome, but the papal authorities soon put a stop to that! The fine central vault in the nave was finished in 1587 and work finally stopped in 1659 leaving the front facade unfinished; the transepts which would have turned it in to the shape of a cross were also never built. Inside there's an amazing solar clock by astronomer Giovanni Domenico Cassiano and in a side chapel on the left hand side a fresco cycle by Giovanni da Modena completed in 1410 - in my book it was worth coming to Bologna just to see this but photography was not allowed.!
In a small offshoot of the main square - the Piazza Netunno, there's a fine fountain sculpture in bronze of the God of the Sea Neptune by the Flemish artist known as Giambologna, commissioned by Cardinal Pier Donato Cesi and completed in 1567; it's become a symbol of the city. Sadly our view of it was not the best because it had been cordoned off for the New Year Celebrations that evening. It's a fine example of Mannerist sculpture so it displays some interesting visual puns - one hadn evidently looks like a male penis if you view it from a certain angle.The trident he holds in his right hand was once used as a trademark for the famous Maserati automobile company founded in Bologna in 1914.
Talking of New Year Celebrations we'd already noticed the centre starting to fill up with lots of young people arriving from the train station. Evidently the Piazza Maggiore is host to a traditional celebration which involves burning an effigy of an old man symbolic of the old year, just as the new one is about to start. I was quite pleased we'd decided not to stay over - I'd no desire to be chucked on a bonfire!
Having explored the square and been inside the basilica time was running on and we had to make a decision of where to go for our last visit. Following a quick coffee and tramezini in a nearby Pasticerria we headed off back in the direction of the two towers to look for Strada Maggiore - we wanted to see a fine collection of objects in a large Palazzo on Via Maggiore - one of the radial streets extending out from the two towers piazza.
The museum, "Museo Davia Bergellini" - was located in an imposing classically inspired 17th century palazzo dominated by a doorway flanked by a pair of stone Atlas Sculptures which supported the central balcony.
Opened in 1924 the museum had been formed to show off a fine collection of applied arts including furniture, glass, ceramics, textiles together with a picture collection. The whole was admirably displayed in an 18th century style apartment setting on the ground floor. Admission was free and there were lots of highlights including the Venetian 18th century marionette theatre which captured my imagination and is shown below.
After the visit to the museum our visit to Bologna was drawing to a close and we needed to get back to the Residenza to pick up our bags and walk to the station. The stroll to Bologna Centrale took about 20 minutes and there were a couple of interesting things to see on the way. Just down the street from Piazza San Martino we crossed a bridge over the famous Reno Canal which dates back again to the medieval period and was one of several constructed to bring water from the rivers to the city centre. As I took the picture through the railings it felt reminiscent of Venice I thought. A little further on there was an equestrian bronze statue of Garibaldi on top of a large stone pedestal and erected in 1900 - a fine tribute to the man who had been so involved in the Unification of Italy in the mid 19th century.
Beyond that it was a 10 minute gentle walk to the station, leaving us plenty of time for yet another restorative drink. We took a direct intercity Trieste to Rome train which called at Chiusi leaving Bologna at 4.50 and we finally arrived back at our place at just before 8pm - half an hour within our 36 hour time limit! We'd made it and it was a good job we hadn't any planned New Year celebrations beyond having a quiet drink with our landlady upstairs!!
THE COSTS
This is how things worked out financially for the tour.
Return rails fares x2 Chiusi to Bologna
including Freccia Argento (2 for 1 offer) 85 euros
1 taxi ride from station to hotel 9 euros
1 night at the Rezindenza San Martino 76 euros
1 lunch, 1 dinner, breakfast food, snacks 129 euros
Entrance charges 12 euros
Grand Total 311 euros (155.5 euros each)
OVERALL VERDICT
We had a wonderful mini break in Bologna and in every way the trip fell within our designated criteria. 36 hours overall turned out to be ample time to travel there and get a feel for the place and to see some of its principal sites but leaving us thirsty for more.
We found Bologna to be a city with a heart and as I said earlier, it has history, tangible heritage and charm in abundance. At the same time however, it gives the impression of being a modern, working city unfettered by the worst excesses of an over dependence on tourism. It's perhaps not a natural choice of destination for many visitors who always seem, especially if they don't know Italy well, to want to head for Florence and Venice which become increasingly like heritage theme parks these days in my opinion. We will be sure to return soon for I have a whole list of things to do next time - another visit to San Stefano, a tour of the Archaeological Museum, a trip to the Museum of Modern Art, an exploration of the musical dimensions of the city and sojourns in to the region with perhaps a visit to the Lamborghini factory and a pilgrimage to Pavarotti's house.
My ICR (Ian Cox Rating) would be a 10/10 for Bologna. Go and see it soon before 21st century life changes it too much.
P.S. Someone has emailed to ask why I didn't mention Spaghetti Bolognese so I thought I'd better comment on it. Spaghetti Bolognese is not a term Italians are familiar with - but they would recognize
"Ragu alla Bolognese" - a meat based sauce originating from Bologna. This term seems to have entered the literature in the late 18th century, but it is in the late 19th century that a recipe for a meat sauce served with pasta (usually tagliatelle or lasagne) and using the term "Bolognese" is described in Pellegrino Artusi's cookbook of 1891. In 1982 the Italian Academy of Cuisine registered a recipe for authentic "Ragu alla Bolognese" with the Bologna Chamber of Commerce. It is traditionally not served with spaghetti pasta.
One source I consulted indicated that the kind of sauce described as Bolognese outside Italy is a tomato based one - in fact more associated with southern Italy where tomatoes are abundant and often called there "Ragu alla Napolitana". So the "Spag Bol" of my students days was not really an authentic Bolognese dish at all which is very interesting!
IF YOU KNOW SOMEONE WHO YOU THINK WOULD LIKE TO READ THIS ARTICLE OR MY BLOG GENERALLY I'D BE GRATEFUL IF YOU WOULD SHARE THE LINK, THANKS, IAN
Over the last few years Jon and I have had lots of short breaks away from home and its been fun establishing criteria for how they should generally work. Rule one was that the destination should be no more than half a days travel time from home, rule two that we should take a room in a budget hotel or B & B and rule 3 that we should develop as full an itinerary as possible for the trip.
In almost every case we've had a terrific time and gone back home feeling we've had a good break from the regular routines of home life. Keeping the costs down has also made it possible to do this frequently. I suddenly thought that as we spent our last week of 2017 here in Umbria, it would be a great idea to see if we could transfer the same formula to Italy. After making a short list we chose to carry out the experiment by organizing, on the spur of the moment, a trip to Bologna from our place near Castiglione, putting a cap of 36 hours on the trip from door to door. This posting is a resume of how it all went and a review of Bologna as a place to visit for a short stay.
GETTING THERE
Using the Trenitalia app that Jon has on his phone we booked tickets from Chiusi to Bologna leaving home at 8.30am. We took the 9.10am regional intercity train from Chiusi to Florence Campe di Marte and with a 10 minute stopover boarded the Freccia Argento high speed train to take us to Bologna.
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| THE FRECCIA ARGENTO HIGH SPEED TRAIN |
This was a special and fun part of the trip for me as we've never travelled on one of the high speed trains before. This section of the line opened in 2009 and it was shocking to discover that on leaving Florence 90% of the 78km route was via a spectacular series of tunnels through the Apennines. There are 9 of them in total and we saw hardly anything of the landscapes in between them. I can't imagine how many billions of euros must have been involved in blasting those tunnels through the hard rock. Whatever the cost the journey time between the two cities has been reduced to 37 minutes!
We arrived in Bologna at 11.50am to another surprise - a virtually brand new underground station specially built to accommodate the high speed train services. Designed by Japanese architect Arata Isozaki and directly beneath the original 19th century station where the regional trains run, it has three below ground levels; the Freccia trains running through on the lowest level. There's a whole shopping centre on the floor above. Walking though this part of the station and upward via the escalators is a rather surreal experience. Its a complex orchestration of black, white and grey, concrete, steel and glass, with special effects created by surface light brought downwards by sculptural roof lights and other clever devices. The impression is one of modernity, importance, and prosperity - not surprising given that Bologna, along with Rome Terminii, is one of the 2 busiest stations in Italy, accommodating up to 800 trains a day travelling to all parts of the country and beyond. We'd got our first impression of Bologna as a national and international travel hub for there's an important airport here too.
But the big question was - would the historic city centre live up to expectations? - it was time to find out.
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| THE NEW SUBTERRANEAN BOLOGNA CENTRALE STATION DESIGNED BY ARATA ISOZAKI |
IN A NUTSHELL
Bologna is Italy's 7th largest city and the capital of Emilia-Romagna province. As well as being an important agricultural, business and manufacturing hub, it has a long and fascinating history reflected in a city centre which oozes atmosphere, charm and character. With a fine geographical location on the edge of the Po plain (which makes it a very flat city) but close to the Appenines, its not surprising it has prospered over the centuries.
If now asked to describe it in ten words - these are the ones I would choose:
HISTORIC ENTERPRISING
ATMOSPHERIC LEARNED
VIBRANT ARCHITECTURAL
CHIC SOPHISTICATED
EPICUREAN WELL-PRESERVED
On the negative side I would have to say that whilst I often find Italian unrestored buildings charming with their care worn appearance and flaking plaster, there was too much graffiti and tagging evident in several of the districts we walked through!! There was no impression the city authorities were trying to sort this out.
A PLACE TO STAY
The aim had been to find somewhere close to the city centre that wouldn't cost a fortune but would allow us to walk to all the places we wanted to see - a tall order I'd thought. We used a hotel booking app to search for somewhere and my attention was immediately take by a place located in a historic building called Residenza San Martino situated just moments from the main piazza.The web site didn't give a lot away other than describe the accommodation in detail which was fine.
When the cab dropped us off in the small square where it was located I was optimistic we'd made a good choice. My eye was first drawn to the front of the church that dominated the square, 19th century in origin, but gothic in style and I later discovered it dated back to the early 13th century with parts of the interior of 15th century date. In front of the church was a tall stone column with a sculpture on top of it of the Madonna del Carmine of early 18th century date - another clue relating to our hostel. "The Residenza" we soon discovered was in the corner of the square next to the church and I now knew we were going to stay in a former Carmelite convent - the nuns having had a presence there since the 13th century. It was now the home of the three padres connected with the church but also doubling as a hostelry for paying guests. There was no lobby or front desk and we'd been asked to phone 15 minutes ahead of our arrival so we could be welcomed and given our keys. Despite the fact we'd turned up early (check-in is normally from 3pm) we were told by our host Massimo on the phone that we could have our room straight away.
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| PIAZZA SAN MARTINO - BOLOGNA THE STATUE OF MADONNA DEL CARMINE SITS ON TOP OF THE COLUMN AND IS BY ANDREA FERREN - 1705 |
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| THE FRONT ENTRANCE OF "THE RESIDENZA" |
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| THE ARCADED CLOISTER OF THE FORMER CARMELITE CONVENT |
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| OUR ROOM WAS IN THIS COURTYARD & CAN BE SEEN THROUGH THE GRILL AS THE ONE WITH THE OPEN SHUTTERS ON THE FIRST FLOOR |
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| ROOMS AT THE REZIDENZA |
THE AFTERNOON
After a brief lunch of a bagette and coffee at a bar just off the square of San Martino it was time to begin our exploration of the old city. Walking up the narrow street of the Via G Oberdan we were soon to encounter one of Bologna's defining characteristics - its arcaded thoroughfares. At the same time the city was having new walls built in the early14th century there was huge pressure on the space within them as Bologna grew as an economic hub and centre of learning (its University was founded in 1080). The population was expanding and the demand for living space was growing at an exponential rate. Only the Black Death would slow it down for a while. To increase living space houses were built with porticos at ground level,wooden in the first instance, and following the city stipulation that they should be tall enough to allow a horse and rider to pass under them comfortably. Other buildings had arcades constructed at street level following the same principles and thus allowing for an expansion of square footage on the floors above. These went on to be one of the most characteristic features of the city and they are everywhere - built at different points of time, but nearly always spacious and tall. There are today a network of 35 kilometres of them and its possible to traverse the city through them hardly getting wet when its raining. They are both functional and aesthetically pleasing - quite captivating in fact. Here is an example below.
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| AN ARCADED BUILDING IN A NARROW STREET CLOSE TO PIAZZA SAN MARTINO, ONE OF HUNDREDS IN THE CITY OF BOLOGNA |
At the end of Via G Oberdan we entered one of the main thoroughfares of the old city - Via Rizzoli and it was time to turn left where we could see one of the city's landmark buildings - a tall tower - in fact one of tallest in Italy. It's common in parts of Italy after the 10th century for tall towers to be built close to the domestic quarters of an important family. Originally they were constructed for defensive purposes, but in subsequent centuries they became symbols of prestige. Originally there were hundreds of them - 20 survive in the city today. This one dominated all of them and it was constructed for the Ansinelli family and its known as the Ansinelli Tower today. Constructed in 1119 there are almost 500 steps to climb to the top and allegedly the finest views in Bologna can be had from the parapet. Needless to say we didn't see them!! Almost next door there is another more junior tower built at the same time and no doubt in a competitive spirit. This is the ~Torre Garisenda and what is most alarming about it is that it leans like the Tower of Pisa. They are shown below.
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| THE ANSINELLI TOWER SEEN FROM VIZ RIZZOLI |
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| I ALMOST GOT NECK STRAIN TAKING THIS PICTURE |
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| THE ANSINELLI TOWER & ON THE LEFT THE LEANING GARISENDA TOWER IN 1360 THE LATTER WAS LOWERED IN HEIGHT FOR PUBLIC SAFETY REASONS NOW LEAVING A STUMP OF ONLY 157 FEET!! |
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| PALAZZO DELLA MERCANZIA - 1384 On the left a medieval buiilding with a tall portico supported by vertical wooden beams can be see. This is at the head of Via San Stefano. |
At the end of the medieval street we found it widened in to a triangular shaped piazza and in front of us stood the extraordinary church complex known as San Stefano, also known as "Siette Chiese" - the seven churches. Today there are in actual fact 4 of them, a cloister and a couple of chapels - mostly all constructed between the 8th and 12th centuries and altered through various restorations in later times into a strange, fused whole.
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| PIAZZA SANTA STEFANO & THE ROMANESQUE CHURCH COMPLEX OF THE SAME NAME - MOSTLY 8TH - 12TH CENTURIES |
Legend tells us that Saint Petronius, a 5th century city bishop and the patron saint of Bologna, had a basilica built here on the site of a Roman temple dedicated to the Eygptian goddess Isis with the desire to develop a church complex reminiscent of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem. Quite how that came in to being in later centuries is still an incomplete picture, but somehow it did and there are different parts of the complex which are associated with this concept. One example will suffice here.
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| PILATE'S COURTYARD SAN STEFANO - BOLOGNA |
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| THE ADORATION OF THE MAGI PAINTED SCULPTED WOOD - 1290-1370 |
San Stefano is a fascinating, rich and labyrinthine largely Romanesque religious centre to visit with a myriad of things to see and I haven't done it justice here - another positing for the future I'm sure. It's well worth allowing at least a couple of hours to look round it (admission is free though donations are requested) and I'm not surprised its known locally as "Bologna's Holy Jerusalem".
By now it was 3.30pm and it was time to set off to our next destination - one with a secular theme.
In central Bologna nothing is very far from anywhere else and we had only a five minute walk to the nearby Piazza Galvani which is sort of behind and alongside the Basilico of San Petronio. Here we were looking for the Palazzo dell Archiginnasio - an important 16th century building associated with the history of the University of Bologna.
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| THE COURTYARD OF PALAZZO ARCHIGENNASIO FORMERLY THE UNIVERSITY OF BOLOGNA |
Upstairs on the first floor there were 10 independent classrooms (now connected) and two grand halls - one named the SALA DELLA STABAT MATER - in memory of the first performance of Rossini's Stabat Mater in the room in March 1842 and available for viewing.
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| PART OF THE UPSTAIRS SALLA DELLA STABAT MATER WHERE SCIENCE LECTURES WERE HELD |
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| TWO VIEWS OF THE ANATOMICAL LECTURE THEATRE ON THE FIRST FLOOR DAMAGED BY A BOMB IN WORLD WAR II & RESTORED IN 1950 |
By the time we'd toured this building it was 5pm and we were beginning to feel a little footsore so it was time to find a Pasticceria for coffee and cake!! Then it was a slow walk back to the Residence via the main square (more on that later) for a short power nap before setting out again.
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| LOOK WHO'S GOT THE CREAM! - SMUG OR WHAT? |
At about 7.30 we decided it was time for dinner and we'd already spotted a place we wanted to dine in. Down a narrow street near the main square we'd discovered a branch of "EATALY" the eat and shop experience founded by Oscar Farinetti in a disused Vermouth factory in Turin in 2007 and now with branches worldwide. The ambiance was good, the pasta excellent and the displays of delicacies and books enticing. Interestingly our host at the Residence, Massimo, had told us of a new eating and shopping experience which had only just opened just outside Bologna in November and which he'd been to the day before. It turns out its another "Eataly" concept - this time according to one critic I looked up on line - "a pasta lover's version of an amusement park." If you want to go truffle hunting, learn how to make Italian gelato, take an amusement park ride, eat the best of Italian food and shop for delicacies then this 20 acre park is probably for you. The investment was evidently 106 million dollars. Massimo said you could get a shuttle bus from the station for a 5 euro return ticket and that admission to the park was free. He didn't like it - said it was too much like a massive supermarket. We didn't partake on this trip - there just wasn't time - but maybe it would be fun to try it next time we visit the city. It's called FICO EATALY WORLD by the way if you want to check it out online.
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| JON CHECKS OUT THE CITY CENTRE BRANCH OF EATALY FOR DINNER |
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| BRUNO & FRANCO IN VIA G OBERDAN NEAR PIAZZA SAN MARTINO |
experience, for not only are there Christmas lights in abundance but many of the arcades were specially lit and shop owners had gone to town with unique, creative and stylish window displays.
Here are a few of my favourites! The pictures speak for themselves.
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| THE SPECTACULAR CHRISTMAS TREE IN PIAZZA MAGIORE |
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| THE SHOPS OF THE VIA DELL ARCHIGINNASIO |
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| A PHARMACY ON VIA UGO BASSI |
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| A CHIC BOUTIQUE SHOP WINDOW DISPLAY |
The following morning we were a little dismayed to find the heating had gone off during the night and our room was cold. We later discovered from Massimo that the central heating pump had failed for our part of the building. They profusely apologized and clearly this was not the norm!! We had a snack breakfast in our room with bought items from the little coop just opposite Piazza San Martino and by 9.30am it was time to check out of the Rezidenza, leave our luggage with Massimo in the office and set off again. Not having stayed up late we felt remarkably refreshed.
Our first destination was the main square - Piazza Maggiore - just a 5 minute stroll from the Rezidenza. To walk in to this space is to step back in to earlier centuries for this was the hub of the old town where its most important buildings were constructed - on all sides; the main ones are shown in the photographs below.
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| PALAZZO DEI PODESTA 1484-96 THE TOWER 1212 |
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| JON IN FRONT OF PALAZZO D'ACCURSIO PIAZZA MAGGIORE It now houses the city art collection |
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| THE BASILICA SAN PETRONIO PIAZZA MAGGIORE |
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| THE BASILICA NAVE COMPLETED IN 1587 |
In a small offshoot of the main square - the Piazza Netunno, there's a fine fountain sculpture in bronze of the God of the Sea Neptune by the Flemish artist known as Giambologna, commissioned by Cardinal Pier Donato Cesi and completed in 1567; it's become a symbol of the city. Sadly our view of it was not the best because it had been cordoned off for the New Year Celebrations that evening. It's a fine example of Mannerist sculpture so it displays some interesting visual puns - one hadn evidently looks like a male penis if you view it from a certain angle.The trident he holds in his right hand was once used as a trademark for the famous Maserati automobile company founded in Bologna in 1914.
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| BRONZE FOUNTAIN STATUE OF NEPTUNE BY GIAMBOLOGNA |
Having explored the square and been inside the basilica time was running on and we had to make a decision of where to go for our last visit. Following a quick coffee and tramezini in a nearby Pasticerria we headed off back in the direction of the two towers to look for Strada Maggiore - we wanted to see a fine collection of objects in a large Palazzo on Via Maggiore - one of the radial streets extending out from the two towers piazza.
The museum, "Museo Davia Bergellini" - was located in an imposing classically inspired 17th century palazzo dominated by a doorway flanked by a pair of stone Atlas Sculptures which supported the central balcony.
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| PALAZZO DAVIA BERGELLINI 17th century in date and now housing the Bargellini Museum |
Opened in 1924 the museum had been formed to show off a fine collection of applied arts including furniture, glass, ceramics, textiles together with a picture collection. The whole was admirably displayed in an 18th century style apartment setting on the ground floor. Admission was free and there were lots of highlights including the Venetian 18th century marionette theatre which captured my imagination and is shown below.
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| DECORATIVE ARTS COLLECTION IN THE BARGELLINI MUSEUM |
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| VENETIAN 18TH CENTURY MARIONETTE THEATRE IN THE BARGELLINI MUSEUM |
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| THE RENO CANAL A MEDIEVAL WATER SUPPLY TO THE CITY CENTRE |
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| BRONZ EQUESTRIAN STATUE OF GARIBALDO - 1900 |
Beyond that it was a 10 minute gentle walk to the station, leaving us plenty of time for yet another restorative drink. We took a direct intercity Trieste to Rome train which called at Chiusi leaving Bologna at 4.50 and we finally arrived back at our place at just before 8pm - half an hour within our 36 hour time limit! We'd made it and it was a good job we hadn't any planned New Year celebrations beyond having a quiet drink with our landlady upstairs!!
THE COSTS
This is how things worked out financially for the tour.
Return rails fares x2 Chiusi to Bologna
including Freccia Argento (2 for 1 offer) 85 euros
1 taxi ride from station to hotel 9 euros
1 night at the Rezindenza San Martino 76 euros
1 lunch, 1 dinner, breakfast food, snacks 129 euros
Entrance charges 12 euros
Grand Total 311 euros (155.5 euros each)
OVERALL VERDICT
We had a wonderful mini break in Bologna and in every way the trip fell within our designated criteria. 36 hours overall turned out to be ample time to travel there and get a feel for the place and to see some of its principal sites but leaving us thirsty for more.
We found Bologna to be a city with a heart and as I said earlier, it has history, tangible heritage and charm in abundance. At the same time however, it gives the impression of being a modern, working city unfettered by the worst excesses of an over dependence on tourism. It's perhaps not a natural choice of destination for many visitors who always seem, especially if they don't know Italy well, to want to head for Florence and Venice which become increasingly like heritage theme parks these days in my opinion. We will be sure to return soon for I have a whole list of things to do next time - another visit to San Stefano, a tour of the Archaeological Museum, a trip to the Museum of Modern Art, an exploration of the musical dimensions of the city and sojourns in to the region with perhaps a visit to the Lamborghini factory and a pilgrimage to Pavarotti's house.
My ICR (Ian Cox Rating) would be a 10/10 for Bologna. Go and see it soon before 21st century life changes it too much.
P.S. Someone has emailed to ask why I didn't mention Spaghetti Bolognese so I thought I'd better comment on it. Spaghetti Bolognese is not a term Italians are familiar with - but they would recognize
"Ragu alla Bolognese" - a meat based sauce originating from Bologna. This term seems to have entered the literature in the late 18th century, but it is in the late 19th century that a recipe for a meat sauce served with pasta (usually tagliatelle or lasagne) and using the term "Bolognese" is described in Pellegrino Artusi's cookbook of 1891. In 1982 the Italian Academy of Cuisine registered a recipe for authentic "Ragu alla Bolognese" with the Bologna Chamber of Commerce. It is traditionally not served with spaghetti pasta.
One source I consulted indicated that the kind of sauce described as Bolognese outside Italy is a tomato based one - in fact more associated with southern Italy where tomatoes are abundant and often called there "Ragu alla Napolitana". So the "Spag Bol" of my students days was not really an authentic Bolognese dish at all which is very interesting!
IF YOU KNOW SOMEONE WHO YOU THINK WOULD LIKE TO READ THIS ARTICLE OR MY BLOG GENERALLY I'D BE GRATEFUL IF YOU WOULD SHARE THE LINK, THANKS, IAN
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