Bologna

Bologna, the birthplace of Mortadella, and more recently, deep fried tortellini. Where porticos cover wide sidewalks, and centuries old towers lean, threatening to spill their red bricks on foodies below.

We arrived tired and hungry, and made a b-line to a restaurant Carmen had found called Sfoglia Rina. It specialized in fresh pasta dishes. There was a small lineup that moved quickly, and before too long we were gorging on tortellini and gramigna (pasta, yes. I’d never heard of it either). We wandered the city a bit but turned in early.

Like I mentioned, Bologna is the birthplace of Mortadella, according to me. And there’s no better way to enjoy it than a sandwich from Mortadella Lab, according to the internet. In hindsight we should have only ordered one, Bologna has so much to offer by way of food, eating a whole sandwich (in my case 1.2) we kind of limited ourselves. But let’s be honest, I’d be hungry soon enough.

There’s more to Bologna than just the food, there’s a rich history that spans centuries. For example, the unfinished church. The people of Bologna decided to build an enormous church, but engineering, money, and politics got in the way. Fun fact: the church is guarded by the Italian military because inside there’s a fresco depicting the prophet Muhammad in hell!

Now for the porticos, so many of the buildings in the old town of Bologna are built over the sidewalks, offering much needed shade or cover from the rain. What started as an illegal hack to gain more square footage in a building, eventually turned into a city mandate. Each portico had to be 7 Bolonian feet high, enough for a man, his horse, and his hat. Of course if you wanted to show your wealth, you could definitely build it higher.

Underneath the library near the main square, there is a small Roman excavation, it’s free to visit, or you can make a donation.

We found a street lined with a bunch of street food vendors, and we were able to have a cocktail, some Bolognian classics to eat, and a much needed salad – no more scurvy for us. The place was lively, and just as we left, a swing dancing demonstration started.

Another example of Bologna’s excellent use of public space, just steps away from our accommodation, there was a park that had been recently transformed from a barely used space, to an open venue with live music, local vendors and huge beers where a serendipitous mistake led me to getting two beers instead of one. Lucky me!

Bologna was a great place to visit, there was lots to see, and even more to eat. We wished we had more time here to explore. We can’t say enough good things about the city, its statue of Neptune completed in 1566 even has an inside joke about penis size. Don’t take my word for it, look it up.