Autumn in Bologna
So many beautiful places to see in Italy and autumn seems the perfect time for this adventure. So much history, wall-to-wall sunshine, 30 degrees plus and dodging the rain in Blighty. What more could you want?
We’ve been clocking up the steps in Bologna, taking in the sights and experiencing the Italian way of life in this lovely country. We’re learning more about how things work and meeting so many new people from across Europe and beyond.
It was an easy journey into Bologna by public bus which came into the campsite for pick up and drop off. Bologna is famous as the birthplace of Marconi, the inventor of radio and his contribution is credited across the city.
Our first stop was the Salaborsa Library where the remains of an ancient Roman city are hidden below. Visitors can see the ruins through the floor of the library and go underground to explore further. Two main streets and the remains of an ancient sewage system built in the 2nd and 3rd Centuries BC can be seen. But deeper ruins suggest an even earlier settlement was there before the founding of Bologna.
The heart of the city is Piazza Maggiore and is home to the Basilica of San Petronio which is Bologna’s most beloved and important church - but not it’s Cathedral, that is in another part of the city. The Basilica is dedicated to Petronius, the patron saint of the city, but it was never finished because the project was considered too complicated.
Piazza Santo Stefano is also an important site, named after the Basilica Santo Stefano which was in fact, built as not one church but a complex of seven. Restoration work in the 1800s changed the shape of the complex and four churches now remain.
Inside, you can wander through this incredible building where every section has its own story to tell. There you can see the remains of the monastery of Santo Stefano and its cloister and the oldest nativity scene in the world.
Bologna also has a 60km network of underground canals, the latest dating back to the 12th Century. These channels are now largely covered but we were able to view the “window on the canal” and this area of the city is known as “little Venice”.
Alex has been scaling the heights again. He climbed the Asinelli Tower - the highest authentic Mediaeval tower in Italy at 97 metres high. It was originally built in 1150 to defend the city but is now a major tourist attraction.
This climb was challenging to say the least as most of the others attempting this feat were considerably younger - by about 40 years! To get to the top, Alex climbed 498 steps in a winding stone and wooden staircase only wide enough for one person. There was a sheer drop to one side and a small, wooden handrail to the other.
He had to make the climb without stopping to catch his breath because he was being pursued by the 20-somethings coming up behind him. His reward was a fabulous 360 degree panoramic view of the city - but I was more worried that he was going to have a heart attack before reaching the top!
After surviving this ordeal - sorry heroic challenge - we felt it wouldn’t be right to come to Bologna without sampling one of its delicious cakes. So we found a little coffee shop tucked away in one of its historic streets and added probably half a stone each with a Primavera. It was so worth it!
Now we’re in Florence, walking off the Primavera and continuing on the next stage of our Italian adventure.
