Let me tell you about the part I didn’t imagine: Rain. I stayed in Modena for most of a week, and made several attemps to visit Bologna. But every time I got on the train, it started raining. Which could explain one of the most conspicuous architectural features of the city: Miles and miles of arcades.

As a native son of Seattle I can hardly condemn Bologna for its raininess. But it did somewhat impede my attempts to get to know it. I’ll try again some day.