Bologna

In fairness.. we were there on a Sunday.. but we walked around all day.

Ok.. there was one funny bit – a huge guy wearing a little black vest playing a tiny guitar by his motorcycle. Not folksy strumming stuff.. but epic songs like Toto – Africa. Topping it off, he had speakers playing an orchestral backdrop.

Ok.. there was another funny bit – it was international volunteer day, so one of the parks had a bunch of booths set up and one guy approached us, passionately advocating Esperanto.

Don’t do the hike up the mountain. It’s long and the church up top isn’t very impressive. Plus, you have to make your way through a pretty shit part of town to get there.

Beautiful views of the city’s red roofs
Great food (spaghetti bolognese – mmm! :)

Don’t drive into the city unless you plan to pay a lot for parking in a garage and don’t mind signing a paper, giving personal information about yourself. The center of the city has a controlled system for only authorized drivers into the city to control traffic. You become an authorized driver once you park into a garage and sign that paper, which they send into the city counsel to retro actively say “okay for the day.” Otherwise, your picture gets taken and a ticket with a heavy fine will arrive in the mail.

This place is fantastic though. Great shopping, great people watching, fantastic buildings, the whole nine yards.

Great for days trips, as well as a nice city.

I’ve been living in bologna for almost six months. I agree with one of the other writers that there is alot of rain. especially in the winter. it’s just that kind of place. but that’s part of its charm…....

and now that spring is here, it’s all terracotta loveliness, sunshine and prosecco in piazzas. it doesn’t hurt my opinion of the city that I’ve fallen in love with a bolognese boy!

to see this amazing city through the eyes of someone who knows it inside and out is an enriching experience…..for anyone thinking of a trip to bologna, do it. but understand that it’s a subtle city, compared to rome, florence or venice. there’s no great michelangelo or labyrinth of canals to beat you over the head…..its a breathing, living place. full of bolognese instead of tourists.

I might never leave.

and for the person commenting on the rain being the reason for the porticos, that is just an added bonus. actually the porticos began being built once the university became a prominent feature. the population was exploding with no where to live. the streets were too narrow to build out from the first floor so they began building out from the second. the porticos support the second floors extra structure.

makes alot of sense if you think about it!

I’m going! I’m going to be studying at the University of Bologna in the fall. I’m going to be there for the semester. Hopefully I’m going to be able to take some astronomy while I’m there.

I still can’t believe that I’m going.

What a handsome city! Even the street plan is beautiful and the miles of arcades a romantic.

I was a little bored by the food and drink situation here. It just doesn’t live up to its reputation.

There are paintings by Morandi here too.

BOlogna is a magical place. just try to live there for some time, and you will feel the magic of this medieval center.
For Tourism… you just can fill your eye-balls, but to fill your soul with some kind of good nostalgia – live in Bologna -good luck =)

Oh, how I’d love to go back to Bologna. Stylish, uber-chic, ultra-socially concious, sexy, mind-numbingly delicious Bologna, with it’s kilometers and kilometers of LOGGIA—those covered porticos with columns that make for lovely strolling and exploring. Midieval, college town, with tens of thousands of college kids strolling, asking questions, making fun things to do for everyone, free concerts and movies in the piazzas, lectures, performances, pasticceria with roasted, marinated artichoke hearts, and eggplants. Ahhh, Bologna!

I studied here for 10 months. Some of the best food in Italy; try the arrabiatta. Red politics, red buildings, Bologna the Red. Lots of students and nightlife. Off the beaten-to-death track of Venice-Florence-Rome, but give it a chance. It’s a wonderful place.