Two men from our cruise were discussing their November 1, 2013 shore excursions. One was visiting Bologna, Italy, and the other was visiting the nearby Lamborghini museum. "I tell you what," said the one visiting Bologna. "I'll bring you back a bologna sandwich and you bring me back a Lamborghini." We did, in fact, get to taste mortadella, the Italian sausage which is called "bologna" in the U.S. It is no better than its American cousin.
Bologna is a charming city with a medieval past. It is a place where you find statues of angels along a city street.
We took a walking tour of Piazza Maggiore, the main plaza in Bologna, surrounded by palaces and a cathedral.
The square included a statue of Pope Gregory, born in Bologna, who created the modern calendar, with a leap year every February.
I loved the details on the old buildings, such as the intricate windows.
We also walked through the Piazza del Neptuno, with a statue of the Roman god, Neptune. That statue is a Bologna icon.
We passed young men playing the accordion.
We paused at the Torre degli Asinneli, or medieval towers of the city. Each tower was ten or twelve feet thick and extremely tall. With more time, we could have climbed the towers.
Our guide led us past the original site of the University of Bologna, one of the oldest universities in the world.
We also walked past the miles of porticos for which Bologna is famous.
Another picturesque building was the Chamber of Commerce, built during Bologna's heyday in the 1200s.
We wandered through narrow alleyways with shops selling stylish clothes, for which Northern Italy is noted.
We also passed shops selling produce, flowers, and meat.
Medieval shops were designated by symbols, since many people couldn't read. This symbol marked a fishmonger.
We wandered through a Romanesque church, which dated from the Middle Ages.
After all that sightseeing, we treated ourselves to a gelato.
We had lunch with our tour group at a local cantina. This restaurant is one of the sites for the Bologna jazz festival, which, our guide said, is a prominent European event.
We traveled back to Ravenna, the port town where our ship was docked. Ravenna was capital of the Western Christian Church after the fall of Rome, under the supervision of Constantinople. It is famous for its ancient churches from 500-1000 A.D., and for the stunning mosaics within.
We craned our necks to make out the Biblical stories illustrated by the mosaics.
We also visited the tiny restored chapel nearby, with more mosaics.
We returned to the ship in the twilight. The sunset was beautiful over the sea and port.
No comments:
Post a Comment