So we have arrived in Bologna. For a while I had thought that due to Pete’s appendix removal we would have to cancel but luckily he perked up sufficiently, although with the proviso we don’t try and cram a zillion things into one day.
The journey over was surprisingly seamless, despite being frisked at security – damn my underwire bra! Then the contents of my bag upended as solid shampoo constitutes a liquid. The explanation given was that the shampoo was ‘creamy’ despite the fact it is rock solid!
Bologna Airport seemed much bigger than we expected but we got through passport control really quickly. What a lovely feeling to still be able to go through the EU line. The airport bus was directly outside the airport and within minutes we were on and off on our way. Disembarking at Bologna Central Station and after a few minutes walk we had arrived at our destination.
Having booked an Air B and B I felt all the inherent nerves, was it legitimate, was it a scam or would the description not really live up to our expectations. Luckily Valentina, our host was waiting on the street for us and led us up to the flat.
Phew…. It looked brilliant. Lots of quirky artwork and bold colours. Valentina explained that she is an artist, working in porcelain.
After a good night’s sleep (ish) the nearest tourist destination from our flat was the MAMbo, which is the Museum of Modern Art of Bologna, only 1 minute walk away.
The guide book states: 9,500 square meters are dedicated to visual culture and experimentation, the site of the former bread oven qualifies as a centre of production and a critical laboratory for contemporary interdisciplinary culture.
To be honest we weren’t blown away, the building was great and we did see a few good pieces that ‘spoke to us’. But overall there pieces that had more of a ‘message’ than a ‘substance’. I think we have been spoilt by places like Yorkshire Sculpture Park on our doorstep.
Bologna is famous for it’s left wing politics, historically the home of the Italian Communist Party, so it was good to see some art that reflected that.
This painting is by Renato Guttuso, called “Funerali di Togliatti” (showing the imagined funeral of Italian Communist Party leader, Palmiro Togliatti)
The procession is made up of people past and present eg Angela Davis, Chairman Mao and for some reason I haven’t fathomed out despite a Google search – two images of Lenin. Maybe the artist forgot he had already done one.
Going round anywhere by foot is better because you see far more. I love finding things that make a place seem ‘foreign’ to me. Like this condom ( preservativo) machine I found on the street with a mind boggling array of ‘preservativos’ as well as a solitary pregnancy test. Maybe there a subliminal message here.
Apparently these are a relatively new phenomenon and seemed to me at odds with the Roman Catholism of the country. With that question in mind and a quick search later I found out that indeed these machines had caused some unrest particularly in Rome when 6 machines were installed in a school. A recent study published in June this year attributes the rise in these machines in bringing down unplanned pregnancies in Italy and taking away the embarrassment factor. Although I do wonder how these machines would fare on the streets of Sheffield.
You can’t walk round Bologna and not be flooded with images of graffiti everywhere. Of course the word ‘graffiti’ has it’s origins in Italy and examples found as far back as Pompeii, where catacombs had declarations of love, magic spells and area rivalries etched into the walls. so it should be anticipated. ‘Graffiti’ comes from the Italian word ‘graffiare’ meaning to scratch something into a surface, certainly there is a lot of evidence of ‘scratching the surface’ here.
Maybe having been to the Modern Art Gallery I did wonder “When does graffiti become art?” but whilst some did look ‘artistic’ is seems that overall most of it just looks like vandalism and detracts from the beautiful architecture. But I feel quite conflicted to be honest . Some just seems a bit bonkers too:
A lot of effort was put into this but….. But what profound statement are they making with ‘love me like I love your potato.’ Apparently there have been attempts to legislate against it but how can you stem the flow of something that is a centuries old tradition.
Today we visited two cafes. I got a bit confused and asked for a Gingseng. I thought it was akin to a herbal tea but is was anything but. Caffè al ginseng as it is known is not tea or coffee or anything else I can think of.
Gingseng coffee is the new trend hitting Italian streets. Warm, milky and very, very sweet, caffè al ginseng tastes nothing at all like coffee. Allegedly an aphrodisiac, a tonic for fatigue etc it is apparently commonplace in Italy having originated in Milan. I am a bit shocked that Italians would deign to have their national staple messed about with but as they say travel broadens the mind,so perhaps they aren’t that fussed.
Walking round Bologna you can’t help but also notice the 40 km of covered walkways or porticoes. Various sites/books cite different lengths but basically there a lot! I thought they were really handy as it had promised rain and I wondered if this is how they originated. But they started to be built during Medieval times when Bologna was getting a bit crowded due to the flourishing university and trade businesses. They began to run out of space t within the city walls. They needed bigger buildings but didn’t want to develop on the many public outdoor spaces. So the city officials came up with the idea of requiring buildings to add extra space by extending outward towards the street- but only on their second story or higher. These new floors were held up with wooden beams (most have been replaces with marble or brick now) resulting in covered arcades for walking.
We headed to Piazza del Nettuno which has the famous Bologna landmark, Fountain of Neptune.
Made in the 16th century it is said that the artists and the church who commissioned it came to blows over the size of Neptune’s manhood. The collaboration (between architect Tommaso Laureti and Flemish sculptor Jean de Boulogne) calling themselves Giambologna were pretty miffed, so got their own back by making the thumb on the upturned hand look like an erect penis from some directions. However, what I can’t understand is why the Church got themselves all hot under the collar with this but didn’t seem too perplexed with the very sexy nymphs shooting water out of their pneumatic looking breasts.
Crossing this piazza we went directly to the next, Piazza Maggiore, the main piazza in Bologna. All roads they say lead to this piazza. We walked up the steps to San Petronio Basilica and lit a candle for Annie and Joab, with the hope that their house woes will end soon.
San Petronio BasilicaThe San Petronio Basilica had the option of a panoramic view of Bologna, with the added benefit of a lift, a better option than the Towers which you have to walk up. But before we could go up we had to fill in a disclaimer and sign in stating if we had an accident there definitely not be a ‘where there’s a blame there’s a claim’ situation.
This smile belies the fact that I was feeling quite apprehensive going 52 metres up to the top of the church in quite a rickety lift.
The views though made up for the weakness in my knees.
All the architecture of Bologna seems to be made up of red roofs and ochre walls. Bologna known as ‘the red’ not only because of it’s politics but also the overwhelming colour of the centre.
You can see the famous towers, Garisenda and Asinelli which we could walked up but for my lungs and Pete convalescence. At 498 steps I was very glad to give it a miss but we did get quite a few photographs at different angles. Not as famous as Pisa but they both have a distinctive lean to them.
Bologna also has a network of canals, 60km of them, linked to the city’s Silk industry in the past. A lot is underground, like the Roman aqueducts. They are there around the corner here and there in the city centre but can quite easily be missed as they are not exactly full. That said we did see quite a few fishes which weren’t that tiny.
This is the Canal di Reno and when full does look more impressive and probably the fish are happier too! Below is how it should look.
So like many European bridges there were the obligatory locks symbolising the eternal love of the people who have crossed it. This is the bit where I sound an utter grouch but they look a bit tacky and by the law of averages a large percentage of the ‘lovers’ will have moved onto pastures new!
Sniffing out a bargain we found ourselves at Piazza VIII Agosta. Sadly we won’t be here on Friday when La Piazzola takes place, a historic market with 400 stalls. However, we did happen upon a few stalls with very cheap clothes.
They were also selling various sizes of Donna’s…. Intriguing! So we didn’t stay long in case I got snapped up.
I got two great, colourful scarves for a euro each- bargain!!! One had a label on it for the original price of 6.90 euros.
Random Acts of Travelling 