First Day in Bologna

After a short 1 1/2 hour flight from Catania to Bologna, we arrived at our hotel, freshened up and then hit the street with our guide to see the sights.  This is the Basilica of San Petronio in Piazza Maggiore.  The citizens of Bologna built this church, and the Vatican stopped them, hence the wooden upper level. Emilia Romagna is the epi-center of Italian gastronomy.  Our trip here is to explore the beautiful foods here like Parmigiano Reggiano, Prosciutto di Parma and Balsamic vinegar as well as the famous pasta Bolognese, lasagna, tortellini in brodo, and chocolates. 

The Town Hall

Neptune's Fountain

Beautiful corridors to walk under

 Bologna is home to the oldest university in Western Europe.  In the middle ages there were 5,000 students, today there are 95,000 students.

Various family crests 

 During the Renaissance, students would study the human bodies of cadavers here.  The cadaver was laid on the table and dissected (which was outlawed by the church) If a church official was known to be near, the table would flip, and the body would land in the river below the table.  Michelangelo would come here to study anatomy.

Back on the streets again, we toured through the markets

Tortellini, and other fresh pasta

Parmigiano

Above the pasta are Columba, a sweet bread in the shape of a dove, similar to pannetone

A leaning tower

After our tour ended we had some free time and then dinner.....of course, more food!   Tomorrow we will learn all about how the local specialty products are made using traditional methods handed down from generation to generation.  Ciao for now!