Arriving in Bologna (yesterday), we had a bit of fun finding our hotel. The tourist info was eventually found in the main square where this very explicit statue / fountain resides. From here, you can easily walk to our hotel in 3 minutes or less. It took us a full hour by car!!
Today we walked all over. Crooked tower threatening to fall over, through the market area and around the main square with student bookstore / restaurants / internet cafe. Then a long stroll to the university. Much of the neat stuff in Bologna is in the details.
Like this series of columns just off a very main street.
And the details of the columns.Bologna is a wild mixture of old and new. There are scooters and motorcycles everywhere. The place is not ready for primetime tourism, maybe they want it that way. Signage is poor (our Italian is very poor). Traffic rules are completely negotiable - parking, one-way streets and such.
But this is a part of Emilia-Romagna and the food and wine is terrific. We visited several nice restaurants (outdoors in the market, a great pasta & pizza place beside the hotel, a lively wine bar near the square and a truly funky place with no other customers but terrific food).
Cell phones abound, even indoors in a chi-chi modern (apparently rather new) mall with lots of upscale shops.
This gate is near the university - the first university. With luck, you may be able to read the plaque.
The old university is still in use, but it has expanded considerably within the old town area. There are students everywhere with all the associated stores, posters, festivals and political meeting fo all stripes. Fun area.
2 comments:
That is one dirty fountain. I can't believe the water shoots out of the ladies' boobs!
- Andrew
The statue with Neptune and the gals caused quite a commotion when it was first unveiled, at least the guide books say so.
Pretty strange really; the sea is a long way from Bologna!
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