Blogs from Bologna, Emilia-Romagna, Italy, Europe

I think I’ve developed an obsession with Bologna’s porticos. So what better way to feed my obsession than with a walk through the world’s longest - the 3,796 metre long Portici di San Luca. I read that this was built between 1674 and 1721 to protect increasing numbers of pilgrims to the Sanctuary of the Madonna San Luca from the elements. According to tradition it has 666 arches, the Number of the Beast, as it’s supposedly in the shape of a snake; the snake then gets crushed under the Madonna’s heel at the Sanctuary, which is at the end of the Portico. It’s more than a kilometre hike to even get to the start of the Portico, but it seems like a nice day for a quiet stroll. The first kilometre and a half or so ... read more

Today we’ve got a long and convoluted journey from Cadiz to Bologna in northern Italy. We leave our Cadiz apartment at 7.30am, which is 5.30am anywhere else in the world, and find, perhaps unsurprisingly, that there aren’t hordes of taxis queuing up waiting to take us to the station. This isn’t a good start. So it’s a long walk, a train ride, a couple of flights, a couple of taxi rides, and lots of waiting around - to Seville and then Madrid and finally Bologna. All very boring. So if it was that boring why am I feeling so grumpy. Lack of sleep perhaps, but more likely the long line of stereotypícal sorts who often conspire to interfere in the lives of weary plane travellers. And they seem to be out in force today. First up ... read more

Bologne étant sur notre chemin, nous nous y sommes bien entendu arrêtés… Pour manger des spaghettis bolognaises ???? Non… car figurez-vous qu’ils n’apparaissent pas sur les cartes de tous les restaurants… Par contre nous avons appréciés cet arrêt car c’est fou ce que Bologne à de visages différents… Une ville où l’on marche beaucoup… souvent ou presque toujours sous des arcades, ce qui fait que la chaleur se faisait moins ressentir… et ce n’était pas plus mal… Voyagez de par nos photos… vous aimerez ou vous n’aimerez pas… vous y viendrez ou vous éviterez d’y venir… ? Bologne est la capitale dynamique et historique de la région d'Émilie-Romagne, .entre le Pô et les Apennins. C'est le chef-lieu de la région d'Émilie-Romagne (plaine du Pô) et de la province de même nom et l'une des principales villes ... read more

Parco della Montagnola... read more

Today was our final full day in Italy before our two days of travel to return to the UK. After a good breakfast, which also included cake, we headed off back to the city to follow the map we had been sent from our Tailor Made Rail. We were to start from the Neptune statue - our first port of call was the Salaborsa, once the economic centre, now a place of culture. In this building, you could see some of the old city below through a glass floor. We did do this a little later than planned, as opening times in the summer are a little later 14:30 not 10:30 when we got there. It is worth a look, however some of the glass could do with a clean to have a better look. Heading ... read more