It's a day of catch ups. I meet up with cousin Kim (and his wife, Susan) in Piazza Nettuno. We struggle to remember when we last saw each other. The bare minimum is at least, 25 years ago but it's quite possibly more. Soon after meeting them, I catch up with a friend from my days as a Healthy Schools Award coordinator: the ever lovely Dali and the equally lovely John. I think I first met Dali in the mid- nineties but the last time I saw her was 2012/13 when I was working in a summer school in Chalfont St Giles.
We sit and drink short coffees in a long way. Kim, who has been in Bologna for some time now (in his pursuit of Italian citizenship, is our tour guide and shows us interesting things about the genitalia on the statue of Neptune.
It's a grey day with a fine drizzle dampening the tour but not the spirits. We have lunch at the Mercato di Mezzo which is a kind of food court. And I have my first encounter with a real Bolognese piadina (filled with rocket, mozzarella and tomato). And beer! That's at least one of the best things about not driving!
We sort of see the seven church complex and one of the few remaining canals in the city. Of course we see the Due Torri. One of them is called Il Torre degli Asinelli and the one next to it, isn't. :-)
The towers lean with one of them 7m off the perpendicular! It's probably best not to tell them about Pisa.
For dinner and end up at Ca' Pelletti in Via Zamboni. I had cappelletti with butter and Parmesan and some wine. To finish the day, we find a bar near the Palazzo della Mercanzia and have a coffee (well, John and I did, the others had decaf which, as we know, is just coloured water). Tomorrow, Ferrara!
Ferrara and Bronwyn, the criminal dog
We take the slow train to Ferrara, about an hour. Once there, we meet up with a friend of mine from Saudi. We have a little potter around before lunch at Locanda 22, a small restaurant with outdoor seating which gives a great view of Ferrara Castle.
Lunch is a local speciality, cappellacci - a sort of ravioli with pumpkin in it. I have a skirmish with the waiter who insists that cappelletti only have meat in them. I tell him I ate ricotta and spinach cappelletti (at a restaurant called Ca' Pelletti) the previous night. We have a gastronomic standoff.
To burn off some of the calories, we embark on a long ramble around the city. Taking the back streets we wander through the old Jewish quarter and eventually, after a leisurely coffee, end up back at the main square. Inside the castle there is an incredible exhibition of sculptures by two artists, Sara Bolzani and Nicola Zamboni. They depict the story of Orlando Furioso, a 16th century fable written by Ludovico Ariosto for his patrons, the Este family (who also gave their name to the castle). They are amazing pieces of art.
The Criminal Dog
The dog. Dali and John are accompanied by their faithful hound, Bronwyn. Coming to Ferrara was absolutely no problem. We simply bought a ticket for all four of us and got on the train. Coming back was an edgy ride because the clerk at the station (the ticket machine wasn't working) informed us she wouldn't issue a ticket for the dog if we were unable to show a dog passport. Of course there is no guidance on this anywhere! You are just supposed to know. All the documentation for said pooch lies back in Bologna. the clerk is unyielding and without documentation there is the possibility of a fine - so we endure a nervy 30 minute ride back to Bologna. I am now consorting with criminals! And a criminal dog at that!
I have no idea why I didn't check the opening times but when we arrived, it was closed. It doesn't open except on weekends. Such a stupid thing to do and I am angry with myself. However, we make the best of our adventure and head out to a 14th century village called La Scola. It's population is 25 but it's been restored and is a pretty diversion.
Lunch is in a local trattoria and all three of us have ravioli with ricotta and spinach with butter and sage. It's simple but so well done and quite possibly the nicest meal we have had here since we came.
Suitably sated, we head off to a non-lake. My friend insists there's no lake on her map (despite the road signs suggesting there is a large body of water somewhere nearby).
We eventually arrive at a very substantial lake, Lake Suviana. It's held back by a dam constructed in the 1930s and fed by another lake, Lake Brasimone which is higher up in the hills.
The countryside makes for pleasant if somewhat wriggly driving (for John) and we get back to Bologna around 5pm.
After a short rest, we walk into town and eat at the Osteria dell'Orsa where we had intended to eat the previous night but weren't prepared for the long queues. No queues tonight though and we eat heartily.
I speak to the man at the door - in Italian and he answers in English. I ask how he knew I was English. His reply was, your accent but your Italian is very good. Annoying!
We wander into town for an ice cream and later a coffee. In the end, it was just nice to spend some time with friends. 20 years from now, assuming we are all still alive and able to recall the history of our lives, we will look back and say…. Do you remember the time we didn't go to Rocchetta Mattei? :-)
Last day. We meet up in the main piazza and are eventually joined by Kim and Susan. We say goodbye to Dali and John and have lunch together before I walk down to the station with Kim. It's been a good holiday.
As usual, I am providing a link to the album with all the photos I took while travelling around Bologna. Thanks to Team Sidonio who made the trip so memorable.
Link to photos
We sit and drink short coffees in a long way. Kim, who has been in Bologna for some time now (in his pursuit of Italian citizenship, is our tour guide and shows us interesting things about the genitalia on the statue of Neptune.
It's a grey day with a fine drizzle dampening the tour but not the spirits. We have lunch at the Mercato di Mezzo which is a kind of food court. And I have my first encounter with a real Bolognese piadina (filled with rocket, mozzarella and tomato). And beer! That's at least one of the best things about not driving!
We sort of see the seven church complex and one of the few remaining canals in the city. Of course we see the Due Torri. One of them is called Il Torre degli Asinelli and the one next to it, isn't. :-)
The towers lean with one of them 7m off the perpendicular! It's probably best not to tell them about Pisa.
For dinner and end up at Ca' Pelletti in Via Zamboni. I had cappelletti with butter and Parmesan and some wine. To finish the day, we find a bar near the Palazzo della Mercanzia and have a coffee (well, John and I did, the others had decaf which, as we know, is just coloured water). Tomorrow, Ferrara!
Ferrara and Bronwyn, the criminal dog
We take the slow train to Ferrara, about an hour. Once there, we meet up with a friend of mine from Saudi. We have a little potter around before lunch at Locanda 22, a small restaurant with outdoor seating which gives a great view of Ferrara Castle.
Lunch is a local speciality, cappellacci - a sort of ravioli with pumpkin in it. I have a skirmish with the waiter who insists that cappelletti only have meat in them. I tell him I ate ricotta and spinach cappelletti (at a restaurant called Ca' Pelletti) the previous night. We have a gastronomic standoff.
To burn off some of the calories, we embark on a long ramble around the city. Taking the back streets we wander through the old Jewish quarter and eventually, after a leisurely coffee, end up back at the main square. Inside the castle there is an incredible exhibition of sculptures by two artists, Sara Bolzani and Nicola Zamboni. They depict the story of Orlando Furioso, a 16th century fable written by Ludovico Ariosto for his patrons, the Este family (who also gave their name to the castle). They are amazing pieces of art.
The Criminal Dog
Bronwyn, the criminal
Rocchetta Mattei - or not! Lakes - or not!
Rocchetta Mattei - the castle we didn't visit!
We eventually arrive at a very substantial lake, Lake Suviana. It's held back by a dam constructed in the 1930s and fed by another lake, Lake Brasimone which is higher up in the hills.
The countryside makes for pleasant if somewhat wriggly driving (for John) and we get back to Bologna around 5pm.
After a short rest, we walk into town and eat at the Osteria dell'Orsa where we had intended to eat the previous night but weren't prepared for the long queues. No queues tonight though and we eat heartily.
I speak to the man at the door - in Italian and he answers in English. I ask how he knew I was English. His reply was, your accent but your Italian is very good. Annoying!
We wander into town for an ice cream and later a coffee. In the end, it was just nice to spend some time with friends. 20 years from now, assuming we are all still alive and able to recall the history of our lives, we will look back and say…. Do you remember the time we didn't go to Rocchetta Mattei? :-)
Last day. We meet up in the main piazza and are eventually joined by Kim and Susan. We say goodbye to Dali and John and have lunch together before I walk down to the station with Kim. It's been a good holiday.
Portico
As usual, I am providing a link to the album with all the photos I took while travelling around Bologna. Thanks to Team Sidonio who made the trip so memorable.
Link to photos
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