Friday & Saturday 14 & 15 December 2012
We sadly left Montepulciano and Tuscany on Friday at 10:30 and began our transition to Venice so we could be there when Claire and Alessandra arrived on Monday. The drive takes you right past the city of Bologna which we had never visited on any prior trip so we made plans to change that. An over night stay would be perfect. We both were thoroughly impressed with the beauty of the city and the vibrancy of the the street scene and night life. Holiday lights were strung along most of the main streets and a number of smaller ones in the main shopping zone. There was a large Christmas tree standing in the main piazza and in front of many stores were smaller trees decorated and lighted. The whole atmosphere was very joyful and the citizens were in full stride as they went about their shopping and socializing.
While Bologna never gets anywhere near equal billing as the other major Italian cities when compared for its beauty and art riches we were very impressed and would say that the city is a undiscovered gem and should absolutely not be missed. The most striking features are the number of well preserved medieval buildings and the astounding amount of wide vaulted archways covering the sidewalks in the city. I read that there are 42 kilometers (24 miles) of arcades in the city ranging from fairly simple to wonderfully painted and groin vaulted structures. Unlike many of the Italian cities where pedestrians “share” the road with tour buses, cars, scooters, bicycles, and anything else the arcades offer a safer and nicer respite from the craziness.
The holiday shopping was in full swing.
The prosciutto was hung from the ceiling with care and decorated with garlands!!
Oblivious to the whirlwind around him.
Free mulled wine was being offered on the streets. I love the warmth of this place.
The concept of bike riding was not something that these two were able to handle.
They eventually got it figured out and made there way without any further “incidents”.
This is a small part of the main piazza in the city. The fountain was not working quite up to specs but was still quite impressive.
Our lunch stop was tasty and very busy.
Anybody need roses?
Just one of the wonderful churches in town. There were no photos allowed in the main cathedral San Petronio.
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There was a drum marching corp working the way VERY loudly along one of the wide streets. Lots of folks added in behind them as they moved along.
I guess the tongue helps keep the beat.
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A bit of the night shopping scene and the lights.
Christmas trees and 600 year old facades.
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A bit of a quieter street in the city.
If you are going to shop and spend money at least do it some place pretty.
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Sunday morning we did a bit of exploring that was not shopping bag driven.
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When you don’t have tree trunks to wrap like in Houston you drape the lights along the length of the arcade.
There is wonderful architecture throughout the city.
Games with reflected window light.
I am certain that there is a specific term for these arched extensions outward from the ground floor wall. It is a widely used style of construction in many of the older buildings.
A larger portion of the central city is close to vehicular traffic for most of the day. It makes for large almost park like areas to wander while shopping.
The Christmas bike.
We first saw these craftsman who formed animals out of reeds while in Milan right at the beginning of the trip. These dragons were quite ornate!
More street scenes.
I did not take the time to figure the meaning of this wall mounted decoration.
Apparently back in the sixties there was a whole electric powered street car system that ran throughout the city. It is now gone but for some reason all of the overhead wiring has been left in place???
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The last arcade and then it is off to Venice!
Feels like we are there with you, Michael!
Great photos! Too bad none were allowed in San Petronio. Did you get to go inside and look around?
I love all of the marching bands you’ve seen! Very cool!
The saga of life goes on. What a time to rememberfor the rest of your lives. Best of all, you can now share this adventure with C and A. Love to you all. Dad