Bologna, Italy: Favorite Son Tells All

There’s a Texan in our midst here in Montpel, and he’s meeting his sister in Bologna this month. Smart boy that he is, he came straight to me with questions about what to do while he’s there.

I went to Bologna a few years ago with Jax, and we had the best Indian food I’ve ever eaten in my life. But, I suspected that the Texan probably didn’t want that kind of advice. So, smart girl that I am, I went straight to the head of the Gay Mafia – Marco, who grew up in Bologna – for answers. Let’s take a look at his list (loosely translated from our slang/private jokes, etc.):

1. City center, obviously – the two towers, Piazza Maggiore, Neptune fountain (2:55), the seven churches of Piazza Santo Stefano and the old medieval parts of town.
2. Shopping: Via Indipendenza, and the market on Fridays and Saturdays at Piazza VIII Agosto.
3. No one ever does this, but they HAVE TO take via Saragozza (ed. which turns into via di San Luca), starting right outside the city center from Piazza di Porta Saragozza (vuvuvu gugòl meps) and go up to the fabulous Basilica di San Luca. It’s a long way to walk, but it offers breathtaking sights of the city. (ed.: Bus 58 goes there.)
4. There are a ton of places to eat in Bologna, but the best is Buca di San Petronio (although it is a bit expensive, 30-40 euros). (ed.:Via de’ Musei 4, tel.: +39 051 224 589) The restaurants on this list are also very good.

“ok, spero di essere stato not so useless. ora scappo che ho thousands things to do before work. I’m working every day from 8:00 pm to 2:00 a.m. llllove it.”

Thanks, Marco!  You’re the best!

I’d also like to add two things to this list:

1. They’re impossible to miss, but the city center architecture is dominated by porticos. Great for shelter from the elements, and great for picture-taking.
2. This guy said it best, so I’ll just copy and paste it here: Very few visitors know it, but under Bologna there is a dense network of canals which supplied energy in the past to make silk and grind wheat. Most of these were covered in the 1900’s. To see a glimpse of these canals go to Via Piella 18. A window under the portico reveals a surprising scene.