2024 - March - Bologna

This travel report actually deserves a special title: Bologna - On the way through the infinity of the arcades.

In fact, during our visit to Bologna we unfortunately had very cloudy weather and therefore could not really see the attractions of the historic old town, let alone take photos.

It's a good thing that the city has a huge network of arcades. Here you can take long walks at any time without being affected by bad weather. In the historic city center alone there are over 40 km of paths covered with arcades. In total, the city area is said to have over 60 km of them!

My pictures therefore often reflect precisely this architectural feature in the cityscape. It is of course fun to explore both the busy addresses and the side streets.

With over 388,000 inhabitants, Bologna even has really expensive shopping malls for the top 10,000. Fortunately, there are also many small shops and the usual large chains are only a few.

Another positive for me as a tourist was that there were only a few others like me. The city is pleasantly lively, but not overcrowded.

Of course, there are still tourist hotspots here where the focus is primarily on the cuisine. After all, Bologna is the birthplace of tortellini. The original recipe for the real filling of these dough pieces is kept in the Palazzo della Mercanzia. Of course, the recipe for the original Bolognese ragù is also kept here.

It's only logical that tortellini should also be kept as a souvenir and are of course offered in all kinds of variations in restaurants. I especially liked them plain in broth and sprinkled with parmesan.

But you should also definitely try the mortadella here. It also comes from here and there are plenty of opportunities to enjoy it.

With this boost, I now have some more tips for bad weather: Visit the Voltone del Podestà cross vault in the middle of the city center. Here you can almost always see people standing in the corners. With their faces facing the wall, they give the impression that they should be ashamed. But in fact, it is an amazing phenomenon: if you stand diagonally opposite each other, you will hear exactly what the other person is whispering!

Not far from the Whispering Vault, you will find the public city library in the Sala Borsa in the Palazzo Comunale. Even though the library only moved here in 2001, it is worth taking a look inside the historic halls. Currently, an impressive installation in the entrance area commemorates the many Covid 19 deaths, of which Italy unfortunately had a lot.

The signs with the many names of the deceased were actually standing at a memorial service on the city's main square, Piazza Maggiore, in front of the Basilica of San Petronio. This church and the various others in the city are my last tip for today for a visit to Bologna in bad weather.

If you are right to say that I have unfortunately left out far too many top sights, then I have to agree. I promise to come back!