A conclusion, that was something I owed to myself. Bologna was now six months behind me, and the feeling of wanting to end the travel report with a final chapter gnawed subtly at me.
Remembering, trying to find the right expressions, traveling back in my thoughts to Tuscany - this should suffice, more poorly than well. To make matters worse, all my vacation photos had been lost in May. Hence, I had to rely solely on the images in my mind.
Especially vivid is my memory of the ascent to the San Luca church. A long hike led through the endless arcades on that Easter Monday into the mountains south of Bologna. In the drizzle, numerous people set out for the ascent to the baroque hermitage, which offered a fantastic view over the city despite the gray spring weather.
Bologna, as could be read in almost every travel guide, was known as the red city ('la rossa'). This referred to the pastel red of the facades and arcades, which provided a harmonious appearance. The second characteristic was the city's cuisine ('la grassa' - the Fat). While Mortadella has a dubious reputation among us, the culinary traveler in Bologna should get to know the sausage anew, whether as a sandwich filling, on pizza, or straight into the mouth. Only the last name - the Red, the Fat and? - just wouldn't come to me.
The descent from San Luca took place far from the crowds of people via a nature trail between Judas trees in dusty pink bloom, fitting for the Easter festival, along the Reno river. The gray weather surrounded the farewell in a sobering manner.
Bologna had been the focal point of the vacation. Here we had landed in the rain a week ago, visited the Neptune Fountain, the anatomical lecture hall of the historical university, the cathedral, and the strangely solitary towers on the very first day. Thus, the last day was filled with an extensive walk and a coffee during the sunset at the Piazza (Cliché alert!) A final highlight was the visit to the church of Santo Stefano, where one could marvel at the basin of Pontius Pilate, in which he washed his hands in innocence while he condemned the Messiah. The architectural history of the sacred building illustrated how late antiquity and Renaissance intertwined in this region. Particularly, the type of round building, which dates back to the 5th century, reminded one of Ravenna. A beautiful conclusion for a journey filled with many lasting impressions.
Only the last attribution for Bologna just wouldn't come to me at all. Was it the learned one, referencing the oldest university in Europe?
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With thanks to Alfred Andersch for the inspiration for the topic of this text.
