Autumn in Bologna

As I look out of my window to write this the low autumn sun is casting long shadows in the estate next door, I haven’t seen a deer yet, but I am hopeful. The light this week has had a lovely golden quality which picks out the changing leaf colours as well as the edges of buildings and portico features. I am reminded again how lucky we are to be here in Bologna, Italy in this crazy year as we teeter on the brink of further virus control restrictions. As this year has highlighted, there is risk in making any future plans or predictions, but this means that there has never been a better time to appreciate now and be grateful for what you have.

Dejavu

There is no doubting that where we are right now feels like a rerun of March. Al is furloughed again until December at the earliest, although this time there is the menacing shadow of permanent closure. This is sitting hand in hand with the worry that restaurants are not hiring at the moment and that the hospitality industry is in serious trouble everywhere. My teaching had started to pick up since I took advice about turning self-employed but I have already had requests to switch from in the home to online lessons for some students and I don’t know how successful that can be for six to eight year olds. My hope that the Language schools would start to recover and begin hiring again has been quietly dropped for the time being. The main difference this time is that the threat and the worry never really lifted so it lacks the surprise and surrealism and has, instead, been more of a creeping inevitability that hope alone could not keep at bay.

Count your blessings

There are, of course, plenty of things to be thankful for. We are both healthy, our families are safe and well and, so far, we have been spared much direct personal tragedy from this illness. The novel is, finally, cracking on a pace although it seems to be disrupting the blog flow, so apologies about that. I am hopeful of having a draft finished for the end of the year if all goes well. Al has decided to divert his attentions into guitar practice and baking again so although I had only just made a dent in tackling the lockdown weight gain, I am about to start being fed delicious baked treats again. Time to up the exercise before we are required to stay in the house, perhaps I need to start attending your online Pilates evening classes too Chrissy May?

Autumn in Bologna

Spring and Autumn are undoubtedly the best seasons in Bologna. We missed a lot of spring due to the first lockdown so it has been lovely to see summer give way to autumn. It seemed as if the weather knew when the month turned as the first day of September featured rain finally after weeks of dry weather and rainless thunderstorms. The leaves started to change colour and, with the conkers, began to drop. It’s chestnut season right now so you see chestnut roasters in the city streets. Everyday I get updates from Apennines discovery about the beautiful landscapes on our doorsteps so we decided to take advantage of the dry clear weather and went for a walk in the hills at the grotte di labante this weekend. The museums were still open so we trotted along to the musical instruments museum a week or two ago and to the Monet exhibition that is on at the moment. You have to book in advance and wear your mask, of course, but for both exhibitions we were able to get in for free with our Bologna Welcome cards.

The restaurants and bars we have been going to have always been great at sticking to the rules and making sure there are socially distanced tables, hand sanitizer, mask wearing, table service and high levels of cleanliness so it does seem a shame that there has been a national ruling about this because of venues that were not, but to this end all bars and restaurants are being closed at 6pm now, so we have been trying to show support by having the occasional lunch out, as our more limited resources allow.

The treasures at hand

This past week or so I have been trying to remember to take photos while I am out so I can capture the many hidden gems and famous beauties of this magical city as we move through the year. Every time I go to write this blog I am struck by the things I forgot to take pictures of or don’t seem to have ever captured. Partly this is because I am busy enjoying these things in real time, but although a photo can never capture the reality of being somewhere they are useful in that they give people who weren’t there a glimpse into what it was like and are good prompts for the memory later. It seems my memory could use all the prompts it can get.

Next phase

As I conclude this post Italy has just announced a tier rating for restrictions. Bologna is a green zone so we have the least amount of additional measures applied. Most of the new restrictions don’t really affect us: 10pm to 5am curfew, High schools moved to 100% online teaching, travel between regions is restricted. Milan and other cities are in Red Zones and so have the highest additional measures, which is difficult but understandable given the current situation. So we settle in as autumn moves to winter, we will continue to minimise our going out to exercise, shopping for essentials and work (while there is still some), wearing our masks and washing our hands often when we do so. Stay safe out there and keep well.

May 15, 2020

The Walk to San Luca

This week I wanted to write about a walk we did before lockdown. I have been holding on to it because it was not possible to do the walk and I didn’t want to be irresponsible by appearing as if I was breaking the lock down. We completed this walk on 28^th February and when we reached the top they were just closing the church because of the virus and it remains closed. However, now you are able to walk up to the church again and for many people the walk up to San Luca is part of a regular exercise routine.

What is San Luca?

For those who have not been to Bologna, San Luca is the church on the hill (Colle della Guardia) overlooking the city. It has been the symbol of Bologna for centuries and is still a place of worship and pilgrimage. There has been a church on the site for almost a thousand years and the current church was built by Carlo Francesco Dotti between 1723 and 1757. The two external stands were completed by his son Giovanni Giacomo in 1774. Since 1433 there been an annual Ascension week procession carrying the Byzantine Madonna and child down from San Luca to the cathedral. According to tradition The Mother and Child was brought to Bologna by a Byzantine pilgrim in the 12^th Century, with the first church being built on the site that same century. The portico San Luca was built to protect the pilgrims and the procession from the weather and was started in 1674 and completed in 1793.

There are some incredible views from the grounds, but when the church is open you can give a donation and climb the stairs inside to the panoramic viewing platform. NB take smaller notes or loose coins as they do not give change. The church itself is beautiful and has some fantastic art so it’s well worth a visit.

How do I get there?

I recommend walking, you can google a map to Porta Saragozza from wherever you are in the city. However if the walk seems like too much or you don’t have time you can get tickets for either the San Luca Express which is a little road train or the jump on/jump off open topped tourist bus both from Piazza Maggiore. Jess and I took the little train to the top on her first visit with us last year and it’s a good way to see the city, but be warned, it does not have a lot of suspension and some Bolognese streets are cobbled. If you want more info you can find it here at Bologna Welcome

The longest portico in the world

Bologna’s porticos cover a large proportion of the city centre. If you are going to San Luca from Piazza Maggiore it is possible to walk under porticoes for most of the route. The porticos of Bologna were nominated as a World Heritage site in 2019. However, the 666 arches of the official portico San Luca start at Porta Saragozza. This is a very impressive porta on a busy intersection. It is reportedly the longest continuous portico in the world. It is almost 3.5km long and nearly all of it is uphill, however because of the portico structure it does offer some of the most beautiful views of the surroundings while you ascend, winding around the hill. The porticos also provide shelter from both the sun and the rain which is great because Bologna is known for both.

The views from the walk

You start with a view over the stadium, but with the view opening out as you climb higher. There are chapels along the route as well as paintings. Some of the arches still retain painted ceilings, so it is worth keeping your eyes on the porticos themselves as well as on the view outside. Here are the photos we took in February, as is typical in Bologna there was a haze on the city so we didn’t get as many photos as we would have liked. If you were to go at the moment you might find much of the haze has gone thanks to lockdown.

The restaurant at the top

When Al and I did this walk we did it so that we would reach the top at lunchtime, obviously. If you go to the road behind the church and walk a little way along there is a lovely restaurant Vita a San Luca. We ordered from their seasonal pasta menu and we were not disappointed, although we have since been told that their pizzas are also fantastic and it is considered one of the best pizza places in the city. As you might expect from the location they are well equipped for tourists, however they are also accommodating for those attempting the language. I felt like I wanted to eat everything and there was a good wine list. We felt that we had earned our lunch with the walk so we also had desert. The only downside is that there are not really views as the restaurant is tucked into the hill, however the interior is fairly unique and an experience itself. We will certainly be returning here and it’s a good excuse to make the walk.

Things to note

There is nowhere to get anything to eat or drink from Porta Saragozza to the Church. At the church there is only a water fountain and a coffee vending machine. Vita a San Luca is the only restaurant at the top and although it has a lot of seats it is usually busy, so you could be disappointed or have to wait for a table. If you are planning on picnicking, you need to either bring something with you or stop and get something at one of the many bars, cafes and shops on the way to the Porte. In places the walk is quite steep and you can get warm so you need to dress appropriately. Expect it to be busy on fine days and don’t be surprised if you are huffing and puffing at the end of a section only to be overtaken by a running nonna (grandma).

February 27, 2020February 27, 2020

Porretta Terme and La Scola

The Hills of Bologna

As part of our ongoing mission to see more of the area surrounding Bologna whenever we can, we found ourselves on a Monday heading out in our ancient Polo to what the Bolognese call “the hills”. Probably because in my mind the hills mean softly undulating landscape, I was not prepared for the majestic sweeps, deep valleys and dramatic shapes of the Bolognese hills. It would be like calling the Peak district, the hills of Sheffield, which is an error with my understanding of the Italian word rather than undue modesty on their part. This area is part of the Apennines which separates Bologna and the north from Pisa and Florence.

Al advises me that it was interesting driving, along the twisty roads, with hairpin bends, steep inclines and unexpected drops with no power steering and it certainly looked it from the passenger seat. My ears popped on one high stretch and we knew that down was the only remaining direction available. There were many beautiful small towns in valleys and on hillsides as we snaked our way through. I don’t have photos of the drive as I was too busy taking it in. You will just have to take my word for it or visit for yourself.

Porretta Terme

We had set our sights on a town called Porretta Terme . As the name suggests Terme is Italian for Thermal spa and these springs have been in use since Roman times. The town is also famous for Winter sports as it is close to a couple of resorts as well as being home to an International Soul Music festival which has been running since 1987. It was a beautiful sunny day with temperatures promising to reach 15 despite it still being February.

We enjoyed ourselves wandering around the streets looking at the architecture. However, it is us, so we had timed our visit with lunch and needed to find something to eat. Monday lunchtime is not an ideal time to visit a town as many shops and businesses close for lunch and many restaurants and cafes don’t open on Mondays. However, there is always somewhere to be found and we were more than happy to stumble on Cipensoio which is the restaurant of the Helvetia Thermal Spa hotel. It looked formal and we thought twice about going in, but we read the menu outside and decided we would go for it. It rated highly on the review sites, but we had really been looking for a sandwich. We often find ourselves in restaurants having sworn we would have a light lunch on the run.

Ci Penso Io is literally translated into English as “I’ll think about it”, but it widely accepted to mean “I’ll handle that” or “I’ll deal with it”, so bear this in mind if you hear it said or say it. Certainly, in this case they could handle our lunch. The food was delicious.

We had only been able to pay for two hours parking (parking requires change which, except for small brassy denominations, seems to elude us), so we had to get back on the road. It’s still early in the year so you start to lose the light at 5pm and we had another stop planned before heading for home. There is a station, Porrettana, which runs to and from Bologna, so a train trip would probably take you through some beautiful countryside on the way. Next time I’m planning on booking in for a spa treatment.

La Scola

We drove back in the direction of Bologna but turned off onto a road that climbed the side of a large hill. This road was in part single lane and we were a little disturbed to see bus stops dotted along, as there was no room for a bus to pass. The tarmac surface did not extend by more than a cars width and to the sides were rain gullys. I didn’t notice any passing places, but I would not have wanted to reverse back to one anyway, the road was steep and twisty. La Scola is listed as a historical monument, but it is a tiny village where all the buildings are from 14^th and 15^th Centuries and were built by master stonemasons. Its location, perched on the side of a hill, means that the beautiful buildings are set in an incredible context against the sky and surrounding hills. As it is tiny there is no parking to speak of, no facilities and I imagine that it could get pretty busy in peak tourist season. You can also get there by train and then bus from Bologna and I recommend it as somewhere to go on the way to or from somewhere else.