Summer in the city

August is when Italians traditionally go on holiday. Ferragosto is officially on the 15^th with people using that national holiday as the start or end point of their break. This year the date fell on the weekend so seemed to start the week before and extend into the week after. It’s been a tough year.

Bologna in August

August in Bologna is particularly hot and humid (especially this year when there were weeks in the mid-30s with temperatures barely dropping at night and little rain). “No one stays here in August” we were told when we first arrived last year. Many people have second homes on the coast or in the mountains to where they wholly or partly decamp to escape the weather. Last year we had long standing plans to be away for most of August so this year was our first experience.

We had noticed that weekends are quiet as soon as the schools break up because everyone heads to the beach, but that’s nothing compared to the exodus in August. We were not sure if this year would be the same as so many businesses were closed for quarantine, however it didn’t seem to make any difference. In fact, I feel it might even have been emptier this year as people were desperate to take advantage of the travel opportunity having been stuck in their homes for so long. The empty streets were like those at the height of lockdown and nearly all our favourite food shops and go to spots closed. This gave us an opportunity to investigate new places, go slightly further afield and try out different suppliers, but the pickings were slim.

With Al working for four days a week it was not exactly holiday time but we made the most of the three days a week he has off with a short break in Verona, a day out at an aqua park and other events still running around the city.

Bologna Station Massacre 1980

The month started with a sombre occasion. The 40^th anniversary of the Bologna station bombing which killed 85 people, injured more than 200 hundred and destroyed a large part of the station. It was one of the many acts of domestic terrorism that occurred during the “years of lead”, when Italy was plagued by violence from groups on the far left and far right of politics. The bombing was one of the last acts of this period, which began in the late 60’s, as people were so shocked by this incident it consolidated public opinion and the determination to bring these actions to an end. As you can imagine it was a big deal here with as much socially distanced commemoration as could be achieved. You can read more detail about these years and get further reading suggestions here.

Banner commemorating 40 years since the Bologna Station Bombing

Under the stars Cinema (Sotto le Stelle del Cinema)

The under the stars cinema programme is undoubtedly a highlight of the Bolognese summer. Usually the cinema is arranged with a large screen and seats set outside in the main square (Piazza Maggiore) which are available on a first come, first served basis or you can sit on the cathedral steps, or bring your own camping chair and add to the end of the rows. People bring along picnics or get takeout from nearby restaurants and bars. Bologna is home to the Cinema Ritrovato where they remaster and restore old films you can enjoy some classics. As it is also supported by the Cineteca, you can watch films in their original language with Italian subtitles, a rare treat as films are usually dubbed in Italian. Last year we watched The Doors with remastered soundtrack introduced by Oliver Stone as well as “Silence of the lambs” which was especially atmospheric with the sound bouncing around the piazza buildings.

This year, with Coronavirus, we thought the event was done for, but we shouldn’t have worried, although it had been altered, it was still on. Due to covid restrictions there were only 1000 seats and you needed to book tickets online so the necessary social distancing could be arranged. Sadly, the restrictions included prohibiting eating and you need to wear your mask at all times, so no food was allowed. The piazza was also closed for anyone without a booking so we have had to take some detours to avoid it.

As in previous years, you could book into one of the piazza restaurants and bars that overlook the screen and watch the movie while eating a meal or having a drink as these venues are already socially distanced. As we had a guest visiting, we decided to book a table at Signor Vino for the first night of her stay, from where we could watch “The Great Escape”. Our meal was excellent and the staff magnificent. The obligatory introduction came to an end and we were all glued to the screen as the film started. Sadly, about 20 minutes in we noticed that people in the piazza had started to get up from their seats and head over to where we were in the restaurant. We quickly identified that the heavens had opened. We felt relatively secure at our table as it was under a portico, but the wind picked up and soon we were getting drenched too. The screen began showing a message that the film would not continue. Despite our, and the staffs, valiant efforts to pull the table further under the portico, it was hopeless and we abandoned the table for one inside. So, at least now I know what happens if it rains on a cinema night.

Casa di Custode, Villa Ghigi

Villa Ghigi is a formerly private estate gifted to the people of Bologna via a foundation. The park at Villa Ghigi was a place of salvation for us as the first of the lockdown restrictions were lifted, which you can read about here. The villa itself is an imposing structure and still very beautiful and evocative, but I am sorry to say that it is in a poor state of repair. It is currently in the running for restoration funding due to a great initiative by FAI (Italian Environmental Fund) and you can vote for the Villa here on their site.

Next to the villa is a small building called the Casa di Custode. Usually this is completely closed but in the summer it forms the base of operations for a bar. The counter is outside, with the menu very clearly stating it sells beer and wine only. Trestle tables are set up with a random assortment of stools and chairs. Lights are strung between the casa and the villa. Covid restrictions meant less tables than previously and at busy times these were only available if pre-booked. It’s a beautiful location to stop and admire the greenery as well as being a welcome reward for walking up the steep slopes to get there.

The Acquapark

As the heat continued to build we took refuge at the Acquapark in the hills near Bologna. The air was, thankfully, fresher here and we enjoyed spending our time between the pools. We had originally planned a beach day, but we realised that’s where all the people who were usually in Bologna had gone and so all the beaches would be busy and expensive. The park made a great substitute, we got to paddle and relax, whilst maintaining social distancing and with everything we needed on hand. We thought the day tickets were good value and the food and drink concessions had something for everyone and were plastic free.

End of Summer

As wonderful as the summer was I have to say that when the heavens opened on final weekend of August I couldn’t have been happier. It felt like it was cleaning away the dust, dirt, grit and sweat of the previous weeks. We have had great times and been to beautiful places, we have some new favourites and new experiences. We even managed a return visit to Dozza (you can read about our previous visit here) as well as a few days in Venice and Verona, but the summer is ending and we need to get on. It was also bittersweet because we have had to say goodbye to Alice, who has decided to move on to a new opportunity in a new location. She is one of Al’s colleagues and has been very welcoming to us, making sure we were included in many events and occasions. She has been a big part of our getting to know the city, we will miss her and we wish her the best of luck for the future.

Alice in Borgo Mameli for her leaving drinks

As the summer draws to a close I am enjoying the cooler nights and the feeling that things are starting again. Everything has reopened and feels fresh. At the risk of poking the hubris bear, whose 2020 game has been a strong one so far, I am feeling hopeful for the future in a way I wasn’t before. Let’s see how that goes.

July 20, 2020

Liguria

As I mentioned in my last post, we decided to take a holiday in the Ligurian region of Italy. Each Italian region has its own unique cuisine, features and identity so I put together this short, and incomplete, guide. I will post more about our specific trip and the locations we visited over the next couple of weeks, but I wanted to provide an overview of this spectacular area.

General Information

Liguria is one of Italy’s smallest region. It’s situated in the north-west of the country and borders with France. A region of mountains (Apennines and Alps) running into the sea, forming beautiful coves and where towns cling to the cliffs and valleys. It’s home to some of the most beautiful beaches in Italy, the picturesque towns of the Cinque Terre (5 lands) as well as the jet set’s favourite Portofino[1]. Genoa is the capital city of Liguria and is Italy’s biggest port so it combines a heavy current industry with the ancient harbour and the largest medieval centre in Europe[2].

Activities

There seem to be activities for everyone. There are the Apennines and the Alps for keen walkers offering all levels of mountain trekking and several parks and reserves form part of the landscape. There are fantastic beaches to explore, many of which are blue flag, with some offering water sports equipment hire. You can view an array of yachts and working boats or hire a boat for the day from the many harbours. There are beautiful, colourful old towns and villages stuffed full of churches, galleries, museums and historic architecture as well as Etruscan archaeology. If you want the hustle and bustle of the city you can go to Genoa, with is ancient harbour and famous aquarium as well as the medieval centre and an area of merchant palazzi (now mostly banks) which form a UNESCO world heritage site.

Poets and artists

The romantic landscape of Liguria, with its cloud covered mountains and sparkling sea, colourful towns and small harbours have long since attracted a literary crowd. Byron famously swam from Porto Venere to Lerici. Percy Shelley drowned here while on holiday with Mary Shelley, indeed, this area is now called “The Bay of Poets”. D.H. Lawrence recuperated from tuberculosis in Spotorno and was allegedly inspired to write “Lady Chatterley’s lover” while staying there. Even Ernest Hemingway was a regular feature and had a noted spot in a Genoese bar, and that’s just some of the writers! If I am feeling mean spirited I would add that this is in part due to its long associations with the well to do and the fact that many literary and artistic figures were either themselves wealthy or given patronage by those that were. However, the landscape here is unbelievably beautiful so it’s no surprise so many people should have been, and continue to be, inspired by it. The quality of the light reminded us of St Ives, the artistic enclave in the UK, which seems to conspire to make everything incredibly picturesque.

Weather

The sea and the mountains combine to provide slightly cooler temperatures than we were used to and less humidity but it felt much hotter in the sun. The fresher conditions were just what we were looking for as Bologna is always humid but becomes increasingly so as the summer progresses. Another benefit of the weather conditions seemed to be a reduction in the number of mosquitos.

How to get there and get around

By Air

There is an airport at Genoa, which is probably the most convenient if you are travelling from overseas.

By Train

Trains run frequently throughout the region, including intercity trains to/from Milan etc. Regional trains are cheap and cheerful, intercity and Freccia trains are air conditioned and luxurious but cost more.

Tickets and seats

You need to buy a ticket before you travel and, where indicated, you must validate your ticket at the machine (usually at the entrance to the platform) before you board. You can book a seat on the intercity and Freccia trains, but not on the cheaper regional ones. During the corona virus restrictions you were required to provide some additional information when you booked your ticket and there were clear instructions on the platform and on the trains themselves about what you needed to do, where you could sit, where to get on and off the train carriage etc.

By Ferry

You can usually travel around the Cinque Terre and between coastal villages by ferry, particularly during the high season. Tickets can be bought in a ticket booth at the ferry departure point. Sadly during our visit Rapallo harbour was under maintenance and the Cinque Terre ferries were not running, however we were able to get the ferry from Santa Margherita Ligure to Portofino and San Fruttuoso.

By Car

The main roads are toll roads and run through many tunnels and across viaducts. You are issued a ticket when you join and are required to insert the ticket and pay at the pay point when you leave. It can all be done by credit or bank card. It cost us €18 for the whole stretch from Bologna to Rapallo. The more minor roads are twisting and winding up and down mountains and valleys, which can be more physically demanding than you may be used to, they’re also sometimes single track and you can’t help notice that there are bus stop signs either side of the road here so you need to be vigilant for passing points. These roads take longer to navigate than their length might suggest as it’s not often possible to drive them at, or close to, the speed limit, however they also offer some of the best views.

Parking

Each town or city in Italy is likely to have a ZTL (Traffic limited zone), you need to keep to the main through roads and look for parking outside the ZTL if you want to avoid a fine. Fines are done by traffic camera not wardens so you are not likely to find out if you have received a fine immediately. However, we have always found ZTL maps and parking locations easy to find on the internet so as long as you check ahead you should be fine free.

What to eat

Ligurian cuisine truly reflects its location with dishes from both the sea and the mountains. On many menus you will find:

Antipasti (appetiser)

Focaccia col formaggio/pizza (focaccia with cheese/cheese and tomato) – very thin focaccia with cheese/cheese and tomato inside, toasted and served in squares. This is gooey and delicious, but portions can be large so be careful!

Acciughe marinato (marinated anchovies) – butterflied fresh anchovies in a light marinade. Served with a lemon wedge. A breaded and fried version is also common.

Primi (pasta)

Spaghetti allo scoglio (spaghetti with seafood) – pretty much what it says it is. Served in a tomato sauce. The seafood is served whole with a bowl for shells. Fingers are licked clean with a moist lemon towelette to finish up.

Spaghetti agli scampetti (spaghetti with local scampi) – served in a tomato sauce shell on. Again, comes with a bowl for shells and a towelette.

Trofie al pesto (local pasta shape coated in pesto) – a local kind of pasta that resembles a square of pasta rolled up on the diagonal, the pasta is coated in pesto (N.B. some place may make the pesto authentically with the necessary ingredients in a pestle and mortar but this would be expensive so on a menu you are likely to be getting a pesto with less premium ingredients and made in a blender. However as discussed, fresh pesto is a beautiful thing). This dish is also often served with potatoes and beans (patate e fagiolini).

Ravioli in salsa di noci (stuffed pasta with nut sauce) – meat or fish stuffed pasta with a sauce of crushed walnuts.

Secondi (main)

Coniglio (Rabbit) – Often quartered and braised with vegetables.

Fresh local fish – depending on the season and what is available that day. Restaurants may also indicate on the menu where they are using frozen fish.

General eating

Genoese Pesto

I cannot over emphasise what a difference in taste you get from pesto made using artisanal processes. Some of you may have made pesto before and if so, you will have found that freshly made pesto tastes infinitely, well fresher, than anything you can buy in a jar, that’s true here as well. However, the version available in Liguria is infinitely better still. It is all made in a pestle and mortar. When you eat it you can taste each component part as well as the whole and it is incredibly fresh and light. As you can imagine this is a labour intensive process and so a tub of the genuine stuff is expensive but well worth it. As always with Italian food, it’s the quality of the products that make the dish, simple but irresistible. Here is a link to the “official” pesto recipe.

Olives

Famous for both the olives themselves and their oil. Oil here is often bottled and consumed young so you can find bottling dates and best before dates on the labels. They are considered among the best olives and olive oil in Italy.

Basil

Specifically, the DOP basil (grown in a specific area in a certified way). They use this in their famous pesto and many other regional dishes and drinks. Basil granita is not an unusual sight in Gelateria (Ice cream shops).

What to drink?

Cocktails

Many bars offer cocktails as part of their Aperitivo. The lists vary in length and complexity. They may also feature local twists such as basil or local spirits such as Nocino (a nut liqueur)

White wine

Pigato – An old local variety[3] that seems to be closely related to Vermentino, but the grapes have duskier skins and the finished wine has a drier taste. It’s thought its freshness comes from the grapes growing close to the sea.

Cinque Terre – a wine from the local Bosco and Albarola grape varieties[4]. Its fresh and light tasting.

Vermentino- Although a dry white wine, this is the sweetest and most aromatic of the local wines.

Red Wine

Dolceacqua – A red wine produced from the indigenous Rossese grape. A fresh red with scent of the sea, wild berries and Mediterranean flowers[5]

Summary

As you can see, there is plenty to do and eat in this region and it’s well worth the visit. We will certainly be returning to experience some the things we weren’t able to squeeze in on this occasion as well as revisit the places that we really enjoyed. More information on where to stay and what to do can be found here.

[1] ‘Liguria’ (Italian Tourism Official Website, 2020) <http://www.italia.it/en/discover-italy/liguria.html> accessed 3 July 2020

[2] ‘Liguria’ (En.wikipedia.org, 2020) <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liguria> accessed 3 July 2020

[3] ‘Pigato, Vendita E Prezzi Pigato | Callmewine’ (Callmewine.com, 2020) <https://www.callmewine.com/pigato-V216.htm> accessed 19 July 2020.

[4] ‘Cinque Terre Bianco | Callmewine’ (Callmewine.com, 2020) <https://www.callmewine.com/cinque-terre-bianco-V79.htm> accessed 19 July 2020.

[5] ‘Rossese Di Dolceacqua | Callmewine’ (Callmewine.com, 2020) <https://www.callmewine.com/rossese-V247.htm> accessed 19 July 2020.

July 11, 2020July 11, 2020

High days and holidays

I must admit that when Al first suggested going on holiday a mere two weeks after returning to work and with me still looking for a job, I thought it was a bit indulgent even by our standards. He made two strong and valid points.

We had been in quarantine, not on holiday. We hadn’t chosen to stay in nor to be furloughed/have our contracts lapsed. It was not relaxing or without stress and it impacted negatively on our sleep and mental health. There was and remains a level of fear about the virus, but as there were less need for restrictions we could move forward.
There were no tourists and a once in a lifetime opportunity to see some places empty in a way they probably never will be again. This in itself would enable us to take advantage of places that were usually too full of tourists or too expensive, whilst also supporting those local economies adversely impacted.

High Days

When I thought about it, I knew it made sense. Many of you are probably also feeling bored of looking at the same four walls and streetscapes, no matter how lovely they are, after 3 months of lockdown. Just as we visited Ravenna and Modena when the within region restrictions were lifted to give ourselves a change of scene and a chance to do the exploring we came here for, so we also began to look further afield as the Regional restrictions were lifted. We have a renewed hunger for the outside world and all that it has to offer.

Holidays

We had previously planned to go on holiday for the end of June/beginning of July for my birthday and to attend an outdoor festival in Milan to watch Faith No More. Although the festival was not officially postponed immediately, Faith No More had already begun to cancel and reschedule the tour and the writing was on the wall for live music generally. As we were still in lockdown at this time thoughts of our holiday drifted from our minds, until now…

As we started to look there seemed to be a lot of deals and discounts around, which meant we could search in areas that are usually completely out of our price range. This included the beautiful Cinque Terre on the Ligurian coast. We had looked at this area for our honeymoon and even with that expanded budget it was far too expensive for us. However, at the moment, many holiday operators and holiday homeowners are desperate to rescue their summer season and so bargains are aplenty. We found a very reasonably priced air B&B with air con in a central location, Rapallo.

Having taken the leap and decided on a holiday in Liguria we were delighted that although some things were not open or not running this was more than made up for by the fact we pretty much had all the main sites to ourselves, give or take a handful of brave French or Swiss adventurers. There was so much to see, do, eat and drink that I am putting the details in separate posts which I will upload over the next couple of weeks and link here.

In fact, it was so successful that when we returned, we immediately booked a shorter escape to another of Italy’s usually tourist stuffed treasures. If you are thinking of new adventures and a change of scene, while boosting a local economy and taking a silver lining of sorts from the last few months, I highly recommend it.