Bologna - On the way South

Tobias Heller
26. Sept. 2016
4 Min. Lesezeit

I finally then leave Venice to start my way to the south saying goodbye to my Italian friends. Following recommendations I pick Bologna as my next goal, which is a smaller city, but the capital of the region of Emilia-Romagna. It is supposed to be an important historic and artistic cultural center and is famous for it's university and the student life that makes this city so alive amidst the old an ancient buildings and monuments.

Sightseeing & City

You never need an Umbrella in Bologna

For Bologna I actually find my first couchsurfing hosts, 3 Italians students living together right in the Center of Bologna. I arrive late at night by bus and walk to the given address not yet seeing much of the place while walking the short distance. I am welcomed heartily by the three young guys and instantly asked if I would like to go out for a couple of drinks. Since I haven't been out for a while, I agree and we end up in the cities main square, with a long street that offers bars and clubs to both sides. The square is occupied by a massive crowd of students, loudly chatting, drinking while sitting on the ground and overall the scent of weed is ever so prominent. The fact that it is Monday does not seem to deter them from being out immersing in drinking and party. This seems to be the main meeting point for the young people in the student city Bologna to gather, and I find it utterly amusing considering to sit in Bologna amidst a bunch of students. The evening turns out to be really great funny and ends with a nightly sightseeing tour by the boys, who show me around the main squares and buildings on the walk home.

Bologna definitely is not the city where it never rains, but a city where it might not matter if you'd forget your umbrella at home on a rainy and overcast day. The reason for that comical proverb is the simple fact that most of the architectural structures and buildings have an archway attached to in the front, so you are able to mostly walk under a roof. This is what my hosts tell me before I leave to explore the city center during a clouded overcast day. I then stroll around the main square, Piazza Maggiore with the Fountain of Neptune, though this one is unfortunately under maintenance works and therefore covered by a cubic metal construction with large layers of fabric spanned between the poles to hide it from the bypassing crowd.

The cathedral that is just around here at the square, which is a strange mixture of two different styles of church construction and seems utterly weird, like someone tried to make a remix of two different churches, placing one half on top of the other. The boys told me the previous night that this is due to the fact that while they were building the church, the initial plans would have surpassed the church of the Vatican in hight, therefore the had to stop the construction works, as the catholic church banned them to do so, leaving the church to be unfinished ever since. Bologna's small center offers various interesting buildings, and to spend one day strolling around here is engaging and a worthwhile activity, though after two days you might run out of sightseeing places. The two towers, 'Torre Garisenda' and the 'Torre degli Asinelli' is the remarkable emblem of Bologna, situated in the center those two lopsided towers pierce out from the ground high up in the air and are to be seen from afar. Who needs the leaning tower of pisa, whilst here are two towers, funnily appearing to fight over each others like brothers who can lean the furthest to the side without falling.

Parks & Architecture

Around and about Bologna

Indeed Bologna offers some activities to do, despite the smaller size. Some museums and palaces are spread around the center, which I explore randomly. Standing in front of the entrance of one of those, I accidentally - really, I swear, accidentally - submerge in a crowd of students and enter for free without paying the entrance fee at the ticket counter. Closeby Parco della Montagnola is especially well situated next to the train station, a fountain with a horse and a woman marks the main entrance while stairs to the left and right lead to an upper level. Next to the stairs are also some ancient ruins to be seen, that have been left untouched as a historic monument. A little off-center in the south of Bologna there is Giardini Margherita, Bologna's largest park with vast green meadows that invite mainly students as well as families for lying down and relax from daily stress, though doesn't offer anything specific to see, but if you have time it may be worth to stroll through.

Sightseeing

San Luca - Longest Archway up

My couch surfer recommend a spot called San Luca, which is to be found on the outbounds of the city, in direction southwest. From the center it is a walk of about 5 km, the continuously climbing archway up to the Sanctuario della Madonna di San Luca covers the whole end of about 2 km. Many people don't actually go there for pilgrimage or religious purposes, but moreover climbing the various stairs and the progressively rising level are testing stamina and endurance. For that reason while walking up, several runners pass me, struggling up the archway with speed.

I take it slow today, strolling leisurely upwards, and admiring the length of the arcade. I am still stuck in my hiking clothes, for reasons of traveling as light as possible I only got one pair of pants with detachable legs and very few t-shirts. At least I am not forced to use the heavy hiking boots, as I packed my sneakers into the backpack for flat surfaces. Once at the end of the archway, I am rather disappointed by the view, as I was expecting a spectacular view over Bologna, but the sanctuary is only 300 meter higher up than the center, therefore the view down isn't that breathtaking. I have a look at the sanctuary before I start to climb down back into the center again. The way is the goal in that case.