Chuck and I took the train to see Bologna. It was founded in the middle ages. Bologna is famous for its towers, churches and porticos. Also, bologna (baloney) is made there. They call it mortadella.
The main reason I was anxious to visit Bologna was because my dad served in Italy during WWII. I remember stories about the Po Valley. Bologna is the largest city in the Po Valley.
One of the unique things about this city is the porticos. The buildings all have them. Great shade in the summer and perfect for when it is raining.
We walked from the train station, under these porticos, to the central square, Piazza Maggiore. This plaza contains the San Petronio Basilica.
The unique thing about this basilica is that it is unfinished. The construction of the building began in 1390 but was never finished - and still today it's main facade is incomplete.
Around the corner from this plaza is another plaza with a very large fountain of Neptune. Here is Chuck standing next to the fountain.
A bit of trivia about this fountain. The trident being held by Neptune inspired the Maserati brothers as an emblem for their first car and it is now used as the logo for the company.
Bologna, like most Italian cities, has wonderful street markets.
The statue below is of Garibaldi, the general who unified Italy a little over 150 years ago.
After lunch, chuck and I took a tour of the city that included a trip to the Sanctuary of the Madonna de San Luca. It is located on top of a hill outside the city. It was constructed in 1723. One unique thing about this church is the mile or more of covered walkway from the center of town to the church. It provides shade for pilgrims.
After a day of touring, we walked back to the train station and got our train to return back to Verona.
While we were in that city, my thoughts were on my dad and wondering if I was walking in some of the same places he did.
Our train ride home was made very enjoyable because we watched the sunset as we traveled home.
Love,
Nancy
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