My Bologna Has a First Name.....

....and if you ask my why I'll say....I love the food! OK, all you youngsters out there won't know what that means but us old-timers all remember Oscar Meyer!

We woke up early to Skype with the girls before they went to bed. They both looked a little out of it, but it was good to 'see' them. Only 11 more days and they'll be on their way.We climbed the tower today...not the leaning one...for a total of 498 steps. The steps were wooden and tiny. The way up turned out to be easier than the way down since small steep stairs mean you have to walk sideways for your feet to fit.
We could see the leaning tower out the window on the way up and it really shows how much it is leaning!
The view from the top was great. I did not realize how big the city of Bologna is. They have done a very nice job of preserving the authentic rooftop look so that the city is a mass of clay tiled roofs.

We then visited several churches, including one with an abbey and one that is enormous. The big one, Basilica of San Petronio, has hosted the Pope on several occasions. They were having a small service off in the corner when we were there and it is amazing how the sound travels...especially the singing. Unfortunately for us, they are refurbishing the front of the Basilica and so it is covered. Out in the large piazza, they are setting up for a concert, but we haven't been able to find out who it is.Took a rest in the room for a couple hours since we went to bed so late and got up so early. Went for a long walk around town without any plan. We just kept turning down streets that looked interesting. Most of the streets have porticoes (covered walkways) with shops/businesses/apartments.One hair dresser's door caught my eye....too bad it says Antonia rather than Antonio! Tony and Tree should get their hair done there. :-)

There are small churches scattered all around. It was a nice walk to just experience the city. We ended up at one of the gates at the old city wall. Milan, Parma and Bologna all have major roads circling the old city centers that follow the footprint of the original city wall. We turned around and wandered back in the general direction that we came from (we had no idea where we were!) and we eventually made it back to the center...I guess all roads lead to the center. This is a very beautiful old city that has preserved the 'look' of a typical (at least in these American eyes) ancient Italian city.

Had another fantastic dinner of typical Bolognese food. We had an asparagus appetizer, lasagna, a thee pasta sampler (tortellI, tortellini, and tagliatelle), veal with porcini mushrooms, torta ciocolatto and torta limone. And a fabulous house red. Last night's and tonight's dinners were very reasonably priced! What a bargain for gourmet food.
Walked over to the piazza to see what concert they had set up for. Some guy talked for a long time....sounded like a political speaker. Then a rapper group came out and performed. We are now back in our room and we can hear a new group....can't really tell what type of music it is, but it's loud enough to hear a couple blocks away!

We are off to Florence in the morning to meet Tony, Tree and little Tony. The next phase of our long vacation is about to begin!