Hong Kong John

My journey moved south from the north-eastern reaches of Venice towards Florence and central Italy. The roads were incredible to drive through on the way, with highways weaving majestically through the mountains until the city of Bologna takes you almost by surprise as the view gives way to a sea of clay coloured architecture. After settling in and beginning a walk into town, the first feeling I got was one of superior order compared to places I have already been. This was the closest to a grid system of roads I have encountered, and the town centre is so clearly defined you could almost imagine an open air meeting being held in front of you. It is natural, therefore, that I’d find the tourist information centre and some of Bologna’s attractions right in the square itself.

The first thing many people see is the wonderful statue of Neptune (complete with lactating nereids, naturally – no doubt considered somewhat erotic at the conservative time of creation) standing magnificently in plain view. This statue actually is a separate little square of its own, Piazza Nettuno, where the main square of Piazza Maggiore is larger and sits behind it. However, it is easy to miss this since both squares are joined together to form a massive open space.

Just past the statue as you enter the Piazza Maggiore proper, you are then overwhelmed by the massive view of the unfinished facade of the San Petronio Basilica, which is at time of writing the fifth largest church in the world – many architects were comissioned to finish the facade after Rome halted the project in the 1500′s due to plans for the church to outdo even St. Peter’s Basilica which could not be allowed. To the right, you will see the main portal to the modern day town hall complete with a statue of Pope Gregory XIII. Inside this building you will also find the museum of Georgio Morandi and an arts museum.

A fascinating story concerning the statue of Pope Gregory XIII overlooking the portal to the town hall – Bologna was invaded during the Napoleonic Wars. At a time of a massive power struggle with Rome, all Papal signs were destroyed throughout many cities that fell in Italy. The people of Bologna changed the headgear of the statue during this time from the official Papal headwear to that of an ordinary Bishop (San Petronio) to prevent it from being torn down. The ploy worked, and after the end of that turbulent period the statue was restored to irs original state.

After taking in this splendour in the middle of town, turn away from the town hall to reveal, at the back of Piazza Maggiore in the one direction you have yet to direct your gaze. Here you will find a few shops, some delicious gelato stores and the tourist information centre. I highly recommend the walking tours that they operate in Bologna; given the city’s history and many nooks, crannies and official buildings, it’s well worth not only taking the walking tour (which was among the best I had had during my time in Italy) but reading up on the attractions on the outskirts of the city as well, such as the Portico di San Luca I visit later on.

The walk took me through Europe’s oldest existing university, founded in 1088. Because of this, Bologna was known throughout Europe as a centre for intellectual and cultural study throughout much of the middle ages. Some of the large hallways (some designed for people on horseback to traverse) were magnificently adourned with the crests of those that had studied there many years ago, and the sheer number of these is almost beyond comprehension as you continue to walk throughout the university.

After a break involving some delicious local cafe – note that Bologna is also famous for its excellent all-round food – I decided to pay a visit to the famous Towers of Asinelli which have become something of a symbol for Bologna in recent times. During the Middle Ages, competing upper class families would build towers in the city, probably for the purposes of defense. Naturally, every family wanted to be able to see further than the others, and so taller and taller towers were built. The most famous towers still standing in the city today are the Garisenda Tower (48m) and the Asinelli Tower (97m).

The first thing you will notice is that both towers seem to be leaning rather precariously! This was due to problems with the foundations of the towers during the time they were built. The history of the towers is not known for certain – for example, it seems that popular belief in Bologna was that work on the Garisenda Tower was prematurely halted when at 47m the architects realised that any construction further up could lead to the tower’s collapse as it was leaning so much! Work then began on the much higher Asinelli Tower, which also leaned but not by as much, and therefore the ambitious construction was completed as planned (and also since the Asinelli family didn’t run out of money!). It is possible for visitors to climb up the Asinelli Tower to get a good view from the top. Be warned, though, that the stairwell inside of the tower is rather cramped and it’s a very long walk up to the top! I believe the view, however, is definitely worth it – as well as the strange sensation of not being on even ground despite being so high up!

For the rest of my day’s exploring I decided to take a detour to the south-west gate of the city, where possibly the most famous portico (covered sidewalk) in Bologna exists. The Portico di San Luca is an absolutely massive 3km long covered walkway to the famous San Luca sanctuary which guards the city from a height of over 200m above.

At times the portico seems almost never-ending but it is an incredibly pleasant walk up to the top, where a magnificent sight awaits – the sanctuary is incredibly striking in the traditional clay-like Bologna colour, unlike the stone and marble of many other grand buildings. It has a strangeness about it in the sense that it’s both grand in inspiring, but the choice of materials is humble – but in its uncharacteristic humility it becomes striking!

The views on the way up (although this one was taken on the way down, I was so focussed on getting to the end) are incredibly gorgeous as well, offering a wonderful overview of part of the city.

During most days, the sanctuary on top is also open – and any ideas of the inside being quiet and humble are dashed from the moment you step inside. I would happily say the sanctuary of San Luca is one of the most beautiful interiors I have seen in Italy, with large spaces and incredibly decorative paintings adourning the walls and ceilings.

After such a long day I retired and got ready for travel the next day, but Bologna has certainly left a great impression in my mind for being a place incredibly steeped in modern history, and for being one of the most important crossroads in Italy. If anything, Bologna is worth it not only for its magnificent views but its great food as well (contrary to popular belief, Spaghetti Bolognese is only called as such outside of Bologna – in fact, Bolognese is called as such because it is somewhat similar to the ragu famous of the Bologna region, but the actual ‘Spaghetti Bolognese’ name was popularised mainly in the United States. In Bologna the term ‘ragu’ is used), and is a great place to visit in its own right. Alternatively, if travelling north-to-south or south-to-north in Italy, Bologna cannot fail to be an important link in your travels.