Slightly delayed departure from Naxos, but we found a pleasant enough seat in the shade with a nice sea breeze to keep us cool. The ferry called at Mykonos, Paros, Syros and Tinos, so it was around 5 00 pm when we walked off the ferry at Piraeus.
There was a long line of taxis, and we thought we'd take the quickest and easiest way into Athens. Our taxi to the port when we set off for Sifnos had cost the princely sum of 18 euro. The friendly taxi driver today had just put the first bag in the boot when he turned and said "Fixed fee for ride to the city 75 Euro". I just said "No thanks" and took the bag out of the boot. No point trying to bargain 75 back to 18! So we walked the 200 m to the Metro station, bought our two tickets into Athens central for two Euros and 40 cents total. The pirates are still part of the Aegean scenery!! In fact for that 75E we paid for the metro into town, beer and cocktail on the way to dinner, and our meals including wine, plus the airport metro tickets for tomorrow and still had some change!
Our accommodation was about 100m from Syntagma Square where we got off the Metro. You couldn't swing a cat in the little room we had, but it was fine for just an overnighter. It was an uneventful morning trip to the airport. When we'd completed formalities, I noticed that our boarding passes had 'Lounge Access' stamped on them. Whoopee, we weren't expected that for our economy airfares to Bologna. Just another benefit of Koru Gold, and travelling within Star Alliance.
Flight departure was a little late, but the flight was fine in an old Airbus A320-200. Service was good, and the Bologna airport was a walk through non event. Checked the price for a cab into town (once bitten) and headed into the centre of Bologna, about 22E seemed a fair deal. There is a lot of work going on upgrading the tram system in the city, so just buses operating, but there seemed to be plenty of them.
First job was a trip to the supermarket to sort some breakfast and lunch options - that was just a five minute walk. One of Bologna's features is the extensive use of porticos, giving the city wide covered footpaths. This was a solution imposed to fix the need for larger houses and apartments to cope with a burgeoning population. The portico decision of the city fathers was mandated in the 14th century. This allowed residents to extend their houses over the sidewalks, a medieval solution that is still giving today.
Larder stocked, we headed to Sfoglia Rina, a well known restaurant, no bookings taken so we arrived relatively early after a short stop at a bar under one of the porticos. More on that later.
Next day we headed to Piazza Maggiore, about 10 minutes walk away to visit the information centre and to meet the guide for our city tour. We have been using the Bologna Welcome card during our stay. It offers a range of tours such as this introductory tour, and free or discounted entry to many places we were keen to visit. It proved a great investment.
Bologna was one of Italy's many city states; it's been ruled by Eutruscans, Romans, the Catholic Church and lots of others. No marble to be dug out of the ground here, so it has had to be imported. There is plenty of clay so most buildings are red brick, and red and white are the city's colours. The city was ruled by the Pope's appointed delegate for a long period and he certainly had a significant influence in its development.
The city tour took us to several buildings, churches, statues, the original university building, the city's towers and the food and produce markets. It was an excellent intro to Bologna, its history and the region.
Bologna has been called La Rossa, due to the predominance of the red brick. So Bologna is red. It's also La Grosso: the Fat. More of that later!
Rather than try to cover our Bologna visit day by day we'll look at some specific aspects.
The Churches
The Basilica of San Petronio on Piazza Maggiore. Both exterior and interior have a slightly unfinished look. The marble on the bottom half is Bologna's white and red. The basilica was built by the people of the city rather than by the Catholic church, and the early intention was to make it bigger than St Peters in Rome.
The apses were never finished due to a lack of adjacent space and the interference of the ruling papal prelate, who made things as difficult as possible for the locals. He did this by diverting funding into the nearby Archiginassio (university) building, reflecting his desire to bring all the learning into one place so he could control it. Size aside the basilica is magnificent inside, the side altars were provided by wealthy families, and one of the best of those has survived with its huge fresco of heaven, purgatory and hell, drawing many of its ideas from Dante's Inferno.
Our guide told us that all Italians must study Dante at school, and the most preferred section is Hell. It's certainly the most dramatic part of the fresco, especially with the central Devil devouring someone.
This church also has the largest sundial in the world. There is a hole in a ceiling dome that the sun shines through, onto a 40 m or so long 'clock face', or meridian line to be technically accurate. It was designed in 1665 by leading astronomer Giovanni Cassini, and reputedly is very accurate.
The Basilica and Sanctuary of Santo Stefano, dedicated to the first Christian martyr, on Piazza San Stefano was our next call.
The complex was originally built in the 8-12th century and is actually seven churches (as in Jerusalem), although with current restoration only four are accessible. The complex is built over an old Egyptian temple dedicated to Isis. The main church has a grand, elevated altar, high above the congregation and with an easily accessible crypt just under it.
The church is actually several churches set out in a way to allow pilgrims to get a feeling of Christ's Passion and Crucifixion. It includes a courtyard representing the place where Pontius Pilate made his proclamation over Jesus and then washed his hands.
On a separate walk, we visited the Basilica and Sanctuary of San Domenico built in 1251 on Piazza San Domenico.
The basilica was in the process of significant restoration, however there were still plenty of beautiful art, frescoes, and memorabilia to view. The side cappella, complete with the Ark holding St Dominic's remains was spectacular. The ark was very ornate, and over years it was worked on by many artisans and artists, including the 20 year old Michelangelo.
The Cathedral of San Pietro is the seat of the Catholic Archbishop. It has a long history on this site, starting in the 6th century then with rebuilds and upgrades up to 1747, but it isn't as central to the people of Bologna, its a bit of an antiRome thing. My very conspicuous yellow Riviera Fresh cap, harking from my Melbourne Bonlac working days, which has been many times to Europe, and allows me to be visible to Ann at all times, got lost here. We sat in the pews to read our background material, and all the in-hand stuff was put on the seat beside us. I departed without the hat and by the time I returned 10 minutes later it was gone to a new owner. Ann will need some retraining, now looking for the guy in the black cap!
Santa Maria della Vita has a terracotta sculpture described as Munch-like in style and sculpted by Niccolo Dell'Arca. Almost life size, it displays very stark expressions of people grieving over the dead Christ, especially (on the far right) Mary Magdalene.
We also did the 'rite of passage' pilgrim walk, from our apartment to the Basilica of San Luca. This was a walk of around 10km, and up on the hills behind Bologna.
From the city's Saragoza city gate we walked along the specially built portico-lined streets, then up the hill to the church through a paved and portico'd walkway. In all 666 porticos all paid for by Bolognese families.
The walkway was constructed over about 130 years, and offers stopping points for contemplative moments with alcoves with frescoes covering the passion, the resurrection, the ascension and the assumption of Mary. It was a warm day but it felt like a good thing to do on a Sunday in Bologna, and there were certainly plenty of others doing the same thing. The views from the top were fantastic - a slightly hazy city and lush green countryside.
Public Buildings
Our town tour took us into the Cardinal Prelate's home, Palazzo d'Accursio. This was the home of the ruler in effect of Bologna. It's a great building with a large courtyard on the ground floor, and also the Prelate's summer accommodation. In the winter he moved to the second floor, where it was a little warmer. To get to the second floor he just needed to ride his horse up the internal staircase. It is basically a ramp with low bars to accommodate the stride of walking horses.
The building is now owned by the city, it has some lovely galleries and a view over the prelate's herb garden.
Civil marriages are regularly carried out in the beautiful red room overlooking the Piazza Maggiore.
On the north side of San Petronio basilica is the Archiginnasio, the building which housed the University of Bologna, built around 1088. The university existed before this but the professor's homes provided the venues for students lectures. When the university started in this building there were just two Faculties, Law and Arts. Arts included Medicine, Philosophy, Geography, Engineering and everything else. The walls are covered with family crests and coats of arms belonging mainly to the student leaders.
When Napoleon arrived on the scene he decided the current building was inadequate and the University moved into a new quarter of town, where it still remains.
Bologna used to have more than 100 towers. The two towers it's most famous for are currently under repair or restoration. The soils are sedimentary, so are not great for weightbearing. The small tower very quickly developed a lean after it was built in the 12th century. In many of the Renaissance paintings featuring Bologna it already has a significant lean, and in 1360 12 metres was lopped off its top! Recently the second taller tower (97m) has leaned further and is now closed for visitors while the ground under it is stabilised. We had drinks at a cafe in its shadow on our first day here.
Statues and Monuments
Most piazzas have statues. Neptune dominates in Piazza Nettuno. We are nowhere near the sea here, but the city fathers wanted this dominant god of the waters here to project an image of strength for the city.
Produce Markets
Emilia Romagna is the food basket of Italy; you can see that clearly when flying in from the south, and again when doing local train trips as we did to Ravenna and Modena. The fruit and cropping activties are extensive.
The local Mercato delle Erbe was very convenient for our fruit and veggie shopping, just a few minutes around the corner from the apartment. The fresh produce markets here are really great, our city guided walk took us through the Mercato de Mezze. I had to have a little lament that I hadn't bought a BBQ along after looking at all the fabulous big cuts of beef on display. Fish is not so well represented but it is there. The fruit and vegetables are just stunning.
The cheese displays are fantastic, and every local is very proud of their Parmigiano Reggiano, matured for 20, 26 and 30 months, and, if you can afford it, 100 months. Bakers in each area developed quixotic bread shapes
Tagiatelle is Bologna's most famous pasta and windows of it and other stuffed pastas abound. You can also buy key rings, earrings and other assorted pasta shaped items!
There are masses of mortadella and proscuitto, a story best told in a picture.
Dinner
Our evening meals are a blend of home cooking and restaurants. Bologna has served us very well. We've found great supermarkets for the 'in' nights and some excellent restaurants for dining out. Sfoglia Rina was a great introduction to Bolognese pasta. In 1963, Rina, the current owner's nonna, opened a small fresh pasta shop. and built a strong reputation. In 2015 space opened in central Bologna and the restaurant was born. It's a casual, no booking place. We sat at a large table with 12 or 14 other people, and designed our own menu for the evening.
Mine was the Tortellini Parmigiana, a very creamy small round pasta with a lovely cheese topping. My plate was very clean, not a drop wasted. Ann's was Tortelli stuffed with aubergines, confit tomato, toasted pine nuts and basil. I maintain I was the winner on the day. A passing Aussie stopped for a chat and recommended the strawberry cheesecake for dessert. It was lovely, but I really didn't need it.
Our second restaurant, Trattoria da Me, also has a story. The chef used to have a very popular TV cooking programme. She decided to come home to her roots and took over her grandparents' small trattoria where she has become famous for her Bolognese traditional cooking with a twist. Here we started with a delicious braised asparagus and almond dish, with puffy fried bread crescents. Then I had her speciality - Cotoletta Bolgnese - pounded, crumbed veal and prosciutto, smothered in a parmigiana sauce. Superb. Ann was equally happy with her slow cooked pork ribs and spinach salad.
And our third choice of restaurant, Al Sangiovese, was also well-established, run by the same friendly couple since 2004. They take huge pride in their food, deservedly, and personally guided our choices: a huge appetiser of Sangiovese tastes, a chicken fillet and fillet of veal with asparagus. Nicely washed down with a delicious a local Sangiovese Reserva!
A Meander around the Arts
We used a free day to visit places and things we had noticed in our extensive walking around the town. It pretty much became libraries, galleries and a few churches with some well-renowned art.
We started at the flower market in Piazza San Francesco, very close to our apartment, which seemed to specialise in flowers and pot plants, and some herbs for the windows and balconies of the locals. Lots of mandevillea, moth orchids (Megan's favourites) and other familiar flowers and herbs.
We also had a quick look at the Basilica San Francesco, which, along with several other churches locally owned by the Franciscan order, was celebrating 800 years of operation. The church was large but with a plain interior. The altar however, was a real standout, with a marble backdrop that has 35 large figurines and about 50 smaller carved images.
Next stop, and it's getting quite easy to navigate around the city with just a small one page map, was the Pinacoteca Nazionale, the National Picture Gallery. Ann was disappointed to read the sign on the way in apologising for the absence of the famous Ecstacy of St Cecilia by Raphael, which has been lent to the New York Gallery. We did however see St George and the Dragon by Vitale of Bologna, a collection of saints including St Stephano (Steve stands by his likeness), St Dominic and Saint Francis with Bologna's Saint Petronio, an El Greco Last Supper (Judas has no halo), and a Giotto altarpiece, kept in a climate-controlled environment.
This is a fantastic gallery for mediaeval art, but also with great Renaissance period art, much of it in the Bolognese style. This style is colourful, done in tempura, with lots of quixotic detail. One of the other viewers was an art historian who was visiting the city having trained here 20 years ago. He explained some of the intricacies of the Bolognese style, and was quite comfortable that nothing has changed here in the time he's been away. We were pleased to find another very similar version of the Judgement Day scene we had seen in the Basilica. It's probably too small for you to see but a Pope and a cardinal pop up in the Hell segment.
A bonus which more than made up for the absence of Cecilia's Ecstacy, was the display of the work of Albrecht Durer, a German who specialised in wood prints. On display were 16 prints of his works capturing scenes from The Book of Revelation, the final book of the Bible. The interpretive notes were very vibrant and also full of excitement! They read like a thriller novel. We had the four horsemen of the Apocolypse, The Avenging Angels attacking them, St John being boiled in oil, St Michael fighting the Dragon and the Whore of Babylon got a guernsey also.
We also visited the Oratorio of St Cecilia, which has ten frescoes in really good condition painted from 1505. These tell the rather fantastic story of Santa Cecilia and Valerian, who were both martyred. Early Christians were killed by the Romans objecting to the influence and presence of this new religion. It would seem that time has has favoured the Christian God rather than the Roman gods. The Cecilia and Valerian story is worth a read, I have a short book if you are interested (good pictures too) but none from our visit as photography is forbidden. But here is a photo of frieze 8 from the book; it shows the attempt to boil her (the water stayed cool) and then cut off her head (they tried the maximum three times but she still survived long enough to give all her worldly goods to the poor).
Ravenna
We took a local train to Ravenna, about an hour away on the Adriatic Sea coast to visit some local points of interest, but mainly to see the mosaics in the town's churches.
It was just a 20 minute walk from the apartment to the station, and Bologna's extensive porticos are great for dodging the hot sun - our days have been consistently sunny with temperatures from 27 to 33. Nice to sit on a train and watch the paddocks of cereals, fruit including kiwifruit and grapes, and market gardens parading by for the whole 80 kilometre trip. Several solar power farms too.
First stop in Ravenna was the Basilica di Sant'Apollinare Nuovo. This is a typical 6th century basilica with two wonderfully preserved side panels of mosaics covering the length of the church high up on both sides. The left side panel is a procession of haloed virgins bringing gifts to the Madonna and the Christ child. The three wise men bearing gifts are at the head of the queue.
The next visit was to a Neonian Baptistery, an octagonal building dating from around 400 AD. The building has sunk a bit over the last 15 centuries, and the full immersion baptismal font is not original, but you still get the picture. This is a small building and the pictures capture it well. Over the top of the big font is a dome with the central mosaic an image of St John the Baptist baptising Christ.
Next stop on our walking trip through town was the Basilica of San Vitale, built in 525, at about the time of the crumbling of the Roman Empire. The church is a blend of Roman and Byzantine artistry. The apse and side wall are adorned with absolutely spectacular mosaic art. The altar piece focusses on Christ.
On the sides are Emperor Justinian demonstrating power over Church and State and opposite his wife, with a chalice for consecrating this new church. These mosaics have an awesome vibrancy.
In the grounds of St Vitale is the small Mausoleum of Galla Placidia. The mosaics in this small space are virtually all original, and date from the late Roman period when Ravenna was the capital of the declining Roman civilisation. The mausoleum was built to house Empress Galla Placidia's remains, but she died in Rome and is not here. The mosaic works depict images of redemption, salvation and conquest of death. There's a particularly graphic image of St Lawrence about to be boiled alive!
Ferrara
Another short train trip to Ferrara for our final day of seeing the sights. Bologna has been a great base for this region.
We were a bit early to start our castle visit, so called in to see the Duomo Cattedrale di Sante Georgio. This was large, but had quite plain brickwork on the exterior. The inside was the usual ornate diplays in the capellas and around the walls. Pretty much all the usual suspects were here, the Virgin and Child, St Giacomo, St Peter, St Bartholomew..... and St Stephano!
Europe's painters, sculptors, weavers and indeed builders operated in their tens of thousands to produce all this great art and immense buildings. It is also fantastic that the restorers and preservers have been able to keep these huge works of art in pretty good condition for 1000-1500 years, God bless them all. We still have about ten days in this part of the world but I'm at saturation point with cathedrals. We'll undoubtedly come across art in a few more venues, but we won't be actively pursuing those opportunities.
We haven't seen too many castles so our visit to Castello Estense was very comprehensive. The Este family built and extended the premises for more than 250 years. They were relatively benevolent masters of this city and surrounds and they cultivated the arts and strove to keep the peace. Italy's city states were quite competitve and fought each other often. Venice eyed Ferrara quite malevolently, but a bit of family intermarriage sorted that. Eventually Rome and the Pope prevailed, but even then there was a bit of inter-marrying to help keep the peace. Lucrezia Borgia, the sixth illegitimate child of Pope Alexander V1, was married to Alfonso d' Este in 1501. This seemed to be a very messy marriage, with both parties proving to be pretty ignorant of what fidelity means. You can read about that elsewhere.
Over time the Este dukes saw themselves as more and more important. An early duke's statue had him standing, a later duke posed on a horse and later again a duke placed himself on a throne.
The castle has an enormous number of rooms, the ceilings are very ornate and painted with appropriate themes to cover the purpose of the room. There was even an orangerie on a terrace.
The dungeons were a fairly sobering, grim place to visit and required a lot of crouching to get through doors. They tended to be used to house family or friends who had misbehaved and the current duke wanted them somewhere where they were unlikely to get help from the outside. In one incident that generated considerable infamy for the family, Duke Niccolo imprisoned his 20 year old second wife who was consorting with his 20 year old illegitimate son. They were imprisoned in the dungeons and then beheaded. This event inspired Robert Browning's poem My Last Duchess, one of Ann's favourite poems, and recently The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O'Farrell. Both inspired Ann to organize this visit to Ferrara. In a later event Alfonso I imprisoned his two brothers for plotting to unseat him, one remained in there for 53 years, and the other died in the dungeon after 34 years.
After descending to the depths we climbed to the top of the tower, Torre dei Lions, for stunning views of Ferrara.
The Museo Della Cattedrale across the square was worth a visit. This displays some very large music manuscripts, a very lifelike marble sculpture, Madonna and the Pomegranate. There were also some huge Flemish tapestries measuring about 6m by 6m, along with other artefacts from the cathedral's long history.
Our final destination was the Palazzo Schifanoia housed more artifacts, paintings and sculptures. It's most famous and most interesting display are the frescoes on the wall of the months room or Salone dei Mesi. After the Estes ran out of heirs the popes took control of Ferrara and used this building as a tobacco factory. These magnificent frescoes were whitewashed over. Fortunately nine of the frescoes, representing the months from March to November, were able to be recovered and are now in quite good condition. The top section of each fresco has a god being drawn in a triumphal car, and the bottom section depicts scenes from the court of Borgo d'Este who commisioned the works.
We walked back across town , through the mediaeval quarter of the town, where overhead vaults connect the buildings on both sides of the street. The streets are narrow and the surface is cobbled with river stones which make a very uncomfortable walking surface.
Nice to sit on a train again going home through the well-farmed countryside, rather than having to drive a car.
Just a night left in Bologna, we head tomorrow for Modena. And no, we didn't go to Venice, but a network of canals runs under Bologna, and one runs briefly on the surface.
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