Bologna, Italy, Part One, The Red, The Fat, and The Learned

One of our last stops in Northern Italy was Bologna, the capital city of Emilia Romagna. We were excited to meet my husband's cousin, and his family, that live there. My husband's cousin was a young child the last time my husband saw him, and now he is a professor at the University of Bologna. He was also very excited to meet us and show us his favorite places in his city. As you can see in my photo collage above, he was our wonderful tour guide for Bologna for the day! (All photos and photo collages will enlarge for easier viewing if clicked on)

Bologna has three nicknames: “La Rossa" --"The Red" – for its ochre colored roofs and terracotta walled buildings, plus its traditional political leanings. “La Grassa”-- "The Fat" – for its rich cuisine, and “La Dotta” --"The Learned" – as its renown university is the world’s oldest.  I hope to show you some of the ways it has earned these names in this post. Bologna is definitely an interesting city to visit, and much less touristy than most of Italy, which makes it even more enjoyable.

Bologna could also earn the nickname "Molte Chiese"--" Many Churches" -- as there are many magnificent churches located in the city, and they are always a focal point. About 2.17 miles (3.5km) southwest of the city center, on the forested hilltop of Monte della Guardia, is the Basilica Santuario della Madonna di San Luca.   It occupies a powerful and appropriately celestial position overlooking the red-hued city below and is dear to the Bolognese, as it is visible for miles.

The 18th-century sanctuary is connected to the city walls by the world's longest portico, held aloft by 666 arches, beginning at Piazza di Porta Saragozza. As our visit to Bologna was limited, our cousin drove us to the top of the hill, instead of having us walk up to the top through the portico, but I would advise trying to take the walk up through the winding archwayed portico if one has the time.

More views of the exterior of the basilica

Some views of the beautiful interior of the basilica.

The church houses a "black" representation of the Virgin Mary, supposedly painted by St. Luke and transported from the Middle East to Bologna in the 12th century. You can see the miraculous icon's position over the main altar of the left of the collage above and a close up on the right. Since the year 1433, a yearly procession takes place that transports the Byzantine Madonna and Child to the Cathedral of San Pietro in the city center, during Ascension week.

The views from the hilltop where the basilica sits are amazing!  The "La Rossa" -- "The Red"-- can be seen in the red rooftops of the city of Bologna below.  The Red of Bologna is also a reference to its political left-leaning that dates all the way back to Roman times. In World War II it was the center of the anti-fascist movement and it was a stronghold for Italy's Communist party for decades. 

For Bologna's nickname "La Gasse" --" The Fat" -- one has to visit the “Quadrilatero” area located off the Piazza Maggiore, the main square in the central district of the city. The Quadrilatero is an area of very narrow streets with packed vendors and old food stalls. There you can find butchers, fresh pasta, wine shops, greengrocer’s, bakeries, cheese stores, fish stores, and shops with traditional cuisine and crafts. Many of these shops have also preserved the historic architecture and furnishing, making them extra scenic and quaint.

Click on to enlarge the photo collage above to enlarge it to get an idea of the wonderful fresh foods available in the markets,  I was especially intrigued by the different varieties and sizes of tortellini, the favorite pasta of Bologna. Later we would have dinner at a traditional Bolognese restaurant with our cousin and his family, and we'd enjoy some of that delicious tortellini!

"La Dotta" -- "The Learned" -- begins in the Palazzo Poggi -- the headquarters of the University of Bologna and of the rector of the university. The university was founded in 1088 and is the oldest university in continuous operation as well as one of the leading academic institutions in Italy and Europe. Many illustrious alumni attended the university through the ages, from Dante, Petrarch, and Erasmus, to four popes. The palace was renovated in the middle of the 16th century and it was chosen by Napoleon as a new seat of the University of Bologna in 1802.

Our cousin felt we'd also be interested in seeing the Salaborsa Library, a magnificent free public library inside what was once the Palazzo d'Accursio.

The library is very impressive! It houses over 300,000 books, 70,000 of which are for children and young adults.

There are 30 newspapers, domestic and foreign plus over 300 different magazines, an extensive collection of books in a foreign language, CD's, DVD's, CDROMS, Maps, ebooks and free WiFi.

Sections of the main floor of the library revealed archeological excavations of ancient artifacts from past centuries that lie beneath the foundation of the building.  The skylighted ceiling allows for a flood of natural light.

There is more to share of our visit to Bologna, including the city's own leaning tower, and a church with a controversial mural that requires police protection, all of which I'll share on my next post.

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Highlights of Padua (Padova) Italy

On my last post--click here-- I showed you the spectacular frescos in the Scrovegni Chapel in Padua, Italy. There are many other highlights to see on a visit to Padua, and one is a stop on Prato della Valle, a 90,000 square meter elliptical square and park. This was once the site of a Roman theater, and then a swampy terrain. It was transformed in the late 1700's by Andrea Memmo into the largest square in Italy, and one of the largest in Europe!  (All photos and collages will enlarge if clicked on)

Today, the square is a large space with a green island at the center, l'Isola Memmia, surrounded by a small canal bordered by two rings of statues.

The 78 life-sized marble statues that rim the canals are of spiritual and intellectual leaders of Padua. Most of them are professors and students who have worked and studied at Padua University. The statues on the four bridges crossing the narrow canals were reserved for Popes, Doges, and politicians.

The square and the "palazzi" buildings constructed between the 14th and the 18th centuries, that surround the square. are all very picturesque. We enjoyed walking around to view it from all sides. 

The Basilica and Abby of Santa Giustina as seen from the Prato.

The Basilica of Saint Anthony of Padua is one of the largest churches in the world, visited every year by more than 5 million pilgrims. Construction of the Basilica began in 1232 and its principal part was completed towards the end of that century. It was dedicated to Saint Anthony of Padua, who was born around 1195 in Lisbon, Portugal, and who died in Padua on June 13, 1231. Saint Anthony was known for his powerful preaching, expert knowledge of the scriptures, and his undying love and devotion to the poor and sick. He was one of the most quickly canonized saints in the Roman Catholic Church.  His tomb is inside the basilica, where many come to pray.

The basilica is enormous and very beautiful inside. No photography is allowed inside to keep the sanctity of devotion to those making a pilgrimage there. Some of the artwork treasures inside can be seen on the basilica's website here.

The square surrounding the basilica includes ...

...the house Donatello lived in while he was commissioned to complete sculptures for the basilica and the Equestrian Statue of Gattamelata that stands in the square outside the basilica.

The University of Padua was founded in 1222 and is the second oldest university in Italy after the University of Bologna. 

The civic museum has a fine art gallery as well as historical and archaeological exhibits, libraries, archives, and collections of sculpture and coins. It continues to be one of the most prominent universities in Italy and Europe.

There are many bridges in Padua crossing the various branches of the Bacchiglione, a small river, which once surrounded the ancient walls like a moat.

The tower known as La Specola rises on the spot where Ezzelino III da Romano, the 13th-century tyrant of Padova, had built his fortified castle. The present-day tower was erected in the 14th century after the fort was rebuilt by Francesco I da Carrara. In 1767 the building was converted into an astronomical observatory (specula). In 1777 the tower housed a lower observatory

Many Padua natives also call La Specola "Galileo's Tower" along with the legend that this was the place from which the famous scientist performed his extraordinary astronomical discoveries.

Piazza dei Signori and Piazza della Signoria is one of the many plazas of the historic city of Padua

It looked particularly beautiful in the evening.

The piazza was filled with outdoor dining from all the surrounding restaurants. At the west end, it is dominated by the Clock Tower--the Torre dell'Orrilogico.

The astronomical clock that dominates the square is the oldest machine of its kind to be conserved in the world.  The Winged Lion of St. Marks, a symbol of Venetian overlords, stand on a pillar next to the Torre dell'Orrilogico.

On the other side of the Piazza is the Church of Saint Clement.

It was a beautiful evening, and the food we saw on the outdoor tables looked so appetizing, that we stopped for dinner in the piazza before returning to our Bed and Breakfast room. we had assorted salumi. wood-fired pizza and we shared a berry pannacotta. It was all delizioso--delicious! 

Our day in Padua was over--I hope you enjoyed seeing it through our eyes. We visited more churches there, and strolled many of the pretty streets, and wished we had more time to explore more. The next morning we were headed by train to Bologna, where a cousin of my husband lived with his family. My husband had not seen him since he was a young boy so we were looking forward to spending the day with him seeing the sights in his beautiful city. Stay tuned for those posts!

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I'm linking this post to the following blog events:

Amaze Me Monday, Mosaic Monday, All Seasons, Blue Monday,  Through My Lens Monday, Inspiration Monday, Blogging Grandmothers, You Are the Star Blog Hop, Good Random Fun, Nature Notes, Grand Social, Photo Tunes, Happiness Is Homemade, Tuesday Treasures, Our World Tuesday, Ruby Tuesday, Party in Your PJ's, Wordless Wednesday, Wordless Wednesday #2, Oh My Heartsie Girl's Wonderful Wednesday, Outdoor Wednesday, Wednesday Around the World, Wonderful Wednesday,  Picture Perfect Party Wednesday Linky, Little Things Thursday,  No Rules Blog Linky, Travel Photo Thursday, Thankful Thursday, Thursday Favorite Things, Friendship Fridays, Friday Photo Journal, Skywatch Friday, Sweet Inspiration, Weekend Travel Inspiration,  Pink Saturday, Over the Moon, Happiness Is Homemade