Un'esplorazione della città

I've been in Bologna for a week now--time to get acquainted with the city!

Many of the wide sidewalks here are covered by portici, which really come in handy with the amount of rain we get (although you still need an umbrella for crossing the street).  They're great for strolling, and since Bologna isn't a very touristy city the window shopping is incredible--I've seen more handmade leather shoe stores than souvenir shops here.

There are also open piazzas with statues and fountains and stuff.  Pretty.

Neptune

The other day, I found out that there are also canals here!  I'm taking an art history course where we spend a few hours each day walking around the city, and our professor pointed out some brass rings attached to buildings and asked us what we thought they were for.  We all assumed they were probably for horses, but it turns out they were for boats--the street we were on was paved over a canal about 50 years ago.  So now most of the water is underground, but there are some places where you can still see it- my personal favorite is a window-sized hole cut into a wall through which you can see one of these alleys:

Saturday, we had a tour of the city's main attractions, including the Basilica di San Patronio.  Aside from being gorgeous, it had some really cool science-y features, including a pendulum and a meridian line that functions as a sundial.  I was surprised to learn that one of the murals, which depicts Dante's Inferno, includes an image of the Prophet Mohammad--it's too precious to censor, but the area is tightly controlled (even more so since we were there on 9/11).

Basilica di San Patrono

There's no subway system here (although I feel like if they tried, they could do something really cool involving little underground boats), but the buses are manageable if don't mind being really late to wherever you're going.  You buy tickets for 1 euro either at a tabaccheria or on the bus, and then validate it once you board the bus.  It's really easy to just not validate your ticket and ride for free, but if you do happen to get caught there's a 50 euro fine.  If the bus is really crowded (which it tends to be) your odds are pretty good, and some people just ride with the attitude that it's better to get fined occasionally than to bother with tickets.  Since I'm not here for too long, though, I've decided to cough up my share (at least most of the time). 

And, as requested, there's the food.  The other day, I finally found what I can safely claim is the best gelato in Italy, and it's right around the corner from my dorm! Now, every time I walk to and from class, I have to pass it and wish that I was eating zucca e cannella (pumpkin and cinnamon) with caffè (made with real espresso).  

Seriously incredible gelato here.

My favorite pasticceria is called Antica Bologna, and it's also on my way to class. After a particularly tough day of school, I can look forward to a bite-sized pastry for less than a euro to get me through the afternoon, and their selection is so big that I'll probably never try the same thing twice. 

Even though Starbucks named all of its drinks in Italian, it hasn't caught on here.  Italian's don't take their coffee to go because they mostly drink espresso, which takes, at most, three sips to finish.  So, when you need a quick caffeine fix, you order at a bar and drink your caffè standing up.  At home, we make our espresso on the stove in little percolators.  I don't think I even have to say that the coffee here is incredible, but in case you're not sure: it is.

Ours aren't quite as clean and shiny.

Contrary to popular belief, you can get slices of pizza to go here (usually they're Sicilian style), but the best place to get a cheap eat is at Pizza Casa, right around the corner from class.  For 2.50 euros you can get a margherita pie (enough to feed two) made fresh to order, and there are tons of different toppings and combinations, which don't get much more expensive.  The other night, three of us ate dinner for a total of 10 euros.  And we had leftovers.  And we got free tote bags. 

"Per una fame di lupi..."

Tomorrow morning, I have to deal with Italian bureaucracy for my third and final time, and then I'll finally be set to stay here til the end of December.  I think it's going to be a very good three months.