Bologna’s Cool Highlights

I did the coolest thing when I got up today - I love running and got to go for a run in Bologna! Next was the second coolest thing - seeing the longest portico in the world! Which was followed by the third coolest thing - walking up Italy's tallest leaning tower (it is 319 feet tall)! All in all I'd say it was a pretty cool day!

Hands down the most impressive thing about Bologna are its extensive portici. I've never seen anything like it. No other city in the world has as many porticoes as Bologna, covering more than 24 miles in the historic center alone. Think about it - that is a pretty impressive feat!

Porticos, which help extend the useable building space of homes, were standard in the Middle Ages especially in Italy. In a time when other cities were prohibiting them, it is due to a 13th century law in Bologna that makes them so prevalent here; even though the land was private, the law directed owners to build porticos for public use.

Bologna's portici give the city a unique look.

The 2.4 mile Portico of San Luca is the longest portico in the world!

Walking (or running) the Portico of San Luca is a uniquely Bolognese thing to do. It is 2.4 miles long and 1.4 miles of it is straight up to the Sanctuary of the Madonna of San Luca - an elevation gain of 708 feet.

The Sanctuary of the Madonna of San Luca

Although from all over Bologna you can see the Sanctuary of the Madonna of San Luca standing prominantly on the hillside, at the top you only get this quick peek over the city.  The main view from the top is of the surrounding hillside.

It is said that reaching the Sanctuary of the Madonna of San Luca by foot can make a wish come true. That means I'll have two wishes granted since after running it, in the afternoon I walked the hill with Greg.

In Medeival times (between the 12th-13th century), Bologna was a city full of ~100 towers, representing the power and wealth of the families that owned them. Artist renditions of this time period make it look like today's city skyline of Manhattan.  Today only about 20 towers remain.

The taller tower is the Torre degli Asinelli, and the shorter tower, that is leaning by about 4 degrees, is the Torre Garisenda. Over time they have become a symbol of the city and a national landmark.

We never skip the thrilling and fun opportunity to climb a tower!  If you're climbing the tower, you have to pre-book your reservation/time online. There's no ticket booth!

We climbed 498 steps up the Asinelli Tower for the best view over Bologna's red-colored rooftops.  

View from the top of Asinelli Tower 

After climbing the tower, we walked Bologna's old historic center.  When you visit you'll want to wander through the Quadrilatero, Bologna oldest market. 

The Quadrilatero is a great place to buy fresh vegetables, local pasta, lugs of mortadella and prosciutto.

Piazza Maggiore, with its Basilica of San Petronio, is one of the biggest and oldest squares in Italy. The huge pedestrian square is comparable to the size of a football field.

The Basilica of San Petronio, dedicated to the patron saint of the city, is one of the largest churches in Europe (#6). 

Building the Basilica of San Petronio began in 1388 and spanned over several centuries.  Intended to be the biggest church, it was never finished because the Pope did not like the idea of a church bigger than St. Peter's in Rome.

When you walk into the Basilica of San Petronio, the majesty of its central nave instantly draws your attention. 

In the Piazza del Nettuno attached to Piazza Maggiore, King Neptune's thumb is intentionally placed to make it look like Neptune is well-endowed.

Today we ate lots of pasta. I know, that probably sounds strange for Italy, but it wasn't just any pasta. We tasted all sorts of different sfoglia, a type of handmade fresh pasta dough made using just flour and eggs and native to the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna. Rolled paper-thin by hand using a wooden rolling pin, it's then shaped into different styles such as tagliatelle, tortellini, or lasagna.

Tortellini is the most common stuffed pasta in Bologna

For lunch we went to Sfoglia Rina. I read that they run out of fresh pasta so we got there just before noon - which turned out to be just in time. By 12:05 pm you had to wait in line outside, and there were 60 people in line when we left at 12:50 pm!

Sfoglia Rina is very popular for Bologna's characteristic pastas.  Get there early if you don't want a long wait!

Nearby our apartment is a "secret" of Bologna called the Finestrella of Via Piella. It is a small window in the wall that offers the quaintest view of Bologna's "Little Venice". It has a lot of mixed reviews but if you're in the area it is definitely worth a quick peek. It gives you an idea of what Bologna looked like over 200 years ago before they buried its network of navigable canals.

Looking through the Finestrella at Bologna's "Little Venice "

For dinner I had Bologna's three signature dishes:  Lasagne al forno, tortellini en brodo, and tagliatelle al ragù (Americans call it Bolognese)

At dinner Greg's phone alerted him, "There have been changes in your active trends," likely due to his unusual 30,000 steps (12.4 miles) for the day. Apparently my phone wasn't surprised by that amount (+6 miles) of activity so all I got was an activity ring.