Bologna – where it all began!

Some nearly 30 years ago, a momentous occasion occurred in Bologna, one that was to shape the lives of at least two people. David (the hero of the piece) proposed marriage to Michelle (equally the hero of the piece). She said “Yes!”.In fact there had been more than a few hints and suggestions provided prior but I held out as long as I could! Now we have returned to the scene of the deed and to remind ourselves about Bologna. It is still as beautiful and romantic as it was but there are some big changes.

30 years ago was the start of the travel explosion, the travel anywhere, anytime, that we take for granted today. Back then Bologna was a place that only local Italians visited, there were not many tourists but how that has changed, with millions of tourists from around the globe all visiting.

We arrived in Bologna with an excited spring in our step. However, shades of Al-Bab Bahrain seemed to follow us!

Bologna is an amazing place with it’s medieval towers and Roman era sites all mixed with pre and post renaissance period artworks. There are hundreds of churches, all with amazing artworks and statues, gilded columns, frescos, and even sections built by the Romans that have been integrated into the church building itself. Our local church has three statues by Michelangelo that you can go right up to with no glass or anything between you and the artwork. Incredible!

Bologna has amazing food- tortellini, pizza, hams, cheeses, breads and lots of cakes, gelato and ice-cream. There are loads of restaurants that have their seating outside in the street, creating a real bustling and exciting ambiance. The food is excellent as is the wine.

It has rained here for nearly the whole week we have been here. The race has, rightly, been cancelled and our thoughts and prayers continue to go out to those affected in the Emilia-Romagna region. This has also led to chaotic scenes at the railway station as people tried to change tickets and routes due to the devastation in the region. Again, our thoughts to go out to all those directly and indirectly affected by the floods. We are grateful that Bologna is not only the city of Towers & Tortellini but also portico’s – we went days in pouring rain exploring the city and not getting wet at all keeping sheltered by the myriad of gorgeous hand painted portico’s.