The Fat One

La Grassa. The Fat One. This is what Bologna, the capital of Emilia-Romagna province north of Tuscany, is known as. Bologna has consistently tied with Paris as the number one place I wanted to visit while in Europe (though it has the convince of not only being in Italy, but also being only an hour away by train). Why? I'll tell you why, Bologna is the 'Fat One' for a reason, and that reason is food.

So, even though it was raining last Saturday morning and my two travel companions were wary, and despite the fact that everyone else we knew was going to Bologna the next day (Restaurants are not open on Sunday here. There was no chance in hell I could be persuaded to be in Bologna on a Sunday), I was adamant. The food was waiting for me.

But even though I had gone to Bologna for food, as soon as I set foot from the train station I was taken by its charm. Unlike Florence and Venice, Bologna is not a tourist haven. There are no Japanese tour groups numbering in the thirties wearing headsets gawking in front of me as I'm trying to scurry to class. There are no street vendors trying to sell me men's boxers with David's ballsack thoughtfully plastered on the front. Yet, the city is still bustling. The presence of roads wider than twenty feet (and the huge increase in traffic as a result) definitely threw me at first. But by the time we found our first cafe, I had fallen completely for the russet and golden buildings and covered sidewalks. In some ways, Bologna reminds me of Buffalo. A better dressed, better tempered Buffalo. I'm not used to the tourist economy. No one willingly visits Buffalo unless you're there for family, college, or passing through to the falls or Toronto. And after living in a city whose number one industry is tourism, I can say that few other things in the world are quite so unappealing as the tourist industry. It destroys the character of places. This revelation hadn't occurred to me until I was in Bologna, away from tourism for the first time in weeks.

It was a welcome change.

But anyway, here are the pictures, and I'll let them speak for themselves!

(Apparently half of pictures have been cut off, but I have no idea how to fix that so it stays that way. But! In an effort to decrease uploading time, all my pictures are also going to be on facebook from now on so here's the link http://www.facebook.com/#!/album.php?aid=157748&id=561287236. I take more pictures than I post, so I'll post all the links from now on)





The fountain in the main Piazza involving Neptune and his... friends.

Harlot-y mermaid friends, that is. The fountain caused a spark of controversy when it was unveiled. Can't imagine why. Did I mention this is within view of the cathedral?




We found a sephora in this old pharmacy, and it was pretty cool. I took many pictures, because my roommate Arielle loves products the way I love food.




The colours in Bologna are all wrong for the buildings. It was one of the first things I noticed. In Firenze, the buildings are mostly green, lighter yellow, and grey. In Bologna, they are mostly yellow and red. It was just a slight change, but I was surprised by it.


The inside of a lovely church, made even lovelier by the free admission. I love my guidebook even if it makes me look like super tourist.


Okay, we didn't realize this was an art exhibit until after I saw the sign in the picture. We honestly thought that someone was hanging their clothing to dry in a tree outside Giorgio Armani. Drying clothing is serious business in Italy, because there's no dryers to be found unless you want to pay to use them.




Oh man. The first cafe. More of a gelato/dessert cafe than a usual cafe. This is another reason why I love my guidebook. The allure of pumpkin cinnamon and ginger gelato was too much for me and Amanda and Arielle to resist so we went and it was FABULOUS. The prices were excellent, the gelato amazing. This was the part where I melted into a puddle. These melting moments, for the record, happen at least once a week (yesterday's was when I bought violet knee high heeled boots for 70 euro marked down from 145), and it's how I know coming here was the best idea I ever had.

The brownie I had been craving for weeks.

Something Sarah and I will probably make when I get home!


Chocolate tree with nut leaves. I bought some dark chocolate here as I was dangerously low, and it is some of the best chocolate I've ever set my lips upon.



Bologna is a medieval city, and this is one of the their medieval towers. Florence has some medieval relics as well, but it's mostly been overcome by Renaissance style buildings and art.



Oh man! We found this awesome science museum (also with free admission, thanks to my book) run through the University of Bologna. There is a HUGE student population there, like, one fifth of the population huge. Apperantly there's killer nightlife because of it, and this, with the want of another gelato, will probably be enough to lure me back.


A random art display in the museum, snakes made of crystal. I think it puts a new spin on the tempting serpent icon. Bologna has quite a bit of artwork around, actually. Again due to the university.



I get excited when I see Latin. I'm not bothering to translate for you though.


The covered walkway/my friends losing me for the eighth time. Arielle said it was a good thing my coat is so green so they can find me. It's like a leash for errant children, except visual and more dignified.



The restaurant we ate it. It was phenomenal, though I've eaten just as good in Tuscany. I had homemade tagliatelle with a Bolognese ragu. The meat was perfectly seasoned, it was lacking nothing. Divine.


My SUPER EPIC appetizer that was actually more than my entree. A collection of cured pork products and regional cheeses to make any nordic princess proud (it looks like a viking feast to me). Definitely worth the price, even just for the visiaul presnetaion. The other couple at the table beside us was openly gaping. I love making fellow dinner guests envious of my order.


So that, in a nutshell, is Bologna! Other than a spot of rain, the day was perfect. Although we barely made the last train leaving before five in the morning we still made it! But if we had been stuck there until five, I have a sneaking suspicion that I would have been totally fine with that.