Why this blog?

To understand why this blog was created and where it got its name, start here

Monday, June 7, 2010

Bologna

Bologna has three nicknames: La Dotta (the Learned); La Rossa (the Red); and La Grassa (the Fat). The first expression comes from the fact that the city is home to the oldest university in Europe, established in 1088. I passed by this exhibit in the college of medicine:


The second nickname, the Red, originally came from the color of the roofs in the city center; now it refers to the city's more recent history of communism. The historic city center is small and well maintained. Here are a couple of landmarks:


Le due torre


The normally crowded Piazza Maggiore after a rainstorm

Bologna also has 25 miles of covered porticos which allow you to walk all over the historic city center sheltered from rain and hot summer sun.


My apartment is near one of the gates into the formerly walled city. Here is what that gate looked like when I came home after dinner last night:


And La Grassa (the Fat)? Bologna is known for its prosciutto and mortadella as well as its tortellini.

1 comment:

  1. Take me to the prosciutto shop! (prosciutteria?)

    ReplyDelete