10/1 Tuesday
We have a stroll into the city,
enjoying the porticos on the way. At the main plaza, there is a cathedral, the
Basilica of San Petronio, draped in covers while it undergoes cleaning and
restoration, the City hall, which houses a Civic Museum, and an incredibly
impressive public library, where all the locals meet, hang out, read and
research. We go in to use the restrooms. This Friday is a big festival for the
Feast of Saint Petronio, with a Cardinal coming to give a benediction, so the
square is filled with a stage and seating.
We go into the Basilica and find it
suitably impressive. We pay three Euros each to climb up the construction
scaffolding to a viewing platform about ten stories up, making some money off
the project, as it were. We have to sign a waiver saying that if we get hurt
it’s our own damn fault. The view is very interesting, revealing the original
medieval core of the city. The wealthy families all included a tower as part of
their mansions and the city still has many of them rising up all throughout the
city.
The city has a nice energy to it,
people are walking around, shopping, having cappuccinos, sitting in the plazas.
There’s a noticeable mix to the people, white, brown, black, and not so many
tourists. People seem to be just living and working and studying here, all out
and enjoying the city.
On our way home, we stop at a little
grocery right on our street. They sell all kinds of pastas and wines, cheeses
and deli items. We have to stop for some Bolognese tortellini, which we see in
some shops for as much as 35 Euros for a kilo. Seems a bit much for pasta. We
can buy a bag of fresh tortellini in this shop for about four Euros. Then, I
browse the deli counter. Marinated artichokes? Must have. Olives. Must have.
“Would you like some Parmigianino? The guy asks. Must have. We pick up a jar of
sauce and put our things down at the register. The owner sees the sauce and the
tortellini, and shakes his head. Oh, no, this won’t do at all. He finds a
packet of beef bouillon for us. That’s
for tortellini. He doesn’t speak any English, so the deli man and I have a
convoluted gesturing conversation as to what needs to be done for the
tortellini. At home, I cook the tortellini and make a light gravy with the
bouillon. I’m not sure if I’ve done it according to the rules, but the results
are delicious!
1 Video Included
Bologna Piazza Maggiore
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