It
has been over two weeks now since I came to live in Bologna, and I haven’t
written a single post. To be honest, it has been a whirlwind of flat-hunting,
flat-bonding, course-searching, course-starting, city-touring and photo-taking.
It has taken two weeks for me to feel like I really live in Bologna, so now
it’s time to write…
(I
want to begin with just a little overview of the city before going more in
depth into each dimension in the weeks to come.)
What
little I knew from Bologna before coming here came from my time as an au pair.
Italians I met would say ‘ah you will love Bologna – it is the perfect city for
a student!’. They told me three things: that the people were the nicest in
Italy, the food famously delicious and the weather infamously terrible. That, and
being the birthplace of what we call Bolognese and what the Italians call ragù, was the extent of my knowledge of
the city that I would soon call home. Now that I can call the city home, those three things have stuck with me,
shaping my first impressions and forming my lasting impressions of Bologna.
Ah
Bologna, Bologna… was it love at first sight? Perhaps… My first exploration of
the city came one evening, on a stroll from the hostel I was staying in down to
the heart – Piazza Maggiore. I wandered beneath the famous Bolognese arches on
marble floors, caught my first glimpse of the two booming red-brick towers keeping watch
over the city, stumbled across a series of little alleyways filled with fresh
fruit and vegetable stalls, storefronts with ostentatious displays of meats,
tortellini and cheese, and stands of fresh flowers and herbs. Diners outside in
the main square showed off the famous Bolognese dish of tortellini al ragù whilst enjoying the September sun and relative
calm of this grand piazza, marked by 4 famous buildings: Palazzo dei Banchi,
Basilica di San Petronio, Palazzo dei Notai and Palazzo d’Accursio.
Irrespective of their impressive names, each is remarkably stunning; decorated
with intricate details which, when closely observed, increase the initial beauty
of the facades… what I mean to say is, on first sight the edifices are
beautiful, but on closer attention they take your breath away.
That is, in fact, Bologna all over. Every day I have walked around the city I have discovered another ornate detail to amaze me; elaborate facades I never noticed before, charming pizzerias with €1 slices, the creamiest gelato I have ever tasted. And as the air becomes slightly crisper, it is almost like a new dimension of Bologna is being revealed. Winter is just around the corner and I can’t wait to discover even more about this city through the falling leaves, the frost and the snow.
That is, in fact, Bologna all over. Every day I have walked around the city I have discovered another ornate detail to amaze me; elaborate facades I never noticed before, charming pizzerias with €1 slices, the creamiest gelato I have ever tasted. And as the air becomes slightly crisper, it is almost like a new dimension of Bologna is being revealed. Winter is just around the corner and I can’t wait to discover even more about this city through the falling leaves, the frost and the snow.
