Bologna
Saturday April 1, 2017
My short stay in Bologna has come to an end, but the city definitely has more to offer than I had time for, especially in terms of food. After arriving at Bologna Central train station, I followed Google maps to my B&B, only to find that there was no B&B at the location described. I double checked the address and did a quick search and continued down the road, and finally found a door at number 23 with the name of my accommodation on it. I trudged up the stairs to the third floor and rang the doorbell to get in. No reply. I tried again, and tried knocking. Still nothing. I started getting flustered and then decided to make an international call to the number on the door. An answer! "I have a booking with you", I said, to which the reply came "I have no booking...there is another B&B with the same name at number 8."
Why would you have two B&Bs on the same road with the same name at different numbers, and then have Google Maps point to neither of them.
I finally managed to check in and all was good, then it was into town to check out the famous sights. First stop was Bologna's Two Towers. The larger is Torre degli Asinelli at just under 100m, and for €3 you can climb the 498 narrow wooden steps to the top for some breathtaking views of the city. Back at ground level, I had a quick squizz inside Basilica di San Petronio and around the plaza outside, but I was getting hungry and wanted to ensure I got my bolognese before leaving. I found a great place just off the tourist track thanks to Trip Advisor and got tagliatelle alla bolognese - the true "spag bol", as the sauce sticks to the flat pasta better than the round. A glass of the house red and a plate of carpaccio on salad, and I was done for the night. Good times!
Today is a bit overcast but I spent most of the morning planning out what I want to do in Riomaggiore, thanks to the B&B having the first solid WiFi since arriving in Italy. It looks like tomorrow might rain, so it's a good opportunity to just chill out and rest, especially after all the walking around.
Posted by Jeremy at 9:26am on Saturday April 1, 2017 :: 0 comments :: 