Full on Bologna

When my nephew, Tegan, heard we were in Bologna he asked his dad if that’s where baloney or bologna came from. Of course, he was on the right track – sort of. The traditional bologna sausage, called Mortadella, made and eaten in Italy consists of ground pork and lard. You can see sizable and numerous lardy bits in the sausage. Yum. (Some makers add peppercorns and myrtle berries too, to add a wee bit more flavour.) Mortadella does taste delicious but it may not be good for the arteries, if you know what I mean and I think you do! The sausage did originate in Bologna, hence the formal name we use. Our store bought baloney mimics it to a certain degree but it is quite bland taste wise and the lardy bits are nonexistent.

Of course, Bologna has a reputation for being a foodie’s delight. What’s interesting is that most foreign tourists (non European) do not visit the city. (We couldn’t find postcards or souvenirs anywhere …) Many Italians love to visit the city though. One of the most popular holidays is to book a trip that involves taking cooking classes. One visit to the food market or mercato, especially the outdoor markets, makes you realize why this is a food lover’s paradise. We certainly had our fill of the good food found in Bolgona.

A foodie's paradise ... drool!

Can you find the eels?

Okay, we know this is a Naples specialty but Einstein wanted to try it. It was divine right "E"?!

Now you are probably thinking … Wade, Nona and “E” really bought into the motto: la dolce vita. It’s true we lived well in Bologna. But living well to us, means more than just great food and meloncello! To indulge your soul and to live well you also need to immerse yourself in the culture completely – which means visiting architectural marvels and historical curiosities. The citizens of Bologna are very fortunate – they really do live “full on”! And we are so jealous.

The two towers - no affiliation with Mordor - are rerpesentative of Bologna's unique history. At one time they had anywhere from 80 to 100 of these towers throughout the city (especially during the 12th to 14 centuries).

The red heart of Bologna.

This unique site is home to 666 arches or porticoes. When walking, this is the best way to visit the San Luca church. These porticoes cover over 3.5 km. Bologna itself has over 38 km of porticoes - if you added them all together that is!

Can you imagine 666 porticoes being built to protect a religious artifact as it moved from one church to another? A wonderfully weird but true factoid.