Bologna by Towers

Ratings of our  trip through Italy continue, from Bergamo to Venice to.... 

Bologna

Transportation in Bologna

Greg

4 Towers - My feet were the transportation, but after a fine new pair of Italian sandals they enjoyed it much more.

Ian 
3 Towers - Very walkable city. Can’t say I used the transportation. Buses seemed convenient and frequent. Vespas abound- ciao!

ebe
4 Towers - Extremely easy to navigate with a train station that let us out right next to beautiful, if a bit smelly ruins.

Accommodation in Bologna

Greg
4.5 Towers - Greeted by friendly manservant who was eager to accommodate us in any way possible. Only drawback  - not much of a view, but a stunning rooftop garden. 

Ian
4.5 Towers - very modern hotel in the heart of Bologna. Staff was very friendly. Can’t beat the location between the train station and old city center.

ebe
4.5 Towers - Not quite as fancy as we hoped, the room was about average BUT it did have amazing air conditioning. The friendly attendant, excellent location between the train station and city center, and truly divine breakfasts of finely skewered fruits, cappuccinos, and chocolates I loved.

Sights in Bologna

Greg
4.5 Towers - Porticoes everywhere! Beautiful knockers…door knockers.  Abundance of historic buildings.  A laid-back picturesque experience.

Ian
4.5 Towers - Buildings really tie the town together. For a lack of traditional sights, it’s  beautiful to just wander the streets and see the medieval architecture, the towers hovering above.

ebe
3.5 Towers - The porticoes are the real eye-catcher here. You can hardly walk down a street without them on either side. Plus I loved the salacious fountain that made the church uneasy. And the market was a marvel of cheap goods, sprawling out in all directions. We also saw an installation of enormous statues that was a fascinating backdrop to several wedding parties making it official at city hall.

We actually didn't go up int he main sight- the towers. We were more interested in just walking around. Still- not a lot to see. This is a city to live in.

Dining in Bologna

Greg

3.5 Towers - Gelato capital of the world! BUT also snotty waiter capital of the world.

Ian
4 Towers - Prices were a welcoming sight after Venice. Unfortunately missed out on the big Italian dinner I was looking for. Overall, a tasty experience. Gotta love the gelato. 

ebe

2.75 Towers - Somehow we managed to avoid anything amazin. This must have been our fault in lazy planning, but I really thought we could just stumble around in the birthplace of tortellini and find amazing eats. In the very first restaurant we sat down, they acted put out that we were early (slightly understandable), snatched away a menu (rude), and then left us waiting for over 15 minutes not even taking a drink order. We left- one of the few times I've ever done that.

We found some things that were good, but nothing out of this world- except the gelato place (Gelatauro, Via San Vitale 98 (tel. 051-230049).  Run by Sicilian brothers- this out of the way shop we trekked to twice. Amazing service, lovely products to take home, and ginger, cafe, chocolate, berry gelatos that I wanted to bath in.

Overall

Greg
4.5 Towers - The city is the sight. Easy to navigate, plenty to catch your eye. A relaxing, fun experience.

Ian
4.5 Towers - Cool city. Cool people. Cool gelato. Hot  weather. Italian.

ebe
3.5 Towers - We chose the city to give Greg a little more sense of Italy aside from the wonderful uniqueness of Venice & Cinque Terre. Plus we had head about the food. While we kinda failed on the food front, but the city was a delight.I can really picture living here & loving it.

Puppet show featured puppets from different regions. Descriptions bordered on racist.

Erotic Fountain in Bologna

One of the amazing giant statues. How nice! He's giving that lady a lift....oh wait

More pics of Bologna

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