Today Devin and Linda went to Orvieto and I took the high speed rail line north to Bologna. These trips were not planned in advanced as we had left a free day in the schedule to either explore more of Rome or do day trips.
Nicknames
Bologna has a few nicknames
- The learned one – referring to its university.
- The fat one – referring to its cuisine.
- The red one – Which could refer to the color of the roofs or the left leaning political views of the population.
Arrival
Bologna’s location makes it important for Italy’s rail system. To give you an idea of the train station size, my train arrived 4 levels underground. After I climbed out I just started walking in the direction of the Basilica of San Francesco. Not really sure why I headed to it but its a church so why not.
The two towers
As I left the church’s grounds I realized there was a marathon wrapping up in the city. I crossed some of the routes heading toward the Asinelli Tower and the Garisenda Tower. Bologna used to be filled with towers. Possibly up to 180 towers! Most were demolished in the 13th century and about 20 remain today. I wanted to climb Asinelli and its 498 steps but the line was two long. The Garisenda has a nice lean to it. In the same general area is a fountain of Neptune.
Food theme park
The real reason I wanted to visit Bologna is because it has a food/agriculture theme park! I bought my bus ticket from the train station and got on a bus dedicated to going to FICO Eataly World Bologna. Hell yes! It has its own bus! When we arrived it reminded my of a real theme park with large parking lots and a large amount of entrance roads. If you drive parking is not free but admission is.
When you enter you can pick up a shopping cart or a bicycle with a basket on front (those may be for kids. I’m not sure) There are over 40 restaurants under this single roof and all kinds of food shopping.
There are also classes that you can sign up for on everything from pasta making to tasting balsamic vinegars.
I decided to try an Italian BBQ restaurant where I got some ribs, fried potatoes and slaw. Everything was good but the coleslaw was the most interesting because in addition to the cabbage and mayo they had added balsamic and sliced up green apples.
After I had sampled a few wines, breads, and cheeses I headed back to the train station to return to Rome. High-speed rail is really quite nice. By car its 4+ hours but train takes a little less than 2 hours.
