BOLOGNA

We arrived in Bologna today.  We are staying at the NH Bologna de la Gare which is conveniently close to the train station.  We are blessed with wonderful air conditioning here, by far the best we’ve had on our entire trip.

We arrived before our room was ready, so we ventured out to explore the city.  We went to the Piazza Maggiore at the city center surrounded by ancient buildings.  Unfortunately the Basilica de San Petronio was under construction.  Interestingly though, they had draped the scaffolding with a life sized image of the Basilica.  We also saw the Fontana Del Nettuno (Neptune’s Fountain) which is one of the most photographed locations in Bologna.

We encountered our first gypsy today.  There have been many beggars sitting on the sidewalks.  However, we had not yet encountered the aggressive gypsies.  Today, we had a young woman approach us quickly with her arm wrapped in a scarf and with her other hand outstretched for money.  She attempted to move in close to us quickly.  Luckily, we said “no” rather loudly and she backed away.  Had she gotten close, we probably would have been pick pocketed.

Tonight we will eat at Trattoria Anna Maria.  This restaurant was featured in May’s edition of Bon Appétit magazine.