16, 17, 18, and 19 September-- Bologna and Ravenna with Two Days Rest

16 September-The trip to Florance wore us out so we took a day off and recuperated here in Ferrara.   We actually fixed a frozen pizza in our kitchen oven and ate “at home.” 

17 September—Bologna.  It is the city of towers and covered arcades along all of the major streets and many of the smaller ones.  It’s a good thing since we had several brief showers as we walked to the various places of interest.  We walked from the train station to Piazza Maggiore with its huge church and statue of Neptune.  After visiting the church, we hopped on a small hop-on-hop-off “bus.”  It was about the size of two golf carts front to back.  It also got us out of the sprinkles as we did the 40-minute loop around the old town.  Bologna was once a city of canals to rival Venice, but over time they were filled in and covered with paving.  We did see one of the remaining ones still visible.  It was also a city of towers with over 180 at one time.  Ironically, it is now known as the city of twin towers with the unfished and titling tower standing next to the finished design.  At lunch of course we had pasta Bolognese accompanied by a four-cheese pizza.  After we went to the city museum and saw artifacts from the history of Bologna.  They are rightly most proud of Guglielmo Giovanni Maria Marconi, inventor of wireless radio communications.  Luigi Galvani who discovered “animal electricity” — the idea that muscles and nerves respond to electrical stimulation.  Also, of note was the first depiction of the “prancing horse” on a WW I aircraft.  This later became the logo that appears on every Ferrari. 

After a train ride home, we dined at “our” sidewalk café with potato chips, thinly sliced ham and pretzel like crackers.  Pasta and pizza for lunch go a long way. 

18 September—The day started with me taking a loud of clothes to the wash and fold laundry and utilizing Google Translate to confirm we didn’t need anything ironed.  Ravenna, a seaside city known for its churches and their Byzantine mosaics.  We went to two different churches, one crypt, and a baptismal font to see examples of these spectacular art pieces made of tiny colored stones.  We also visited the residence of Dante and a museum with relics from his life.  Ravenna proudly claims to be the birthplace of Dante’s “cult followers” (Their words not mine) who attribute standardization of the Italian language a dn the continued us of many phrases that are a part of the Italian language today. 

Our train ride back had a moment of excitement and concern.  It was a local reginal train and three stops and 40 miles from Farrara we were told that the train could go no farther due to issues on the track.  Some announcements on the train PA system are in both Italian and English.  Not sure if we should be worried or assured that they have an English version that tells you you’re not reaching your destination as planned, so get off here.  Eventually we figured out that we could stay in our seats and a second train would come on the adjacent track to take us back to Farrara. 

We had dinner at Aroma a restaurant off of the main square in town.  It was one of the best meals ever.  We ordered a tasting menu with six different specialties of the house.  Including one that Google Translate said was castrated meatballs.  The man in charge, wearing jeans and a t-shirt, but directing the white shirt, black pants dressed wait staff, was very engaging and offered us an after-dinner drink of dark vermouth.  It had a fruity, licorice taste.  We asked for reservations for the next night and will order from the main menu. 

19 September—Day of rest and picked up the laundry.   Will edit post after tonight’s feast. Great dinner and walk back to our room.

Nepyunse Foutain

San Petronio Church

Castle on the Piazza Maggiore

Twin Towers of Bologna. Pisa isn't the only place waith a leaning tower. We saw one in Ravenna too.

One of the many arcades. By decree they had to be high enough for a man on horseback with his hat on

San Petronio Church

San Petronio Church

See the small window it cast a sunbeam on the meridian line on the floor of the church that at noon gives the sign of the current Zodiac and also marks the solistices

The meridian line on the floor

Service in a side chapel

San Petronio Church

Balogna Canal

Twin Towers

The Chapel on the Hill. Built on the ruins of previous Roman temples and churches

You can see the lean more clearly

Bologna is the home to Ducatti Industries. The company is large donor to various charities and makes much more than motorcycles

Porcelian Ware in side the Bolgna Museum

A working model of Marconi's wireless radio

First instance of the Ferrari prancing horse

Inside on of the churches at Santo Stefano Complex

Santo Stefano Complex

Fancy Refridgerator

Church in Santo Stefano Complex

CHurch in Barcelona

Altar close-up

Who knew this was in Bologna. It's a parking lot

Ravenna-- Basilica de St Apollinare

Basilica de St Apollinare

Altar at Basilica de St Apollinare

Three Wisemen at Basilica de St Apollinare

A Ravenna's Leaning Tower

Ravenna Plaza

Entrance to Basilica de San Vitale and Mausoleo di Galla Placidia

Basilica de San Vitale

Mausoleo di Galla Placidia

Basilica de San Vitale

Mausoleo di Galla Placidia

Mausoleo di Galla Placidia

Basilica de San Vitale

Mausoleo di Galla Placidia

Basilica de San Vitale

Basilica de San Vitale

Basilica de San Vitale

Preserved floors of a Roman house.

Preserved floors of a Roman house.

The Four Seasons, (Spring is missing) Dancing to a tune played by Pan

The origianal on a wall

Dante's Tomb is the white building in the background

Courtyard of the Dante Residence

Death Masks of Dante

Battistero Neoniano Ceiling Mosaic

Battistero Neoniano Ceiling Mosaic

Battistero Neoniano Baptismal Font. Was previously a heated Roman bath about 2 metters deep

Ravenna Museum. Ivory covered Bishop's Chair

A room in the Bishop's Residence, also mosaics

Battistero Neoniano Baptismal Font.

A "perpetual" calendar to calculate the date for Easter good from the 6th to 7th century

Tourist in Bologna

Side chapel in San Petronio Church with the Meridian marked on the floor

On of the Seven Corners Churches

Our Hop-on/Hop-off view

Pasta Bolognese and 4-Cheese Pizza

I teased the leader of the Altar Guild back hom eand said this was a ALtar Guild Meeting to discuss care of ALL the candles

First three courses of dinner 18 Sept. Zucchini flowers stuffed with cod, shrimp with mid jalapeno peppers, and a Russian salad with a variety of seafood and an outstanding smoke flavored dressing

“Castrated: meatballs (really lamb meatballs) on humus, chicken bites on tzatziki sauce and shrimp with aioli like sauce. We brought most of this round home.

Our watere bottle

19 September Pasta Making Contest

19 September Pasta Making Contest

19 September, A beautiful day in Farrara

A University Electric Racing Car Display on the Plaza

The walk home from dinner

My tour of the kitchen

My tour of the kitchen

My tour of the kitchen

Two different fish dishes. The one is the foreground is prepared with dried pasta that is cooked like risotto by adding broth to a pan. Besides the shrimp there were scallops, clams, mussels and octapus

Dolly's dish was pasta with a similar variety of shell fish and a broth of three different fish stocks