Bologna

After thoroughly exhausting ourselves in Cinque Terre, we headed to Bologna for some much needed R&R. When we first started planning our Italy itinerary, we didn't have Bologna on the list and didn't know much about it; it's not usually on a first time visit to Italy itinerary. But, we started watching the Stanley Tucci show "Searching for Italy" and after learning about how Bologna is the food capital of Italy, we had to add it. 

Bologna was great from the start, in no small part due to the Airbnb we got with a peaceful balcony overlooking the red roofs of the city (the building even had an elevator, which was a real treat after all of our hiking). We mostly relaxed in Bologna, but we made time for a food tour to let us learn why the city is called the food capital. Spoiler alert, it's because of how many DOG products are produced in the Emilia-Romagna region. On our food tour, we tried:

• 8 year, 12, year, and 25 year old balsamic vinegar from Modena (we both liked 12 year the most), 
• a variety of different local meats - Prosciutto di Parma, Mortadella Bologna, Culatello, ciccioli, and salame di Felino
• Parmigiano Reggiano 
• Local wines- Pignoletto and Sangiovese
• Tagliatelle al Ragù (what we think of as spaghetti Bolognese in the states). It was delicious, but very different than what we've had at home- it's much heavier on the meat than the tomatoes, so it has more of a brown color than red. Our tour guide explained that this is at least in part because many of the Italian immigrants came from the south of Italy due to the poor economic conditions there, and their version of this is more tomato-heavy (tomatoes being a cheap ingredient). 
• Tortellini in Brodo (in broth). The tortellini is typically made with a mix of meat (pork loin, raw prosciutto, mortadella), Parmesan cheese, egg and nutmeg, and served in a capon (rooster) broth. Also delicious, but by this point we were FULL!
• Gelato with cherries- a go-to local flavor
• Two other local treats that we don't remember the name of :(

We got poured on during the tour, but that didn't even bother us since the food was so good. We left extremely full, and glad that we waited for Bologna to do this tour. 

Hanging meat in a deli
Tagliatelle al Ragù	Tortellini in Brodo
Our mixed meat and cheese plate	Cherry and chocolate gelato

The next day we explored more of the city of Bologna which has the world’s oldest university in continuous operation (since 1088!). We visited the Archiginnasio Municipal Library, the largest library in Emilia-Romagna. We weren't able to explore the whole library, since most of it is off limits, but we were able to get a glimpse of the library which is still used by students and historians. The books were organized by subject, and we even spotted some names we recognized (Galileo and Euler). This complex also includes the Anatomical Theatre - a beautiful hall once used for anatomy lectures where bodies were opening dissected in front of students on a table in the room's center. 

One of the best things about Bologna was just walking around and enjoying the porticoes overhanging the walkways. The city design is famous for its porticoes, and they're even classified as UNESCO world heritage site. They were built back around the middle ages as the city expanded to allow more room for living spaces (apartments were built on top of the constructed porticoes). They were all really unique and beautiful, and having guaranteed shade while walking around was a huge plus. 

Bologna was a hidden gem for us in Italy. The lack of tourist crowds, the food, the porticoes, and the overall vibe made us wish we had more time there. It's a city we will definitely visit again!

View of Bologna from our balcony	Fresh pasta at the market
One of the many porticoes	Fresh produce at the market
Anatomical Theatre	Archiginnasio Municipal Library
Books by Euler in the Municipal Library	One of the Two Towers that is leaning