Bologna

Well, folks, I have returned from my quick trip to the States. Very happy to report that I returned with the cat in tow. She rocked her first train trip from Zurich down to Lugano. I let her out of the bag, so to speak, around the Gotthard Pass and introduced her to her fourth country.

So thankful for the wonderful care my folks provided for Moloko while we waited for her paperwork to process, I also had the chance to enjoy a few gorgeous autumn days in New England. It was a whirlwind trip but worth the effort.

Backtracking a couple of weeks, I took advantage of tourist shoulder season and again hopped on a train to Italy. Direct from Lugano to Bologna, my train was easy and fairly cheap. I now have the SwissPass, a half-fare card, thanks to my Swiss residency status and it is already paying off.

Bologna has been on my radar for a few years. Touted as a medieval town with a university vibe and a good food scene, I was excited to check it out. As everything has been quite busy since arriving in Switzerland, I didn’t do much more preparation beyond booking a walking tour via Airbnb Experiences.

One thing I can recommend about Bologna is to not judge the city by the area surrounding the train station. In fact, I recommend moving away from it posthaste. It’s not unsafe, just not the best part of the city. I will say that the grungy vibe instantly took me back to parts of eastern Europe, which makes my post-Soviet heart happy.

The town itself is made up of a lattice of wide thoroughfares flanked by vast porticos on both sides, abutted by small passageways, alleyways, and the occasional canal.

Host of the oldest continual university in the world, dating back impressively to the 11th century, the city is the center of discourse and progressive politics. I heard it described as the Berlin of Italy and I don’t think that’s too far off. Street art mingles with medieval architecture as cafe culture reigns. Bologna is a gem.

The home of bologna and bolognese sauce is also, unsurprisingly, a foodie haven. Bolognese (known as ragu alla Bolognese) is traditionally served on tagliatelle, the best egg noodle there is. I didn’t waste any time digging in.

Another feather in Bologna’s cap – Luciano Pavarotti. Music clearly matters here and the opera is on constant offering. Music plays in the streets and buskers are a-plenty. Perhaps I only saw a fraction, however, as a few were tied up with other plans. A major parade and rave were planned for that evening to protest the right to protest (evidently a dying freedom in Italy at the moment), among other world issues at hand.

My Airbnb Experience tour turned out to be fantastic. Led by a guy named Addy, I met a bunch of cool folks from Scandinavia, the UK, and California. The tour gave a fantastic overview of the current political climate in Italy, a general history of the city, and a few stops for local drinks.

I bookmarked everything Addy recommended, including a bar in an old church chapel (Le Stanze) to the best cheese shop around (Al Regno Della Forma), as Bologna is in close proximity to Parma.

Passing on the rave, I enjoyed dinner at a local food market (Mercato delle Erbe) and did some planning for my brother’s upcoming wedding. That’s right, folks, I am USA-bound once again at the end of the month. This time to the west coast and sans kitten, which should make that 12 hour flight from Munich to San Diego a lot more restful 😉

On my final day in Bologna, I found myself enjoying Turkish breakfast at Naama Cafe, a cafe in a portico. Enjoying a turmeric smoothie and baklava – you can take the girl out of Turkey…

All too soon it was time to say goodbye to Bologna and return to my students, who I am growing to really adore. Now I also get to enjoy the company of this little goober with the cute eyes, whose arrival officially makes my move to Switzerland complete.