We decided to take a weekend trip to Bologna. The motivation was to have a little adventure to celebrate my forthcoming birthday, but also to keep up the pace of seeing new places and trying new things. It would be really easy to settle into life like we had in LA, going to birthday parties and sports games on the weekends. But, why would we come all the way to Italy to do that?
So, we booked an early-ish morning train bound for Bologna. The kids are already becoming train connoisseurs…”Are we taking the Frecciarossa (fast train)?” Are we sitting in premium?, Do we get a free snack?” Yes, yes and yes!!! A few UNO games and some rolling Italian countrysides later, we arrived in Bologna. The appeal that Torino is centrally located and a short train ride from so many places is certainly proving to be be true.
Because we don’t spend a lot of time planning our trips, we don’t spend too much energy on the “to-do” lists. The downside of this is that I always have the feeling that we aren’t seeing/doing quite enough in any given place. The upside is, it is a low pressure situation and the kids still enjoy themselves. My non-scientific estimate is that with kids in tow, Josh and I can only do 70% of what we could do in any given place. My list for Bologna was: 1) Eat pasta bolognese 2) See the two towers.
To the rest of the world, bolognese is sometimes known as ragu, or meat sauce. But, it’s home is Bologna. Ok, it’s home is not exactly Bologna. The earliest documented recipe of an Italian meat-based sauce served with pasta comes from the late 18th century Imola, a city near Bologna. I am ok with that slight historical inaccuracy. I still tried to eat it for as many meals as I could. To note, this incredible sauce is best/most often served on thick pasta, as larger pasta shapes hold meat much better than finer pastas. So, we also got to eat delicious, house-made pasta with our sauce. Happy Birthday to me:)
As for Goal #2: the towers of Bologna are incredible. At the end of the 12th century, there were a hundred towers in Bologna. It was like a red mason-brick Manhattan, full of skyscrapers of which historians still discuss the purpose/merit. It seems like rich people liked to build them to either show off or to defend themselves. The sheer quantity is particularly amazing given that it takes from 3-10 years to build a 180 foot tower. The most famous of the 20-some remaining towers are the Torre degli Asinelli and the Torre Garisenda. They stand next to each other, both leaning, but in opposite directions. The Asinelli Tower actually has the cache of being the tallest tower in Italy (take that, Pisa!) We decided to take the 498 stairs to the top of the almost 300 foot tower. I will note here that Noah has demonstrated some signs of a fear of heights. However, he has also demonstrated signs of extreme competitiveness (I have no idea where he gets that from), so if the opportunity to climb the highest tower in Italy presents itself, he is in!
The kids made short work of the climb. They have proven themselves to be in great shape on this trip, surprising us with their ability to climb/walk/hike. The interior of the tower is ancient with sloping wooden stairs and thankfully, hand rails.
My sense is that it would be a disaster to try and climb in the hot, crowded summer. We didn’t have the tower to ourselves, but we didn’t have too much traffic to contend with. The view from the top felt almost as ancient as the tower. If you could squint away the new construction in the far distance, the entire “Red City” lay peacefully at our feet. It was nice to get a little perspective before I launch into another year.