DAY 42 - BOLOGNA (Rest Day) - 1 June 2026

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After a sleep in and a muesli breakfast,  we wandered out to enjoy the sights of Bologna. We revisited Piazza Maggiore and further investigated the Neptune fountain.  We walked down the Via dell'Indipendenza admiring the porticoes and marvelling at the mundane shops such as supermarkets in the ornate colourful buildings.

Almost every town has a Garibaldi statue or street or square, and we came across Bologna's before finding the 'hidden' canal. The historic canals are underground but can be viewed in just a few places - we didn't queue to look out the little window.

From there we toured the old Jewish quarter, reading how Jews were confined to the ghetto then expelled by the Pope in 1593 and later deported in WWII.

After coffee we viewed the Two Towers (Pisa doesn't have the only leaning tower) and explored the Quadrilatero area, discovering bookshops with beautiful displays.

We had lunch then joined a guided tour of the Archiginnasio, the old university 'headquarters'. Our guide explained that Bologna is one of the oldest universities in Europe, established about 1000 years ago. We especially liked the wooden Anatomical Theatre and the 'skinned' statues. It had to be reconstructed after it was destroyed in WWII. The Stabat Mater, the law school lecture theatre with ancient books, was also a highlight.

In the evening we visited the public library.  It had a glass floor to view Roman ruins and an amazing ceiling!  We also indulged in some local specialities, balanzoni and lambrusco.

We spent much of today wandering the streets of Bologna
Some of today's sights
The red building here houses a supermarket
 Via dell'Indipendenza
Reno Canal
Most places in Italy give some form of recognition to Garibaldi. Here it's an equestrian statue.
Impressive bookshop window displays
Morning tea, lunch 
Archiginnasio 
Instructional statues in the Anatomical Theatre
Stabat Mater room 
Out off the Archiginnasio and back on to the porticoed streets
Salaborsa Library
Dinner
Evening busking performance
Bird (nesting behind the anti-pigeon spikes)
Day 42 - Map

Day:                               42
Distance:                      0 km
Walking time:               0 hrs 0 mins
Elevation gain:             0 metres
Cumulative distance:  798.16 km

Comments

  1. Anonymous2 June 2026 at 00:50

    Today’s bird: feral pigeon

    But more coincidentally on the radio this morning Ross Solly was talking about 2 June (tomorrow for you) 1896 being the anniversary of Guglielmo Marconi’s patent filing for radio (“improvements in transmitting electrical impulses and signals, and in apparatus therefor”)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Barkers2 June 2026 at 05:56

      That is a coincidence! It's also Republic Day, and a public holiday here.

      Delete
  2. Jane2 June 2026 at 05:07

    Oh, the architecture, the carvings, the sculpture...what heaven...may need some in the bookshop!

    ReplyDelete

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