Oh Bologna you truly are one of my favourite Italian destinations. We spent only a couple of days here and we were smitten with it. They say it is the heart if Italian cuisine and boy did we sample some delicious food. I would be the see of a house if I lived there! It was late morning when we arrived at our campsite right on the outskirts of town. It was going to be an expensive few days compared to our usual wild camping but you know I was in desperate need of a proper shower and we had near enough zero water. It was a good 25 minute cycle into town but we didn’t mind I alway feel like it then entitles me to eat everything as I have done some tiny form of exercise, its a balance after all. The route took us along a main road and revived our old Amsterdam game of ‘Hooker or no?’ As we passed many ladies of the night (I say night but clearly there is a day market too!) We eventually made it in and parked up in the old area opposite an extremely popular restaurant it had a queue of about 20 people outside. Anyway we moved on and got our bearings by following a little self guided walking tour I found online (HERE) It was a cute way to be introduced to the city and learn about the history as well as simply taking in the beautiful architecture which is in total abundance here. Our favourite points were the secrets, spoiler we had a lot of fun at the whispering walls! We walked for what felt like miles simply enjoying the vibe of this city. It is so clearly a student place and as it was early September it was a hive of young people all getting their bearings and socialising. I had so worked up an appetite by this point, well I just think my stomach had stretched for indulging so much in the rest of Italy but you know who cares. We dd our usual of looking online raiding reviews from trip advisor and culture trip trying to source a place for the real ragu like momma used to make. I will throw it out there by saying a lot of the places here were not cheap so choose wisely or be like us and sieve through all the masses and masses of restaurants online to find what suits you…or if your lazy just go to the this place it was phenomenal! Anyway, we decided upon this small restaurant and as we arrived we spotted out bikes outside, it was only the bloody busy place we had seen earlier! Thankfully there was no queue now and it wasn’t long before we eat had a bowl of scrummy fresh pasta in front of us. It was mega cheap and Cleary super popular with tourists, locals and students alike. It is super simple with about 3 dishes to choose form but when the past is fresh and the sauces so flavoursome what more do you need? Afterwards we headed out and had a few drinks at a nearby bar knowing we could relax leaving our van in the campsite.
The next day our heads were fuzzy, so fuzzy intact that we got halfway to town before we realised Josh had left the backpack and had to cycle allllllll the way back to get it! I in the meantime stood and waited looking like one of those ladies of the night I mentioned earlier (not in dress sense I may add just because I was stood randomly!). Our first stop was the secret canals, not quite sure how they are used or even if they are but they did provide us with some cute pictures! Next up was there famous markets, streets filled edge to edge with fresh fruit and veg and pasta and cheese all with the owners yelling out offers in Italian. The colours and smells were breathtaking and I was of course again starving so we headed inside to a cute hall which more cooked produce on offer, yeah it was a little pricey but we didn’t care. Shopping was next on my list, of course it was the window variety but I love to see a city’s style, the variety of brands and boutique on offer and generally seeing how the locals dress. Once Joshua had grown sick of my pastime we hiked up one of the tallest towers I Bologna. There are around 50 towers in total but this one is apparently the most famous and leans even more so than the tower of Pisa. This lack of structural strength didn’t hep joshes confidence in climbing up the hundreds of steps but the views over the city were beautiful. A sea of beige stony buildings gave a warm inviting glow to the city. Now I know there were millions of restaurants to chose from in Bologna but you know we did…went back to Osteria Dell’Orsa the same one as the night before because well we bloody loved it so much! I mean if I were a local I would go there everyday and I am not ashamed to say it!
