We left Seattle in January for Mexico and South America, and in April we headed to Portugal. The sun has followed us almost everywhere we’ve traveled from that first day. But now, in late October we knew the weather would get colder, and that rain was inevitable. It was already cooling down when we left Verona for Bologna and Florence, but, we were actually looking forward to weather that would remind us of home.
To my point, it was raining when we arrived in Bologna. And, like true Seattleites, we don’t carry umbrellas - a bizarre badge of courage amongst those of us who hail from the Rainy City.
We could have easily taken a taxi to our Airbnb, but Michael had researched the bus options and it was just a short journey. And, as is often the tie-breaker, it would save money. So we huddled in the crowded bus shelter until the big red C bus pulled up to the stop.
Unless you’re on a bike, you can stay dry under 24 miles of porticos that run throughout the city.
On wet days buses are always packed like a sardine tin so we displaced a few folks with our suitcases and tried not to whack anyone with our bulging daypacks. The windows were steamed up so Michael was counting on Google Maps and help from fellow passengers to make sure we got off at the right stop. In the end, we gave ourselves pats on the back for not giving in to “transportation temptation” - but I may become more willing to save money elsewhere as the weather turns colder.
Bologna is a city that gets overlooked by tourists, but it shouldn’t. When I tried to articulate my impressions I kept saying this city is so “real”. I guess I meant that it hums with daily life and leans into its history. A sort of “take me as I am” city that doesn’t need embellishment.
Michael and our Airbnb host Claudio. It was clear they were going to have fun together.
We discovered Bologna has a tower that leans further than Pisa’s, over 24 miles of covered porticos, and a rich food culture. In fact, one of its three nicknames is La Grassa "The Fat City”, due to the Bolognese love of pork in any form including their famous fat speckled Mortadella, signature prosciutto stuffed tortellini pasta, and rich sweets.
Another nickname is La Dotta “The Learned City" Because there has been a thriving university in Bologna since 1088. The campus is scattered throughout the center of the city, and that means there are lively coffee shops, cool bars and cheap eats everywhere.
The University of Bologna Class of 1218
The Porticos I mentioned are UNESCO Heritage protected. They were first created in the 13th century to add living spaces to existing buildings for university students. In 1288 building statutes were established that all new houses should have a portico and the minimum height should be 7 feet in order to allow the comfortable passage of a man astride his horse. This act left an imprint on the appearance of the city right up until today.
Using these archways you can traverse the city from all four corners and never feel a drop of rain! In fact, you can walk almost two miles to The Sanctuary of the Madonna di San Luca under 666 continuous porticos. We chose to take the tourist train instead, and I’m glad we did because the tourist office didn’t mention that the last mile of the walk was uphill.
You can walk three miles under 666 Porticos to the Madonna San Luca church or take this cute train!
Bologna's third nickname is La Rossa, "The Red City” for its many terra-cotta colored buildings, but also for its left-leaning (communist) politics. Speaking of politics, under the portico of our building an American gentleman who has lived in Bologna for many years has a shop where he makes beautiful pipes. His workshop doubles as a smoky card room in the back, and a tribute to Trump in the front. Besides pipes and smoking paraphernalia, the windows are full of MAGA memorabilia from the classic red hat to a Trump Bobblehead doll and an array of bumper stickers. We didn’t go out of our way to introduce ourselves.
Our American neighbor in Bologna hand makes pipes, runs a card room and is a fan of POTUS.
We encountered another fellow American who was our guide on a free walking tour. His name was Scott and he was such a trippy (aging hippy) that we almost bailed on the tour. For one thing, he kept doing weird Billy Crystal's “white man’s overbite” dance moves as he told his stories. It could be he was on a different trip than the one we were taking. The trouble was, his stories were good! So we stuck it out.
His redemption was pointing out an unassuming entryway down a side street that had a small, battered sign over the door that simply read “Vino”. And that’s all they served inside. 2 bucks a glass, 7 bucks a bottle. Choose from four reds, two whites, and a frizzante. It was a wine dive bar You bring your own food and grab a seat at one of the battered communal tables. Another sign read “if you are not drinking, please leave the premises”. We enjoyed some amazing pizza from the market and did our best to follow the rules.
The bar is called Osteria Del Sole. There has been a bar in this space for over 500 years. They must be doing something right.
There was something interesting to see on every building and sometimes on the ground as well.
Our Airbnb was great - but our hosts were even better. We've viewed thousands of Airbnb listings over the years, and we have never seen the hosts in the photos until this one. And it didn’t show them just posing on the sofa - they were dancing in the living room! We knew we had to stay in this apartment and meet these people no matter what. And they felt the same way after reading our profile. We had an invitation to dinner at their home before we’d even booked the place!
Claudio and Guicy (Juicy) have a large home that is also a two-bedroom Bed & Breakfast about a half an hour outside of the city in the village where Claudio grew up. Claudio picked us up and drove us to the house where we were treated to local meats and aged cheese, Claudio’s hand made tortellini served in brodo (a light chicken broth), followed by a decadent lasagne and washed down with local wine. We finally pushed ourselves away from the table after double helpings of Juicy’s amazing caramel flan. I am sure the breakfast they serve their guests keeps them coming back year after year.
However, the best part of the evening was hearing about their courtship and how dance plays such an important part in their relationship. Claudio didn’t dance when he met Guicy 13 years ago, but once he learned a few moves (and knew it was the way to her heart) he really took to it.
They have a great bunch of friends that love Swing Dancing to 40’s music and the Lindy Hop (also known as The Jitterbug) is everyone’s favorite. They are so full of life and so fun to be with that I know we will stay in touch for many years to come.
The thing about pizza is you can enjoy it anywhere. And in Italy, you can find it anywhere!
From Bologna, we took the train to Florence, one of our favorite cities in the world. It’s easy to love Florence. It’s even easier in November when the crowds have dropped to about a fraction of what they are in the summer.
Florence was calm and almost crowd free during the first week of November.
We’ve been to Florence many times and we like the Santo Spirito neighborhood. It’s part of the Oltrano Quarter that begins just across the Ponte Vecchio on the banks of the Arno. Our Airbnb was on Piazza Santo Spirito right across from the butter-colored 15th-century church of the same name.
Every morning there is a small market on the square where the vendors change each day. Sometimes there are stalls selling books and prints, or linens and kitchenware, other days there are fishmongers and cheese stands, but you can always find fresh fruit and vegetables, clothes and household sundries. I bought a lovely turquoise shawl to add to my winter layers for just 10 euros.
Caption: Inside there is a crucifix carved in 1492 by a Michaelangelo when he was just 18 years old. If you are anywhere near there, step into this serene church and see it this often overlooked masterpiece.
Our Airbnb was a great find. It is owned by a graphic designer who lives in Paris so I was predisposed to love it. The decor was a perfect blend of “shabby chic” Parisian and Italian kitsch. And the view towards the hills behind the city was the icing on the cake. We were met by a friend of the owner and the housekeeper who was a large man. He whisked our bags up three winding flights of ancient stairs with ease. Thank God.
Even though we know the city well, we took two free walking tours. One focused on the center of the city and the other covered our neighborhood. As always, we learned interesting historical facts and local tips to add to our knowledge of this city. One thing we didn’t know was Sbrino, the gelato place we’d staked out near our Airbnb, is considered the best in Florence. All the more reason to stay on this trendy side of Florence.
The fruit and vegetable store also carried nice wines, and the owners homemade pastas and sauces.
During one of our tours we learned admission to the Ufizzi Gallery was free on October 31st to commemorate the “Family Pact” signed by Anna Maria Luisa de' Medici, who left the family's vast collections of art to Florence and Tuscany in 1737. Her only caveat was that once a year, on that date, the public would be allowed to see all of the family treasures for free. That meant the Ufizzi, the Pitti Palace, the Boboli Gardens and a few smaller historic sites were all free that day. We’d been to the museum before, but there is so much to see that we were happy to go again. We arrived at 8:00 in the morning and got entrance tickets stamped for 8:15, the first admission of the day. We enjoyed a leisurely two hours inside and beat the crowds. There are ways to buy admission tickets online, so if you go book the earliest time you can and get the audio guide.
The Uffizi is one of the world's greatest museums. No matter where you turn there is something breathtaking to see!
Since the city felt familiar we settled in like true Florentines. Long walks, sometimes in the rain were the order of the day. We also ate well in our cozy kitchen or enjoyed simple meals in the trattorias on our street. We found a pub to watch the World Rugby Finals from Japan, and we even went to a movie. You know you’ve seen all you need to see when you are willing to spend an afternoon at a movie theatre.
Soon it was time to take the train to Siena where we would begin a five-day car trip through Tuscany in search of fall foliage and fine wine. See you on the road.
Thanks for following along,
Debbie and Michael Campbell
NOTE: This is the 188th blog I’ve written since we began our Senior Nomad adventure in 2013. All of the blogs are searchable by topic or location. And, if you’d like to try living daily life in an Airbnb, use this link and save $40. on your first booking and receive $15. credit towards an Airbnb Experience.