Bologna, Italy

June 2006

I was lucky enough to be sent by my College to Bologna, Italy for a 3 day conference on Computer Science during the World Cup in late June. In-between the seminars and lashing of free wine and excellent food, I was able to explore a city I had never heard of except as in ‘Spaghetti Bolognese’. Here is a brief account of the highlights.

Situated on a plain between the Adriatic Coast and the Apennine Mountains, Bologna has always been a strategic city. It has various nicknames – La Dotta (the learned) gained a reputation for free thinking, La Rossa (the red) for its famed red buildings, and La Grassa (the fat) for its excellent cuisine.

I was actually based in the University district to the northeast of the centre, about a 20 minute walk away. Leaving the modern University building where the conference was taking place, I passed the Donato Gate, one of there are 12 gates left from the old walls surrounding the city. Then passing by the old sandstone university buildings along Via Zamboni, I was mesmerised by the endless colonnades on either side which I walked under along with the student body. It was a fabulous street. “With streets like embroidered cloth, threaded with the arches of continuous colonnades, the heart of Bologna is a giant cloister” (Footprint guide to Bologna). Apparently, the cloister was invented in this city and they seem to have built them on every major street in the centre.

At the end of Via Zamboni, lay the Le Due Torri, Bologna’s twin towers; La Torre degli Asinelli and La Torre Garisenda, the two most recognizable icons in the city – their own version of the leaning tower of Pisa. In the 12th and 13th century, it became fashionable for any wealthy family to have their own tower to keep an eye on the Jones and over 100 were built. They served as watch towers, defensive buildings and sometimes prisons. A urban renewal program in 1889 had most of them pulled down (no eye on future tourism then). I climbed up the 98m tall La Torre degli Asinelli, sweating up 498 sturdy oak steps to the top in roasting summer temperatures. It was worth the effort. I was rewarded with a clear stunning 360 view over the old city with the red roof tops dominating the colour (see my photos for evidence).

Next door, the leaning Torre Garisenda tower was originally much higher than its 48m height, but it started to lean in the mid 1300s and was reduced in height. Obviously the family employed a bunch of cowboys to build it. From the ground, it looks like it will fall at any minute.

Southeast from the towers, there were attractive alleyways with market stalls and more colonnades, eventually culminating in the triangular cobbled piazza Santo Stefano. The Chiesa di Santo Stefano is another major sight to see. Started in the 5th Century, at its peak, it was seven interlinked churches within churches. It was nice to explore the small but intricate complex with different architectural styles.

The heart of Bologna, Piazza Maggiore, is still based on its Roman origins – the confluence of two main roads. The Piazza is enclosed by various towers and thick walls of Palazzo Comunale and Palazzo Podesta and the massive Basilica di San Petronio whose faceless faced makes it look like a defensive measure rather than a civic temple. The Piazza is the social hub of the city both for locals and tourists. Beneath the crenallated mass of walls lays the 1566 Neptune Fountain (Fortana del Nettuno) – the symbol of the city (for whatever reason)

The Palazzo Comunale which looks like a castle in the Piazza and takes up 15,000 sq m of space is the city’s town hall started in 1287. Talk about overdoing it to impress the neighbours. There is a large 1773 clock tower and various sculptures on the facades. Opposite is the Palazzo Podesta, originally the 13th Century law court which became the governor’s residence.

The Basilica di San Petronio also in the immense square, was originally a civic project as a monument of opposition to the Papacy in Rome and was intended to dwarf St Peters. A large area of the centre was flattened, but the finance involved bled the city dry and the Papacy bribed the city into halting construction by financing the founding the university (the oldest in Europe). What you see today is only one-fifth of the original draft and it is still immense. At 132m long, it is still one of the largest churches in the World. Started in 1390, it was designed in late Gothic Style and centuries of construction was involved. It looks rather plain and unspectacular from the outside because the elaborate façade was never built.

Inside, there is an immense space between the floor and the curved arches which loom overhead. There are 22 side chapels, but generally it is just one big space. During my visit, a large part was roped off while a worker drilled parts of the floor mosaics as part of an upgrade. The noise of the drill bounced off the walls and deafened you. For scale, it is a superb building to visit. There is also a huge astronomical clock inside.

It was a long walk from the University (well in the sweltering temps) to the start of the unique Portico and Santuario di San Luca, but this was the highlight of my trip. Stretching for 3.6km and encompassing 666 arches and 15 chapels en route, is the longest continuous arcade in the world. “An extraordinary feat of both architectural engineering and devotion, the building of the portico was simply intended to allow the people of Bologna to reach the object of their worship, the icon of San Luca held in the Santuario di San Luca at the hill’s summit, without getting wet or sunburnt” (Footprint). But they were probably showing off as well. It was started in 1674 and finished in 1739. I had never seen anything like this. Thank god, there was a tap at the top with running water. Just an unique experience. Don’t do it for the view of green fields, do it because it is there.

I had recently read John Grisham’s awful latest novel (‘The Broker’?) which was set in Bologna. While the story was worthless, I could appreciate why he had set it in Bologna. It is a fabulous old city. I didn’t do it justice and only explored the more famous sights. It seemed a nice place to just base yourself for a fortnight and just linger, exploring the nooks and crannies and soaking up the local life and atmosphere and experience Italian culture. I hadn’t been in Italy for nearly a decade. Bologna convinced me that I should make the comprehensive road trip of the country sooner rather than later.