Italy: Bologna and Lucca

 April 6th

We arrived in Bologna on April 3rd by air from Paris. In Paris hardly anyone wore masks. There was no one requesting our vaccination certificates.  But in Bologna we are required to wear a mask indoors and today, at a restaurant, they asked for a green pass which is the equivalent of a Vax certificate.  However,  we have been told that many requirements will be lifted by the end of the month. We chose Bologna as our hub because the hotel is close to the train station. We hoped to hop on and see several villages. We have found that train travel is nice but not always prompt. Not being familar with towns, train schedles etc can be exhausting too! 

           First dinner in Bologna.  I Loved this olive oil. If you find it buy it!!

    Spaghetti bolognese  good but not as expected. Odd red sauce color. Taste fair. 

        Linda had Spaghetti with clam sauce yum!

Bologna is a small city of ancient buildings housing modern wares in most cases. There are narrow winding streets of cheese and salami shops, bakeries, fruit stands and pasta shops, many pasta shops.

    New styles of shoes coming... are you ready?

                       Spring in our hotel

Spaghetti bolgonaise is famous here. I am sure each restaurant has their own unique recipe.  Pizza shops are everywhere and delicious.  We have braved the train station and figured out how to navigate through and read the boards. 

Yesterday, we took a 9:05 high speed train to Florence but it arrived almost 8 min late. Because that train was late we missed our direct connection to Lucca and had to wait an hour in a cold train station for the next train which was a local one to Lucca. This was a slow train. It stopped at every station along the way. It was fun to watch the changing countryside go from small cities to rural rolling hills with small walled cities perched high upon the hillsides. 

             Best food yet!! Lucca!

                    These best lasagna yet!!

Lucca is an ancient, medieval walled city founded by the Etruscans and later the Romans dating from 180 bc.. There are many towers and squares beyond the walls.  Apparently Lucca was an important meeting place for Caesar and Crassus. 

The streets are winding and confusing.  Buildings are tall and connected. It is easy to get lost. We started our journey at a tiny restaurant where we ate a delicious salad and lasagna.  Bread dipped in fruity, nutty olive oil is difficult to resist,  so we don't. We are discovering the subtle differences that each olive oil possesses. 

Unfortunately,  we arrived in Lucca at siesta time and most of the stores were closed. It would have been nice to browse through many of them. For some reason my feet allowed me to log more than 10k steps before complaining.  Perhaps it was the Advil I took in advance. 

            First delicious cup of Gelato!! Yum!!

However, our walk through Bologna this morning was not so successful.  But, I am learning to adapt. In the Afternoon, we put on our tennis shoes again and wandered through Bologna a bit more. We found a cute restaurant suggested by our hotel. I tried lasagna again hoping to repeat my experience from Lucca...not so successful.  Different cooks different recipes! After lunch, we passed the oldest University in continuous use in the world. Founded by a group of students in 1088. Today, many kids were milling about having espresso, pizza, and exchanging ideas.  I logged almost 10k by the end of the day. 

These days I envy many who navigate cities by scooters and bikes. They look so efficient and easy on the feet but I am aware that one false move or imbalance could derail the rest of the trip. So I'll stick to Advil and pushing through the pain to take in the sights I need to see!

                Lunch one day in Bologna 

Today, April 7th, we head to Rome by high speed train. We look forward to being in a familiar city and discovering it all over again. My last visit was seven years ago with Page and her family. We devoured the city by foot. I wonder if I'll be able to explore the way we did back then. The weather is improving with sunny days and warmer temperatures being promised.  Come on Feet don't fail me now!!