Bologna

Bologna is a beautiful Italian city, situated just under 2 hours from us. It is home to one of the oldest universities in Europe. We went here on a day trip to discover their fine eating (sometimes recognized as the food capital of Italy), and some of their history.

can't get over the gorgeous colors

Our first stop, lunch. Bologna is famous for its cuisine, most importantly Bolognese sauce (or as we know it, ragu...essentially a meat sauce for pasta). I tried the lasagna alla bolognese, and it was the best lasagna I've eaten yet.

We walked through the city center, where we came upon the famous two towers of Bologna. Many years ago, these used to be the status symbol for Bologna, the wealthier the family, the taller the tower. Here's a shot of what Bologna looked like in the 11th century:

Only two towers exist today, the taller one "Torre degli Asinelli". The shorter one is quite tippy (apparently, just one of many leaning towers in Italy). You may be able to catch a glimpse of just how much it leans by this picture, but it's pretty unbelievable in person:

The larger one, Torre degli Asinelli is open for climbing to the top, and we just couldn't miss that...but 550 some odd steps later, I, along with Grace, was suffering from serious vertigo. Wow. I was happy to be on the ground again.these steps went on, and on, and on...

can you tell that Grace is not feeling her best? Love that face!

We continued to walk, attended a musical museum, filled with all sorts of instruments, and even a violin-maker's shop.many covered walkways in Bologna

Grace matched the buildings today