To Bologna

June 15, 2024

Today I set off for Bologna and the start of a month-long tour in Northern Italy. It’s what I like to think of it as a “filling in the gaps” tour, targeting some routes I’d planned from previous tours but never actually completed. The first omission was the stretch of VIA/Adige Cycle Path between Verona and Bolzano. It was planned for my 2021 Reaching New Heights tour when I crossed the Alps twice to celebrate my 70th birthday. Time ran short and I had a plane to catch in Munich so I eliminated a few days by taking the train from Verona to Bolzano before heading over Reschenpass. The second omission was the Alpe Adria between Villach and Gremona, a stretch many CBers have described as cycling heaven (see TA account and links therein). It was planned for my 2022 tour in Slovenia, but a broken derailleur hanger delayed the start of the trip and necessitated a route change.

This year I’ve devised a tour to string together the large gaps as well as take me to new and hopefully interesting places. It’s a loop tour, beginning and ending in Bologna, though the cycling actually starts in Verona. The gaps will be filled during the first two weeks, which are pretty well planned out as far as route and bookings. Where I’ll go after that is less certain, other than I need to return to Bologna by July 17 to catch my plane back to Paris.

Planned route for first two weeks to "fill in the gaps"

The flight to Bologna was smooth but not without some interesting moments. On the lighter side, we encountered some turbulence approaching Bologna and the crew advised the passengers to “Stop shaking the plane”. The most unusual occurrence was the extra security we faced after we deplaned in Bologna. Apparently due to the G7 summit wrapping up in a not-nearby resort in Puglia, all passengers had to pass through a passport control point before entering the terminal. Just a minor bump on a not too stressful travel day. Both the bike and my luggage arrived quickly at baggage claim and I got a nice taxi driver who cheerfully fit Vivien George into his not-so-spacious cab. It was a short ride into town where Christiane opened her gate and welcomed me with a big smile and open arms.

I first met Christiane and Gianni in 2017 when I rented their AirBnb in Paris. It is the same apartment I return to year after year – it has become my second home and they, along with their friend Betty, have become very special friends. It was wonderful to see Gianni –he’s become a bit less mobile over the years and doesn’t visit Paris as often as Christiane and Betty so it’d been almost three years since I’d seen him, when I last passed through Bologna.

Almost immediately after arriving, Christiane and I headed to central Bologna with two goals: climbing the tower of Basilica of San Petronio; and buying cheese. Access to the Basilicia tower was closed, though we were able to pass through the security check and go inside the church to look around. Christiane explained that the security was due to the presence of a fresco depicting Mohammed in hell, an image that, the thinking goes, might arouse retaliation by jihadists - similar to the Charlie Hebdo attack in France in 2015. According my cursory research, the offending image is not well known beyond Bologna but the Basilica itself is recognized as the largest brick Gothic church built in the world. And also for the fact that it is largely unfinished

It's not just the arcades I love, it's the rich reds and earth colors of Bologna's buildings

In Piazza Galvani, a statue honoring the Bologna scientist Luigo Galvani, best known for his discovery of biological electricity, using the frog as an animal model

The statue shows Galvani reading a book, on which a frog is spalyed across the open pages

Looking down the nave of Basilica of San Petronio

In Basilica of San Petronio, with a partial view of the offending fresco

Foiled in achieving our first goal, Christiane and I set off through the streets of Central Bologna to buy an assortment of burrata other soft Italian cheeses. That task was easily accomplished and we soon headed back to Christiane and Gianni’s where I managed a little cat-nap before dinner. Betty joined us for the evening meal where we toasted each other’s company and enjoyed a rich and tasty osso buco and an assortment of Bologna’s finest gelato for desert. A great first day, even without the cycling.

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