Two Days in Bologna

June 16, 2024 to June 17, 2024

June 16 - A Day in Ferrara

Today we took a road trip - Betty, Christiane and I traveled by car to the nearby town of Ferrara to take in the sights of the city as well as a special MC Escher exhibit at the Palazzo dei Diamanti. I had selected this option from a list of proposed possibilities, motivated not only by the Escher exhibit but also by my desire to return to Ferrara, a city which has been properly extolled on the pages of CycleBlaze. I’d been through the Ferrara in 2021, at the end of a long 79 mile day on the way to Bologna. Too tired to do more than eat and sleep, I added the city to the list of places that merited a return visit.

Ferrara is located about 35 miles from Bologna, less than an hour’s drive on the Autostrada. We arrived around noon as the day was beginning to heat up and spent the first hour wandering through the city’s streets and palazzos, admiring the Este Castle and indulging in a little window showing – Christiane is always drawn to book stores while Betty favors clothes shops. I just lagged behind taking pictures.

Christiane and Betty lead the way to the historic center of Ferrara

Another look at the Cloisters of the Museo di Casa Romei

The south side of the Ferrara Cathedral, the Loggia dei Mercanti showing the varied columns of the balconies

This wasn't what I expected when I asked Christiane and Betty to pose for a picture with one of the lions in front of the Cathedral

Another view of the massive and moated 14th century Este Castle

We left the central historic district and made our way past the Palazzo dei Diamanti and Palazzo Prosperi-Sacrati before reaching the La Provvidenza restaurant, one of Betty’s favorites in Ferrara. I opted for a primi of pumpkin ravioli and what I thought was cold smoked salmon and melon for my secondi. I must have misread my google translate for there was no fish on my plate, only thin slices of sausage – pork, Christiane informed me. Not exactly the same as smoked salmon, but the melon was sweet, ripe, and very refreshing.

A rear entrance to Palazzo dei Diamanti, now an art museum hosting the MC Escher exhibition

One of the capital carvings at Palazzo dei Diamanti - I especially liked the "bird's nest"

Marble figures atop Palazzo Prosperi-Sacrati

I was feeling a bit logy after the full meal and ready for a nap; however, the Escher exhibition was on the afternoon agenda. Though I was lukewarm and ready to head back to Bologna, I found the experience to be a delight. In addition to the expository information found in most museums, the curators made a real effort to engage the public not just in Escher’s work but also in his point of view. There were several small rooms where one could experience ideas such as perspective, relativity, direction/miss-direction. In the end, I learned a lot and had loads of fun.

This was one of many small rooms where alternating geometric forms moved rapidly across the walls, changing and challenging your perspective. The basis for the changing shapes is the large image shown behind me, on the back wall. A close up is shown in the next photo.

An interactive station where you could put yourself into Escher's "Bond of Union", where "heads seem to be made from a single strip of paper"

"Sun and Moon", 1948 - for all the bird lovers

We took our time leaving Ferrara and by the time we made it back to Bologna I’d given up all plans for assembling Vivien George. It was a light supper of fruit and salad and lights out early.

June 17 – A lazy, hazy nearly summer day

The first order of business today was putting Vivien George back together again. The assembly went smoothly and everything seemed to be in working order – no last minute trips to the bike shop necessary. I had a nice lunch with Christiane and Gianni and spent the afternoon organizing my gear for this tour, planning for upcoming tours, and running a few errands. There was also a little dozing.

Betty joined us for dinner – pumpkin lasagna and more gelato!

You can't escape the colorful arcades of Bologna, even when you make a quick trip to the pharmacy

A trio of flavors from Oscar's Gelateria - where you can buy gelato by the kilo

Christiane and I enjoyed a coffee after dinner while Gianni and Betty capped their meal with walnuts - broken open with a pipe wrench

Rate this entry's writing	Heart	11
Comment on this entry	Comment	1

Rachael AndersonWhat a great visit to Bologna! The pumpkin lasagna sounds delicious! I love dishes with pumpkin or butternut squash and of course, gelato.
Reply to this comment
5 months ago