Bologna, Italy May 7-June 17, 2025

Bologna was simply amazing. It is a vibrant university city, full of historical monuments, museums, porticos, cafes and more. We stayed on the west side of the city, yet still within the center walls. We were able to walk just about everywhere, which was fortunate as Uber was only available as Uber Black and quite expensive. Taxis were challenging to get ahold of, yet were slightly less than Uber.

The Fountain of Neptune in Piazza Maggiore was completed in 1566. According to legend, the artist, Giambologna, made Neptune’s penis too big for the Cardinal. So in response, he made it smaller, but when you view at an angle, his thumb looks like an erect penis.

The facade of San Petronio in Piazza Maggiore.

The 2 towers were closed due to leaning. They were constructed 1109-1119.

There is a September 11th park in Bologna

At the Osteria del Sole (a bar since 1465) with our food tour.

San Luca and the procession of the Icon of the Madonna and Child.

We were surprised to find out that we were in Bologna during a special celebration. The Icon of the Madonna and child was first brought to Bologna around 1160 AD and given to 2 nuns. It later found a home in the Sanctuary of San Luca. In 1433, after severe rains, it was suggested to bring the Madonna down into the city seeking divine intervention. When it entered the city, the rains stopped, considered a miracle, they have continued the procession every year since. It came down on May 24th and went back to San Luca on May 31st of this year. It is held yearly during ascension week The procession starts from the Sanctuary on a hill and continues down to the Cathedral of San Pietro, where it is on display for the week. The procession goes through the longest porticos in the world at 2.4 miles and containing 666 archways (built in 1674-1793 to protect the icon). The present San Luca was constructed in 1723.

The Icon in the church of San Pietro

The procession returning to San Luca

The Sanctuary of the Madonna of San Luca

The Icon returned to its home.

The view of the porticos from the top.

We rode the San Luca Express up and back.

Music Museum

One of the first museums we visited was a music museum comprised of harpsichords and clavichords.

Medieval Museum

This was a fascinating museum and we spent a few hours here. The art and science from this era were amazing.

Archeology Museum

They had a complete Egyptian floor in this museum along with Roman artifacts on other floors.

Bust of Nero was discovered in 1513.

The 7 Churches

The basilica of Santo Stefano encompasses a complex of religious edifices. It is locally known as Sette Chiese (“Seven Churches”). The different complexes were built from the 4th to the 8th century A.D.

Day trip to Florence

We took a high speed train from Bologna to Florence for a day trip. Florence was very busy, with loads of tourists. We did not see David, nor any of the museums. We just enjoyed a leisurely day, strolling the piazza and the Ponte Vecchio and making a list of things to do when we return someday.

The immense Duomo was constructed from 1296-1436.

These bronze doors are a replica, the originals are in a museum. Known as the Gates of Paradise” by Lorenzo Ghiberti, we actually saw the originals at The Seattle Art Museum in 2008.

Ponte Vecchio

Ya gotta love lasagna!

Certosa Cemetery

As our cab driver said, this is more of a museum than a cemetery. Known as one of the older cemeteries in Europe, it opened in 1801, yet during the 1870’s, archeological excavation found Etruscan tombs here from 6th century B.C.

I recognized the name Marconi, as the discoverer of radio waves. Turns out, this was his father.

Meeting up with fellow Senior Nomads

Generally when we travel we put out word on our Facebook group “Senior Nomads” to meet up. We were fortunate to meet 3 different couples during our month in Bologna. It is fascinating to connect with these people who are all so different and all with different travel styles and strategies.