Our final day in Bologna would be a short one. Checkout was at 10:00am. We only had a single small piece of rolling luggage and a shopping bag with some goodies, so it was easy enough to make our way back to the fountain of Neptune and into a comfortable seat at an outdoor café with a view of everything. The sun felt delightful as we sat sipping our drinks. In time we noticed that the local police had started to slowly park in the piazza and put up red and white stripped “Do Not Cross” tape on both sides of the fountain. Pedestrians and bikers had to find another path if they wanted to cross. The perimeter slowly expanded until I was asked if I could vacate my table and move to the opened table directly in front. Cinzia watch over my shoulder as the authorities seemed focused on a bag that was apparently abandoned by the fountain. In time, a bomb squad covered the bag with a heavy red barrier, apparently some explosion containment material, and without warning a very loud “BOOM” turned everyone’s head. They exploded the unknown bag! An investigation immediately followed with various departments having a closer look at the remains of the bag. Satisfied, the barriers were removed, traffic resumed to normal, and the police left with whatever evidence they could gather from the scene.
All this time, I noticed that there was a much bigger bag, along with a guitar case, abandoned at the edge of the main piazza. No one seemed to give it much thought. People walked past it, sat down on the curb next to it, and navigated around it. This went on for about 30 minutes. Even after the explosion no one seemed to increase their vigilance or bother to notify the authorities (including me). Finally, the street performer appeared and claimed the items. Anyway, the sun felt great on my skin and my Coke Light was icy cold in my glass (yes, Firenze and Bologna both have access to Coke Light).
After a leisurely hour of people-watching, we made our way to Nicola’s Pizzeria and were the first to grab one of their outdoor tables. I knew I’d be ordering the capricciosa sensa funghi with a bottle of spicy oil. The pizza was as big as we remembered and hung off the plate an inch or two all the way around. The crust was light, poofy, and crisp with a dusting of semolina. I also knew that I’d be enjoying the rep pepper oil now, and again later. Nicola’s did not disappoint. I finished every bit.
Too full for gelato, we made our way to the train station and hopped on the 2:37pm which got us into Padova at 3:40pm. We really enjoyed out trip to Bologna. Some things had changed, but others stayed the same. What will it be like in 3 years?
Too full for gelato, we made our way to the train station and hopped on the 2:37pm which got us into Padova at 3:40pm. We really enjoyed out trip to Bologna. Some things had changed, but others stayed the same. What will it be like in 3 years?