Travel Guides | Bologna Travel Guide
Bologna Travel Guide
The learned and the red
Although all roads might lead to Rome, they almost certainly pass through Bologna on the way. On a plain between the Apennine Mountains and the Adriatic Coast, Bologna has always been a strategic city. But it was also the city's propensity for free thinking that invaders wanted to control. Bologna has always been the Italian residence of pioneering thought, earning it the soubriquet, Bologna la dotta (the learned). Around the same time as Bolognese physicist Guglielmo Marconi, was discovering radio, Bologna became the birthplace and home of the Italian political Left. Already dubbed la rossa (the red) for its famed red buildings, Bologna's second nickname gained a more figurative meaning.
Raw ham and Ferraris
Today Bologna is the capital of Emilia-Romagna, a region of fertile plains, beautiful mountain scenery and a stretch of coastline that has long been a mecca for clubbers and sun-worshippers. It is also known for the cultural and material affluence of its other historic cities such as Modena, Parma, Ferrara and Ravenna and the many favourite Italian things they have become synonymous with: from the famous Parmesan cheese and Parma ham to the favourite industries of fast cars and fashion, Ferrari and Furla among those reinforcing the stereotypes of Italian boys and girls.
The fat of the land
The roar of engines, however, takes place mostly away from the ivory towers of the city – Bologna is a place for strolling and talking, if only to walk off one of the city's famous meals. The city is without doubt the stomach, if not the taste buds, of the country. The Bolognese have always taken the cultivation, preparation and consumption of their food very seriously, providing a very palatable edge to their socialism and earning the city its final affectionate appellation, Bologna la grassa (the fat).
|
