Day Tripper to La-la-la Land
In 1980, John Lennon was interviewed in Playboy about his song Day Tripper. Rumors were that the song was about tripping on acid. John corrected the reporter with “Day trippers are people who go on a day trip, right. Usually on a ferry boat or something. But it was kind of you know, you’re a weekend hippie. Get it?
Woke up, got out of bed, tried to chase the town so red. Today we are going to Bologna.
We approached this joyous day with the intention of awakening our five senses.
It began with a morning hike from the apartment over the train station. We know the way. No map was required. It was just an hour away.
Lonely Planet aptly describes Bologna as a “city of beautifully colonnaded grid, divided into two intriguing halves- one side is Bolshie with university students and the other has super-rich Po Valley opera-goers eating at the finest restaurants.”
This is a bit of La-La-La land, not in reference to Los Angeles, but in reference to its split personality.
La Grassa (the fat one) celebrates Bologna’s rich food legacy. After all, this is where ragu or bolognese sauce was first concocted.
La Dotta (the learned) tips the hat to the city university founded in 1088.
La Rossa (the red one) alludes to the picturesque terracotta medieval buildings with their signature porticoes.
Now about that sensory tour. With cell phone cameras permanently attached, we shoot an abundance of Roman ruins and 20’ high entrance doors, There’s a good reason that UNESCO named Bologna the best preserved medieval centre in the world.
The city traffic is light because we arrived early. Winding our way through narrow streets, our first stop is an ancient deli to taste cured meat and cheeses. The fragrance is overwhelming. Parmigiano cheese rounds are stacked from floor to the ceiling. We film an artisan “butcher” at work cutting the thinnest slices of prosciutto.
We sat and just watched, while enjoying a local arabica cappuccino. The artisan’s magic must start with the sharpest of knives. He is cutting to paper thin level so tourist can eat those prosciutto wrapped cantaloupes.
Next, we stopped at a pasta shop and watch more artisans at work.
There is nothing like a fresh, hand made dish of tagliatelle al ragu or tortellini. Make sure and read more in Carla’s Secrets. Carla finds the most obscure places like this old bakery that made delightful “torta di riso” (rice cake).
Circling through the Piazza Maggiore, music from local guitarists filled our ears. The la rossa hue of the buildings changes colors as the sun drifts over. If you are here all day, make sure and take pictures of Basiica di San Petronio in the morning and evening. You will actually see unique details of this Gothic architecture depending on the amount of sunlight. Same goes for the 16th century Fontanc del Nettuno. Neptune’s greatest glory shone brightest in mid afternoon.
And you can’t miss the walk around and into Due Torri, the twin towers of Asinelli and Garisendi.