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Abroad, Bologna, Italy

The happiness to be an Italian #Bologna

posted by Dario
Aug 1, 2017 1026 0 0
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The happiness to be an Italian #Bologna

  •  The old red “youth”
  • Two Towers
  • Piazza Maggiore and fountain of Neptune

 The old red “youth”

 

Bologna is a city with an extraordinary rich history that you can feel while strolling around in the pleasant atmosphere of the small streets surrounded by typical red bricks. Also the spirit of the city is very colorful and lively. It is no coincidence that Bologna is one of Italy’s hottest spots as it has the largest young population in the country and also for the simple reason that it is one of the largest university cities in the country.

I had the pleasure of visiting Bologna several times (a one-way train ticket from Florence varies between 8-12 euros). The first thing that grabs the eye is the color of most buildings. Almost all the buildings are in stunning red, which creates the specific appearance of the city: elegant, academic and sophisticated.

Two Towers

For one day, I managed to visit the sights I was aiming for, presumably I started with the most impressive ones – the Two Towers Garizenda and Azinelli or just the Two Towers. These are towers that were built in the 11th century with a defensive purpose. Their height is 97 meters, one is lower than the other with 49 meters.

In order to climb to the top of the tower you need to pass through 498 steps. Also, ironically, not only the Pisa Tower is inclined, the tower in Bologna is as well but the deviation from the base are only the modest 2.23m.

Nowadays the towers become one of the most attractive sights, as well a symbol of Bologna. They provide an unforgettable panorama of the city that fully justifies the efforts to climb the tower.

Useful information:
For visitors is only open the Azileli Tower (the higher one).
Summer time:
From 9:00 to 18:00 (last entry at 17:40), no day off
Winter working time:
From 09:00 to 17:00 (last entry at 16:40), no day off
Long working hours are possible in March and April;
Ticket for adults and children: 3,00 Euro;
Free of charge for disabled guests (no lift);
If you are fond of panoramas, this is the best offer that the city provides;
I recommend you to visit it in order to see and enjoy the true magic of the red color in this city;

Piazza Maggiore and fountain of Neptune

After that, I moved to the city’s largest square, the Piazza Maggiore, which has the role of a social center as well as a venue for many different events. Around the pizza itself are other major attractions. My favourite is the fountain of Neptune. Magnificent and stylish, the fountain was built in 1567 by Tomazo Loretti. It is located in Neptuno Square. It is a 3.2 m bronze statue. It is decorated with different elements representing angels, dolphins, sirens and fishes. There are four other statues on God’s feet, which depict four rivers: the Ganges, the Amazon, the Nile and the Danube.

At the back of the fountain is the sixth largest cathedral in Europe (the fourth largest in Italy) the Basilica of San Petronio. The length of the building is 132 m and the width is 60 m, the capacity is up to 28 000 people. The construction began in 1390 and ended in 1663.

A curious fact is that here was crowned Emperor Carl V of the Holy Roman Empire in 1530. Also Napoleon Bonaparte’s sister – Elisa Bonaparte was burried here.

On the side of the basilica you will also see the Arcusio Palace which houses the Bologna City Hall. The palace includes a complex of buildings that have been united over the centuries. It was originally the headquarters of lawyer Acourius. In the 15th century, the castle underwent restoration, with a clock tower added to it. The facade of the palace building is very beautiful and you can also see the statue of Pope Gregory VIII, who introduced the Gregorian calendar.

Curious facts:
Bologna is home to the oldest university in Europe (globally controversial), opened in 1088;
In the XII and XIII centuries, 180 towers were built in the city of which about 20 have been preserved to date. The most famous of them are Garieda and Azinelli;
Bologna is home of the Ducati motorcycle brand;
Bologna is called the “city of the arches” because of the countless arches involved in the construction of the buildings, which have also become a part of the city’s appearance;
Bologna is also called small Venice, because it is built on canals but it’s not so clearly visible. Only in certain places you can see an open channel inbetween buildings. 

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The happiness to be an Italian #Genoa

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Travel Blogger

Dario Dionisi



If you want to know something more about me – my soul is a traveler, my origin is Italian and my true essence is a faithful friend. I am always open to new ideas and will be very happy if you want to contact me at dario@beyondsofia.com

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legenddario

Dario • Exploring beyond Sofia
Grateful to had the opportunity to go to so many p Grateful to had the opportunity to go to so many places this year, sharing some of my favourite snaps of #2022 , can’t wait to see what adventures are awaiting me during 2023 🤩

#yearoftravel #europe
Oh my god, is it already the end of the year! This Oh my god, is it already the end of the year! This year was full with surprises from our beautiful planet. In this video I gathered some of my most favourite nature spots and moments that I had the luck to record. And seriously there is no better caption to describe them than OH MY GOD 🤩

#ourplanet #ohmygod #momentsthatmatter
Life edition #2022 Life edition #2022
Welcome to the Vaticans wonders ✨ #Vatican #mus Welcome to the Vaticans wonders ✨

#Vatican #museum #wonders
The eternal city slaying since 751 BC #Rome #Ital The eternal city slaying since 751 BC

#Rome #Italy #eternalcity
“Good afternoon passengers. This is your captain “Good afternoon passengers. This is your captain speaking. I’d like to welcome everyone on Rightwing Flight 86A. We are currently cruising at an altitude of 10.000 km above sea level at an airspeed of 645 km per hour. The time is 3:25 pm. The weather looks good and with the tailwind on our side we are expecting to land in Rome approximately fifteen minutes ahead of schedule. I’ll talk to you again before we reach our destination. Until then, sit back, relax and enjoy the rest of the flight.„

#Rome #Italy #fly
Golden Athens since 508 BC #Greece #Athens #Sunse Golden Athens since 508 BC

#Greece
#Athens
#Sunset
Living the Ancient Greek way | Series two Let’s Living the Ancient Greek way | Series two

Let’s be honest, living during the ancient times of Greece was probably cool.

They had so many different and creative crafts that most of them we can witness until nowadays.

A good example for this is the new museum of the Acropolis. A modern building representing the exactly same proportions of the Parthenonas.

In the museum you can see fundamental artefacts picturing the believes and life from ancient times.

But probably the best part for me was the chance to see by myself all the perfect details crafted on different surfaces.

#Greece
#Athens
#History
Living the Ancient Greek way | Series one The hil Living the Ancient Greek way | Series one

The hill of Acropolis
- Parthenon since 432 BC
- Erechtheion since 406 BC
- Theatre of Dionysus since 520 BC

#Greek
#Ancient
#History
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