We headed out relatively early to catch the train to Bologna. It was only about a 45 minute train ride so we arrived before lunch. First stop was for coffee and pastries. Bob’s niece had lived in Bologna and provided several recommendations. The Impero Bar and Pasticceria was quite popular but those with drinks were able to find seats. I just had a lovely slice of sacer chocolate cake so I stood outside.

Bologna is a much bigger city than I expected. It has more of a city feel like Rome. There isn’t really a historic center or area. The sites are just intermixed with commercial space like a US downtown city.

I wanted to get some cheese to take home (vacuum sealed) so we headed out to a cheese shop. First one was small with huge wheels of parmesan but more local and no sealed cheese. Second one was more promising but all the cheese was in huge chunks. Not that I wouldn’t have loved that much cheese my suitcase space is limited. so the hunt continued.

We had a second recommendation for a meat platter at one of the oldest butchers in Bologna so we sat down for lunch. I wish I had taken a photo of the meat platter that came out. It was a lazy Susan covered in prosciutto, mortadella, salami and some kind of pork sausage we had never seen before. There was a little cheese but the main focus was meat. I also enjoyed a Lambrusco spritz which was pretty good. More like sangria but nice.

After lunch we headed to the library to see the Roman ruins in the basement. The library and the main church share the same piazza and both closed for lunch. We had a bit of time to kill before either reopened so we just hung out in the square enjoying the sun. I tried to get information or maybe a map at the tourist office but they were not helpful at all. I asked if there was a charge for the library and he was like why do you want to go there it is a modern building. Except for the Roman ruins in the basement but I guess those don’t count.

The square had a very large and unusual fountain of Neptune. Neptune was fine but the sprays of water came from all the mermaids on the next tier. It was wild to see water squirting from their boobs.

We waited for it to open with several other people but we were the only ones going to see the ruins. Turns out they were free. Just had to climb the stairs. Basically saw portions of the road, an aqueduct and several wells. Makes you wonder what was under all the other buildings in the area.

We still had a bit of time before the church reopened so we wandered the streets around the square which were full of butchers, cheese shops and small restaurants. I found a gelato and window shopped for a while. Still not picked out any cheese. The options were a bit overwhelming.

The church was really nice. Sadly the facade was never finished but that does show you how it originally looked back in the day. It was much bigger inside than I expected. The chapels were pretty ornate and there was of course a few reliquaries. It needed a bit more out in the center of the church to make it feel less cavernous but overall I really nice church.

After the church I let Margaret talk me into doing the little train around the historic sites. We had missed the hop on and off bus so the train was our option. It was slightly bigger than a kiddie train but not much. Only Margaret, Clark and I suffered through it. Everyone else went and had a drink. We however had 45 minutes of torture. We got on a row with the wheel beds and didn’t have room for our feet unless we basically hugged our knees. Surprisingly the little train went right out with traffic. Nothing like looking up to a bus when you are in a toy. We survived and we did learn a bit about Bologna so all in all not horrid but I wouldn’t do it again.

We met back up with everyone else to find a place to eat. There were several to choose from but for a table for 7 our options were a little slim. We did find a good place and I tried the bologna style lasagna. I was going to do the tortellini but didn’t really want it in the meat broth and then couldn’t decide. Margaret and Clark had the forty in the meat sauce and ate it all so it must have been good. It looked more like a soup than a pasta dish. The lasagna was good with the spinach pasta and béchamel sauce and I thoroughly enjoyed it. After dinner I finally decided on some cheese. It wasn’t the just gunk that I wanted because those were all too big but it worked. The price is so much cheaper than what we can do at home for even Kraft Parmesan.

We got back to the train station a little early but were able to find our track without any problems so all went well. The train ride home went smoothly and soon we were back at the apartment. We had a few drinks and then headed to bed. A great day of eating meat through Bologna.