In Bologna

Last Saturday I gave a class at Cucilandia Bologna. I want to thank Adele and Simonetta for their hospitality, their attention to detail and  the wonderful  Italian food but most of all for enthusiastic students who achieved above and beyond- as a result the room was abuzz with excitement and bonhomie! See what they achieved ( and apologies for not naming the students but they know who they are!)

I am teaching this same class on friday with Cuci Service  in Oderzo. Oderzo is quite close to Venice and in the past I would probably have stayed in Venice, but  due to the time of year it is possibly consumed by hordes of tourists and it is expensive  and I have been there a few times before. On Saturday May 17th I will be teaching  in Torino at Hobby Cucito working with lutradur , transfer paint and stitch!

 So I decided to stay a few days close to Bologna and get to know Bologna itself a little better. It is a city I have bypassed in the past as most people seem to, as it is between  Venice and Florence. I was glad I made the effort. It is always fun getting to know a new place and Simonetta had shown me some of the spectacular views of Bologna from surrounding hill tops with it's tall towers of the old city dotting the skyline on Saturday morning.

And today i went for a  wander around the city, decided that the queue for the Girl with the Pearl Earring was too long ( I will have to go early tomorrow) and generally  got a feel for the city and it's many narrow streets through which motor bikes  scooters and bikes lurch amongst the pedestrians. There was the usual "designer" stores ( that inhabit every city- see a prior rant about this) but also a pleasing number Bolognese businesses( especially food ones). Bologna is off course famous for it's ragu ( Bolognaise sauce to many) for pasta, tagliatelle and of course tortellini. Both  these pastas  are claimed as dating to the early renaissance period but surprisingly weren't registered until the seventies.So what is a girl to do in a city famous for it's pasta and sparkling wines whilst an accordion player busks???

And then there is the market street with  all kinds of pasta, parmagiano,  cured meats and fresh vegetables. Imagine what Italian cooking would be like without tomatoes as they didn't arrive until the New World was discovered- and oh my goodness what a selection of tomatoes...

And the tortellini aren't just any old tortellini- they are giant ones made from egg and flour and filled with all sorts of fillings which require you to walk at least an extra hour.

All sorts of wonderful buildings with inner courtyards and two towers one of which leans about 3.5 metres. They do not have doors as in the past they were entered by wooden walk ways from the houses nearby that were above ground.

 Bologna is renowned for it's covered walkways which number some hundreds of kilometres including the walkway up to the sanctuary of Madonna  of San Luca.All the walkways are arched and it means you can walk ( and shop) rain or shine .

But last but not least- I have an emerging pet peeve. I know signage is universal for ease of interpretation by all who encounter them, but do they need to be quite so ugly? For example below is a sign forbidding the parking of bikes against a wall and a sign next to a wonderful lantern and frescoed ceiling which just defies description.....green and ugly is all I can say and spoils the lovely image!

I will be back in Australia at the end of May- I have been looking for a house sit as i do not want to rent again and the sale of my land has been affected by new legislation which means there will be no movement in the sale of it until at least next year. It puts me in an awkward spot so i thought a house sit would maybe work as I  will be back in Europe from September 2014. However I have not found anything suitable as yet- does anyone need a house sitter in Victoria? I am good with animals and am able to maintain  a lawn etc, even your vegie patch.