January 20: Bologna and Eataly FICO

Well, even after a very eventful and food filled Saturday, today was no different! We were up at 7 AM to get on a bus to Bologna and Eataly World. When we arrived in Bologna, we had a walking tour of the city. I really enjoy walking tours, especially in small cities, because while exploring alone is fun, you learn so many cool and interesting facts about the cities when someone else is telling you. Some cool things about Bologna are that the Basillica was designed and projected to be the most beautiful basillica in Italy. However, Bologna ran out of funds halfway through building it, and the Pope did not want this basillica to be more beautiful than the Vatican, so he refused to help fund it. Therefore, the basillica is only halfway complete.

Other really interesting facts about Bologna is one of the sayings that they have painted along many of the ceilings of walkways: Wine is Good, Food is Vital, Cannabis Protects. The town was small and full of rich history such as the seven churches which are sometimes called the New Jerusalem or the many towers that Bologna has (20 as of now to be exact). The center of the town has a large fountain called “Neptune’s Fountain” which was often criticized for being to scandalous to be in the center of the town. Of course, Bologna also has many cutes shops and restaurants.

After Bologna, we boarded the bus to go to FICO Eataly World. Eataly is a market-type place with many locations across the world, including Boston, New York, and Florence. However, this one is the biggest with restaurants and opportunities to watch various pastries being made or olive oil being pressed. Obviously, we ate our way through Eataly world and did not even come close to trying half of the things they had to offer. While we settled for bruschetta, pizza, gnocchi, french fries, and gelato, Eataly had so many places for cheese and meats, cannolis, pastries, skewers, pastas, and rice balls. The hallways seemed never ending with restaurants, stands, and shops with every type of Italian cuisine you could imagine. This upcoming week I will most certainly need a carb-break!

Wanderfully yours,

Sophia