Tough to narrow down your favorite spots...but I'm travelling to Europe for two weeks including a drive from Milan through Bologna (on New Years,) down to Florence and then out to Pisa.
All told, I know there's just way too much to see in the area to consider doing anything more than the tip of the iceberg. This is my first but hopefully not the last trip to Emiglia-Romana and Tuscany.
What are your favortie spots along this route?
I've got lots of my own ideas, many of which have been spawned by others who have been there, but the 'Nect is pretty well travelled and often with great suggestions. I loved the Edinburgh/Glasgow thread.
Architectural and Gastronomical ideas much appreciated.
In Milan, the Padiglione d'Arte Contemporanea has great shows. Last spring, an exhibit about "home" included a yurt, a map of ethnic restuaraunts/bookstores/etc in the city, and a gorgeous installation that filled the upper galleries with cushions and asked visitors to bounce on through.
About half an hour north of Bologna is a city called Ferrara, where, on New Year's, they set fireworks off from the towers of the castle in the center of town. During the day (every day, not just new years), the castle's drawbridges are down, and people use the castle couryard just like they do a normal street. how's that for urban planning?
also, intact city walls, the world's oldest wine bar, and capellacci di zucca al ragu--pumpkin pasta that i'd do pretty much anything to get my hands on right now.
If you have time, hit up San Giminano or Siena. The campo in Siena is one of the best public spaces I've ever seen.
And just a bit of advice... unless you really had your heart set on going to Pisa, don't waste your time. There's really nothing to see. And it costs like 20 euros to go to the top of the stupid tower.
Oh, the Ferrari museum in Maranello is awesome, too. The exhibits are beautifully put together and the lighting in there is amazing, as well. The Lamborghini factory in Sant Agata di Bologna (right outside of Bologna) gives free tours, but they close everyday at 4pm. It's definately worth checking out. The design of the showroom is really dope.
In Bologna I would eat and walk around and eat and walk around and eat and... Bologna used to have towers like San Gimignano but most of them are gone, two are still there, the twins, and they are the center of the center. Impossible not to find them. The view from the highest tower is awesome, quite a walk though. There's one building that blew my mind, sette chiese, seven churches. This you can find in the shadow of the towers. A small triangular square leads you to the entrance and it feels like nothing special until you enter... From there the building slowly unfolds and you find your way through seven churches from seven era's, every door opens up another surprising space like a new level in a computer game.
One more...
When you drive from Bologna to Florence you'll pass Michelucci's chiesa dell autostrada somewhere in the northern outskirts of Florence. It looks like this.
In Bologna walk through the center, it's so small and so nice, up to the Asinelli's Tower there is a very good sight. eat tortellini..the very best of..and if you like nutella ferrero chocolate go to the Nutelleria it's closest to the train station. In Emilia Romagna go too to Modena and Ferrara. Siena it's better than Pisa..
enjoy.
For the full Tuscan experience one really has to simply sit on the terrace of a rambling farmhouse and sip wine while the sun goes down. Then some grappa for breakfast... and so on, for all three days, with a copy of 'The Divine Comedy' 'till the text goes blurry and you find a sudden fondness for warbling madrigals to no-one in particular. And find an English spinster with a colourful past, for conversation.
while staying in bologna, we've got a little boutique hotel booked in the city center some 6 blocks from the two towers, so we'll certainly be going there.
it's also very convenient to the piazza maggiore.
i really like both the sette chiese in Bologna, and the chiese dell autostrada on the way to florence. i'll look for both of those. thanks rutger.
i'm probably headed to Fiesole on the way in to Florence also, and also Siena. There's so much to see/eat in Florence alone, but we're hoping to get a stroll through the Boboli Gardens, and also a visit out to San Gimignano
We don't really have our heart set on Pisa, but I've heard such wonderful things about Lucca which is right next to Pisa, and rather than backtrack to Milan, we're headed to Pisa to fly out to London. (And then home to California..whew.)
If we were there another week, I'd want to get down to Montepulciano, drink some of the local vino rosso and pass out in the vineyards!
Eat at Il Latini in Florence. It's in the bottom floor of Palazzo Ruccellai, by Leon Battista Alberti. Order the full tasting menu. It was 35 euro a couple years ago, well well worth it.
if you go to Florence, there is a great jazz club (named Jazz Club - pronounced "Jatz" in italy) a few blocks behind the Duomo (the far side, not the baptistry side). you should check it out.
Dec 21, 06 5:05 pm ·
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One night/day in Bologna, 3 in Tuscany
Tough to narrow down your favorite spots...but I'm travelling to Europe for two weeks including a drive from Milan through Bologna (on New Years,) down to Florence and then out to Pisa.
All told, I know there's just way too much to see in the area to consider doing anything more than the tip of the iceberg. This is my first but hopefully not the last trip to Emiglia-Romana and Tuscany.
What are your favortie spots along this route?
I've got lots of my own ideas, many of which have been spawned by others who have been there, but the 'Nect is pretty well travelled and often with great suggestions. I loved the Edinburgh/Glasgow thread.
Architectural and Gastronomical ideas much appreciated.
ml
In Milan, the Padiglione d'Arte Contemporanea has great shows. Last spring, an exhibit about "home" included a yurt, a map of ethnic restuaraunts/bookstores/etc in the city, and a gorgeous installation that filled the upper galleries with cushions and asked visitors to bounce on through.
About half an hour north of Bologna is a city called Ferrara, where, on New Year's, they set fireworks off from the towers of the castle in the center of town. During the day (every day, not just new years), the castle's drawbridges are down, and people use the castle couryard just like they do a normal street. how's that for urban planning?
also, intact city walls, the world's oldest wine bar, and capellacci di zucca al ragu--pumpkin pasta that i'd do pretty much anything to get my hands on right now.
enjoy!
If you have time, hit up San Giminano or Siena. The campo in Siena is one of the best public spaces I've ever seen.
And just a bit of advice... unless you really had your heart set on going to Pisa, don't waste your time. There's really nothing to see. And it costs like 20 euros to go to the top of the stupid tower.
Oh, the Ferrari museum in Maranello is awesome, too. The exhibits are beautifully put together and the lighting in there is amazing, as well. The Lamborghini factory in Sant Agata di Bologna (right outside of Bologna) gives free tours, but they close everyday at 4pm. It's definately worth checking out. The design of the showroom is really dope.
marina de pisa has these fantastic fishing net structrures perched on stilts out in the water- better then the leaning tower.
if you go to the tower- avoid the public toilets (they are like something you'd find in a developing country)
In Bologna I would eat and walk around and eat and walk around and eat and... Bologna used to have towers like San Gimignano but most of them are gone, two are still there, the twins, and they are the center of the center. Impossible not to find them. The view from the highest tower is awesome, quite a walk though. There's one building that blew my mind, sette chiese, seven churches. This you can find in the shadow of the towers. A small triangular square leads you to the entrance and it feels like nothing special until you enter... From there the building slowly unfolds and you find your way through seven churches from seven era's, every door opens up another surprising space like a new level in a computer game.
One more...
When you drive from Bologna to Florence you'll pass Michelucci's chiesa dell autostrada somewhere in the northern outskirts of Florence. It looks like this.
Have a good time.
In Bologna walk through the center, it's so small and so nice, up to the Asinelli's Tower there is a very good sight. eat tortellini..the very best of..and if you like nutella ferrero chocolate go to the Nutelleria it's closest to the train station. In Emilia Romagna go too to Modena and Ferrara. Siena it's better than Pisa..
enjoy.
For the full Tuscan experience one really has to simply sit on the terrace of a rambling farmhouse and sip wine while the sun goes down. Then some grappa for breakfast... and so on, for all three days, with a copy of 'The Divine Comedy' 'till the text goes blurry and you find a sudden fondness for warbling madrigals to no-one in particular. And find an English spinster with a colourful past, for conversation.
thanks all for the suggestions.
while staying in bologna, we've got a little boutique hotel booked in the city center some 6 blocks from the two towers, so we'll certainly be going there.
it's also very convenient to the piazza maggiore.
i really like both the sette chiese in Bologna, and the chiese dell autostrada on the way to florence. i'll look for both of those. thanks rutger.
i'm probably headed to Fiesole on the way in to Florence also, and also Siena. There's so much to see/eat in Florence alone, but we're hoping to get a stroll through the Boboli Gardens, and also a visit out to San Gimignano
We don't really have our heart set on Pisa, but I've heard such wonderful things about Lucca which is right next to Pisa, and rather than backtrack to Milan, we're headed to Pisa to fly out to London. (And then home to California..whew.)
If we were there another week, I'd want to get down to Montepulciano, drink some of the local vino rosso and pass out in the vineyards!
food to eat in bologna:
tortellini in brodo
lasagne (green ones)
cotecchino con puré
famous mith:
spagnetti bolognese, they do not exist in bologna, and in the rest of italy
Eat at Il Latini in Florence. It's in the bottom floor of Palazzo Ruccellai, by Leon Battista Alberti. Order the full tasting menu. It was 35 euro a couple years ago, well well worth it.
if you go to Florence, there is a great jazz club (named Jazz Club - pronounced "Jatz" in italy) a few blocks behind the Duomo (the far side, not the baptistry side). you should check it out.
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