Binging in Bologna – Three Generations Eat Their Way Through Emilia Romagna

One correction - apartment was E800 for 8 nights (not E700). Just found the receipt!

Sally, great start, can't wait to read more. The apartment is beautiful.

Me, too, Sally!!

Looking forward to all the details--I've been thinking about a Bologna visit again . . .

Bookmarking--have to see how you survived witht he toddler and inlaws!

Looking forward to more.

We made Bologna a base for a few days. Can't wait to return vicariously!

it must have been a subconcious desire to holiday with your in-laws that made you book that three-bedroomed apartment - lol!

definitely looking forward to more.

Thanks for the comments. The preamble continues...

“When do they change the sheets and who brings you breakfast?”

I began to get a bit nervous as I have not traveled with anyone in ages except my husband and a couple of trips with my mother. I wasn't used to traveling with other people, much less my in-laws. Okay, I got really nervous and wondered why I opened my big mouth in the first place. My friends were politely supportive. I looked on the forum for posts about group traveling and, frankly, was not comforted by the horror stories and declarations about how one would "never again" travel with family or friends. The deed was done, however, so we focused on making the trip a success. We did find some good tips on here and set out to apply them – e.g., be very clear about your plans, discuss any issues up front, build in some time away from each other, set expectations. My husband and I were very clear with the in-laws that traveling with a young child is not relaxing and that we were unlikely to be able to have long meals or sleep late or spend a lot of time in museums. Also, the idea of renting an apartment was completely foreign to my MIL. She asked me who would make her bed and how she would get breakfast!! Perhaps we overdid it as my in-laws quickly decided to stay in a hotel.

We were a little disappointed by this as part of the fun would be spending time together since we don't see them that much. We wondered how much we would see them if we did not stay together since we figured we would be on slightly different schedules (given DD's sleep habits). In hindsight the hotel was a good decision. A great decision. We saw each other plenty and it gave us each our own space. It also let my in-laws enjoy the indulgences of a hotel which they enjoy. I think we all relaxed a little once it was settled that we would not be staying together!

Having two cell phones (one for me and DH and one for in-laws) was absolutely indispensable since we were not staying together. We used the phones for many quick calls to plan to meet up, say we were late, etc. No one ever felt like they were waiting for the other or didn't know what was going on. We just used our US T-Mobile phones that work in Europe. Buying an Italian SIM card would probably have been cheaper but we wanted something as easy as possible to use since my in-laws are not very high tech (they have heard of the internet but not seen it) and we didn't want to waste time dealing with getting the SIM card. We have yet to get our bill so I don't know the cost but we have done the same on the last two trips and the bill wasn't too bad.

One other thing that turned out to be a good idea was that put together a general itinerary (i.e., which days we would go where and then lists of things we wanted to do in Bologna) and discussed with his parents. This was flexible but it avoided spending an hour every morning figuring out what we would do. We ended up sticking to it, with a few adjustments.

Also, with two trips with a young child under our belt I finally realized that it is a mathematical impossibility to travel with a child who sleeps 10+ hours a night in a country where people dine late AND to get up and out early for sightseeing plus go out for dinner. Something needs to give. We expected that DD wouldn't sit through a lunch out and a dinner so we expected to eat a lot of dinners in the apartment. Fortunately, DD surprised us by becoming a great dinner companion and night owl so we went with it. We stayed out late, she napped in her stroller usually around 5pm and (except for the days we were taking the train) we let her sleep in. Not running out the door in the morning to preschool and work is a luxury so we didn't mind the late start.

Next up - packing and the dreaded flight.

Good start - looking forward to more. Considering visiting Bologna in 2010.

OOOHHH! Thanks for the referral to that apartment in Bologna!! DH and I are going there for a week in Sept. 2010 and I just sent off an inquiry about availability!! I can hardly wait for your description of what it is really like.

Charnees - the apartment is very nice. Did you have any specific questions?

Well, I guess I wonder if it really is 5 mins. walk from the central piazza (I forget the name right now) and if it really is as well-equipped as they claim. We have stayed in some places where there wasn't even any salt and pepper or sugar or dish soap when we arrived.

And does it have comfortable furniture to sit on when you are tired from sight-seeing and want to rest without lying in bed? And how is the lighting at night if you want to read before sleeping?

We are in our 70's so our criteria for comfort may be a little more strict than yours. But we have weathered many an apt. in Italy that look much worse.

Charnees - it is definitely not a 5 minute walk from the Piazza Maggiore. It is more like 15 minutes. We did this every day for 10 days and took a variety of routes. There are restaurants and shops nearby (5-10 minutes) and there are buses (although we never figure out how to use them) but it is a good 15 min walk to Piazza Maggiore.

The apartment is very well equipped. The best I've seen. We didn't buy a single thing other than non-staple food. There was plenty of toilet paper, paper towels, garbage bags, soap, laundry soap, sponges, etc. Also plenty of towels, blankets, pillows and sheets. It seems like owners always skimp on the towels so I really appreciated this. There were even nice terry bathrobes and slippers.

The kitchen was fantastic. There was every cooking gadget I could think of and some I had never seen. It was like staying in someone's apartment who was away for the weekend (in a good way). There was coffee, sugar, spices, olive oil, risotto, tons of pots and pans and knives. It is really a very nice kitchen. We ended up lounging around in there more than in the living room.

I thought the apartment was comfortable. There is plenty of room to spread out, especially if it is just you and your husband. The living room sofa is pretty comfortable. It is a bit low. The third bedroom is really an office that has a comfortable daybed to sit on. Our daughter liked watching her movies on there. That room is a little dark as it does not have a window. The kitchen is great and comfortable as I mentioned. The master bedroom is very nice. The bed is really comfortable. More so then in other apartments I've stayed at. It has two bedside reading lamps on each side and the bedroom also opens to a little outdoor space so we left the wooden shutters open (and glass door closed) for some more sunlight.

My only complaint is that since we were walking to meet my in-laws at their hotel every day, I wouldn't have minded being closer. But if you are doing things in different places throughout the city and eating at restaurants in different areas, it should be fine. It is only a few minutes walk to a taxi stand. We ended up taking taxis to the train station since we were always late and we always found cabs waiting there, even early on Sunday morning.

I'm happy to answer any more questions.

Trip Prep and Packing – The Nitty Gritty

I should say that for two months preceding the trip I brushed up on my Italian and meticulously planned our itinerary. But, for the most part, I just read a lot about what to eat in Bologna and obsessed about what to pack. Books we liked for restaurants are the Fred Plotkin's Italy for the Gourmet Traveler (http://tinyurl.com/yfswks8) and Osterie & Locande d'Italia: A Guide to Traditional Places to Eat and Stay in Italy (http://tinyurl.com/ygqmtbr). I found some restaurant suggestions on this forum, Chowhound and in some old magazine articles. There aren't really that many guidebooks specific to Bologna but we found the Cadogan guide to Bologna and Emilia-Romagna, to be very good, including the restaurant section (http://tinyurl.com/yfqx54h).

Graziella, the woman who owns the apartment we rented, was very easy to work with. She speaks English and is responsive on email. Best of all (for us, but probably not for her; keep reading), she lives above the apartment. A few days before we left I emailed Graziella to confirm our arrival time. I realized that I never changed the apartment reservation to match our plane reservations so we would arrive the day before the apartment was booked and by then it was not free for the additional night. We had noticed a hotel on the same street as the apartment when we were researching the apartment and decided to stay there for the first night.

I won't bore you with the details of what my husband and I packed for ourselves (although I will make another plug for bringing two cell phones if you are traveling with another person with whom you will not spend every waking moment. One phone is nice for calling home but useless for reaching your travel companion). In terms of what to bring for a three year old, the short answer is, you don't need much. Packing for DD this time was a pleasure compared to all the gear we had to bring when she was younger. We brought:
- a stroller (Maclaren umbrella stroller with rain cover)
- CARES harness for the plane (wow, so much better than the carseat!)
- DVD player and some DVDs – good for the plane and for relaxing at home at the end of the day
- coloring books, markers, few books, etch a sketch type thing (and held in reserve for the plane ride was the big guns, playdoh)
- portable potty seat for the apartment (http://tinyurl.com/yg97cvo)
- toilet seat cover things for public places (http://tinyurl.com/yjrl5cf ) - very useful
- small medicine kit – motrin, bacitracin, bandaids, nosedrops, benadryl
- stuffed animal, blankie
- small thermos for plane and out during the day and a few disposable forks/spoons
- some “emergency” food – raisins and oatmeal packages

That is pretty much it.

And We're Off!

My husband and I both got very busy with work right before the trip. Our daughter was also starting preschool and we had other things going on at the same time. We anticipated this would be very busy so, for once, we were smart, and got everything and organized well ahead of time. We were all packed well before it was time to head to the airport and even had a chance to relax and make sure we brought everything. I will never make fun of people who pack in advance again! This was great. We checked in online and didn't have to wait at the airport. Off to a good start. The flight was uneventful which was a huge relief because our last few flights with DD have been hellish at best. DD was very interested in the airport and airplanes and sat and played with her new etch a sketch toy and markers for several hours. We put on her PJs and slippers and she watched some DVDs on the DVD player we brought and she fell asleep. I am also now a convert to the DVD player. Especially since kids will watch the same 3 cartons, without volume, ad nauseum. We had also talked to DD about the airport and got her a Curious George book about going on a plane so she was pretty excited about the plane ride.

When we arrived in Bologna I wondered how we would find our in-laws who were arriving from NY. When we landed, I looked out the window and there they were walking down the steps off their plane. It was a funny feeling to look out the window in Italy, in a jet-lagged haze and see your relatives! We got our bags and headed to our hotels. The in-laws stayed at the Grand Hotel Baglioni. Although it is a legendary hotel, it had some recent mixed reviews on Trip Advisor so we were sure how it would be. It turned out to be a great hotel. It is very centrally located and their room was big and very elegant. We found a better price on www.hotels.com then on the hotel's website. Perhaps the bad reviews were from people paying the rack rates?

For the first night we stayed at the Palazzo Trevi hotel which was lovely (http://www.palazzotrevi.it/). The people were incredibly nice, letting us check in very early, and had put a third bed into the room for DD. They even had put a guard on the extra bed for DD, without my asking, because I had given her age. The hotel is intelligently modernized but keeping its traditional style. And it was only about 10 doors down from our apartment. We all tried to take a nap but only my husband fell asleep so DD and I took a walk. We just walked around the block (which took about 45 minutes!). The general location is good. It is about a 15 minute walk to the Piazza Maggiore and in a residential neighborhood with good restaurants and right down the block from a nice cafe and salumerie. I did find that it felt a little far when we were constantly meeting the in-laws at their hotel and wouldn't have minded being a bit closer to them.

We woke up DH when we got back to the hotel room and headed out to meet grandma and grandpa. We were meeting at their hotel so we headed in that direction. We first stopped at that nice cafe I had scoped out earlier. We had some coffees and pastries. It was here that we discovered the magic weapon to a successful trip with DD - the lollipop. DD had never had a lollipop before (I must have been worried she'd choke) and all the tabacchi and cafes have big colorful displays of “chuppas” (the brand of lollipops) out front. We let her have one and she was hooked. Thereafter, whenever we wanted to DD to get back in her stroller, we'd bribe her with a lollipop and they never seemed to break their spell.

We took what appeared to be most direct, although not particularly scenic route, to the hotel. We ended up at the edge of the Piazza Maggiore at the start of Via Independenzia. We had our first look at Piazza Maggiore and, wow, it is impressive. It is a very large square with beautiful medieval buildings on all four sides. We were not sure what to expect in Bologna since it seems to be so off the regular tourist track. We figured that maybe it was one of those cities with one beautiful area and that this would be it. I'll break the suspense and tell you that was not the case at all. There were beautiful buildings and squares throughout the city. We were pretty late so didn't linger for two long in the square and headed toward the hotel. We couldn't seem to find the hotel, even though we had the address, which we thought strange since we understood the Grand Hotel Baglioni to be THE hotel in Bologna. After walking up and down the same block three times we saw the small entry way – actually the hotel is really up a flight of steps so it doesn't look like much from the street.

The lobby is quite elegant and I appreciated the doorman helping DH with the stroller up all those steps. We went up to look at in-laws room and were impressed. They had a spacious corner room with a big venetian glass chandelier and big bed with a silk headboard. We all headed out and walked around Piazza Maggiore a bit. DD had fallen asleep in her stroller so we took turns looking the huge Basilica San Petronio on the square. It looked there would be some good shopping in Bologna too – I spotted the usual chains but also some nice smaller stores. It was a beautiful day and despite not sleeping on the plane I felt fine. It was about 6pm by then so we started thinking about dinner. We were interested in going to Serghei which we found in the Slow Foods book. We headed toward the restaurant and realized that they probably didn't open until later. So to kill some time we went into a bar nearby. It was a real Italian bar, not a sit down place, but we were tired and didn't feel like walking. Looking back, I imagine that we were probably a strange sight – the five of us ranging from 2 to 79 standing around drinking cocktails and beer. Several waiters from different restaurants (in uniform) came in for a quick coffee. We started talking to the woman who worked there. Like lots of people we ment, she was very sweet and handed DD a “doggie bag” full of potato chips when we left. My father-in-law couldn't believe how inexpensive our bill was. He said drinks for the four of us were less than the one drink my MIL had had at the hotel bar! Clearly he was going to get an education from us in non-luxury travel.

Serghei (http://tinyurl.com/ydwf3zz) was just opening as we got there and the owner told us that if we were out by 9, he'd have a table for us. We were all pretty tired so that was fine. We settled in and my husband ordered the a bottle of Sangiovese (a reserve) which was delicious. I forgot to write down the name. I had the tortellini di zucca (pumpkin tortellini) which was awesome. DH had agnolotti which he said was good. In-laws had pasta too. I asked for a small portion for DD but they didn't have that so we ordered her a plate of tagliatelli a ragu (which we told her was spaghetti and meatballs). Most places did give small/half orders for kids but when they didn't, DH and I made sure nothing went to waste. DH, my mother-in-law and I all had stuffed zucchini for a second course which was wonderful. It had a lovely sweet and meaty taste. I think my FIL had some kind of meat. We noticed that the restaurant seemed to be mostly Americans or English for the “first seating”. DD behaved wonderfully. We were thrilled and didn't push our luck with dessert. Serghei was one of my favorite restaurants of the trip and wished we had a chance to go back there. Said good night to my in-laws and headed back to the hotel.

Keep it going! I'm loving the details.

Loving your report!

Well, we are very disppointed that your apartment in Bologna is not available when we can go. It rally looks like the best one available. Now I have to start searching again!

Thanks for this report, though.

Still looking forward to MORE!

“Yes, I promise we will leave shortly” - How Not to Make a Favorable Impression at a Hotel

It was dark when I woke up so I figured that it was the middle of the night but it was actually after noon. I woke DD and DH (missed our free breakfast, oops) and we fumbled around to pack since we were supposed to be out of the room at 11. DH and I do not function well without coffee so this was a bit of a challenge. When we were all up, repacked, and had assured the very kind hotel staff that we were in fact leaving, we headed out to meet up with DH's parents. We couldn't exactly make a discrete exit as we were having trouble reaching the owner of our rental apartment by phone so we had to ask the hotel if we could leave our luggage for a few hours. Unfortunately, our luggage took up the entire (small) lobby area. They graciously agreed.

We called DH's parents who also woke up late too but were already out sightseeing. We agreed to meet at a cafe in Piazza Maggiore. We grabbed coffees and pastries at the bar near the hotel and apartment again and met up a cafe in Piazza Maggiore. We sat for a bit (there is nothing like having a glass of wine within an hour of waking up) and we began to feel a bit sheepish at having slept away half the day. We decided to get in some sightseeing on this beautiful day but first needed to check into our apartment. We still couldn't reach Graziella by phone so we just rang the buzzer on her door and, fortunately, she was there and let us in. The apartment was lovely. I described it above in response to a question but happy to answer any further questions. It was great to rent an apartment where you do not have to buy anything. We got our bags back from the hotel, dropped them off and headed back out to do some sightseeing.

We picked up the in-laws and went to Santo Stefano which is a beautiful church (really four churches connected to one another) from the 11th century in a lovely square. I was glad we had a good guidebook (Cadogan) for this trip because very few signs or brochures were in English. DD ran around the square outside a bit and then fell asleep in her stroller as we headed to the Palazzo dell'Archiginnasio. I waited in the courtyard with DD who was still sleeping and enjoyed looking at all the family crests of the past students decorating the ceilings and walls while DH and my FIL went inside. I find that I have a tendency to rush when I'm sightseeing so I do enjoy those times when I am forced (mostly because DD is sleeping in the stroller and I'm waiting for DH) to look closely at something. This was one of those times and I was able to really appreciate the building, the details and just the experience of being there. When the men came down, I went up to look at the Teatro Anatomico and had fun imagining being a medical student in the 1400s. The statues of the skinned humans were a bit creepy.

Next we made our first trip to Tamburini. We picked up some fresh pasta (funghi porcini gnocchi, tortellini and those pumpkin raviolis we ate at Serghei), culatella, cheese and salami for the next night. After 10 years of living with my DH I still cannot buy the appropriate amount of food for us. We easily had enough food for about 8 people and ate most of it. I enjoyed looking at the food shops in that area and we bought some chocolate and cookies as that always makes a good pre-dinner snack.

With DD waking up from a long nap now, we figured we'd be safe to go out for dinner. We thought we'd try Serghei again but it was closed (Saturday night). We also tried Mariposa nearby, but they didn't have a table. As we were walking around we passed the Hotel Paradise which I remembered being mentioned on this forum mostly for the landmark sex shop next door, which we saw as well. It is pretty funny examining a window display of crotchless pants with your father-in-law and preschool daughter.

My MIL had noticed a restaurant right by her hotel, Diana, that she thought looked good so we decided to give it a try. We had originally passed on it because it looked a little too fancy for us with DD. But it was open and they had a table for us so we decided to try it to avoid wandering around aimlessly. I had my first tortellini in brodo served out a giant tureen. Diana was big on serving everything with a flourish – soup out of a big tureen, meats carved on a carving tray. I liked the tortellini in brodo although this was not the best version I'd had on the trip. I ordered DD another plate of tagliatelli and ragu. She ate it again. This time she wanted cheese on it so I put some cheese on her plate and then she just wanted to eat cheese. She must have eaten 2 cups of Parmesan cheese by the end of the meal. Fresh Parmesan in Bologna at age 3. What a life! Guess she'll never go back to the Kraft cans. I just had a mixed salad as a second course but everyone else ordered from the meat trolley so I'm not exactly sure what they got. One was definitely a roast pork which was very good. DH had some sort of rolled meat that he said was delicious. DD behaved well through until the end of the meal. My MIL really loved Diana – partly for the food but I think she also liked that it was a little more formal than the other places we went but mostly I think she liked that it was one block from her hotel. She ended up eating there two more times. I thought Diana was a good compromise with my in-laws but my husband and I usually like smaller, more casual places. We left before dessert and on the way back to the apartment spotted a Grom gelateria. I was curious to try it as I'd heard they opened in New York. It was quite good. I had one with fig and something else. Back at the apartment DD and DH passed out but I had trouble sleeping which was not great as we were getting up early to take the train to Ravenna the next morning.

Sally, your trip sounds great so far.

HI Sally,

Thanks for writing your report. I am enjoying it. I just picked up some FF tix to Italy and plan on 4-5 nights Bologna. I came to Fodors to do a bit of reading, and here you are in the middle of a report! i will be with you the whole way

Lovely report! Looking forward to the next chapter.

still enjoying your account of your travels, Sally.

Do i detect a degree of tension between you and yoru MIL?

Had to laugh about your Kraft comment. The amount of food was incredible from the meat trolleys. Grilled or boiled? Were those the choices? Each had different sauces available.

Sally this is superb! Didi you know that Diana is one of Mario Batali's favorite Bologna restaurants? We also thought it looked a bit fancy and passed it by on our brief Bologna sojourn a few years back. Glad to hear you enjoyed. Eagerly awaiting more..

The apartment looks like quite a find!

Thanks for the messages.
Happy Cheesehead - you will have a great time. Go hungry!

Annhig - stay tuned (no, just kidding, everything was fine)

TDudette- I think most were boiled and some roasted. Sounds (and frankly looked) not particularly appealing but husband and in-laws really liked them. You didn't pick your preparation, all the cooked meats were just wheeled around and you picked what you wanted to eat. Of course if our Italian were better, we may have learned that there were more options. We were relegated to pointing.

EK -that is great about Mario Batali. I am going to call my MIL and tell her. She'll be so excited. I actually used your report while we were away so thanks. The apartment was great too.

Hoping to write more tonight if DD ever goes to bed.

Sorry for the delays - we are all recovering from some sort of cold/flu. Glad we made it through the trip healthy.

Mosaics and More Mosaics

Ravenna was wonderful. I was looking forward to going but it really exceeded my expectations.

We managed, somehow, to all get on a train that left at 9am. Once I realized it would take too long to walk to the train station, I was wondering where we'd get a cab on Sunday morning but fortunately we found a taxi stand right near the apartment and there were taxis there at that time and every other time we needed one. We had no problem buying the train tickets using the machines (even though our credit cards do not have the smart chips in them). It was an easy train ride - DD had never been on the train – only the subway – and she was fine. She read her books and colored her coloring book). We met two American women on the train who told us that there going to mosaic school for the week. What a fun idea for a trip!

When we arrived in Ravenna, we took a cab from the train station to the central information center. We had been a bit nervous that all the churches would be closed on Sunday following mass and were happy to hear that everything was open except San Vitale which would let our for mass, and be open to tourists, in about an hour around 11.30. I didn't see this before we left, but a good website is: http://www.turismo.ra.it/. The information center had some good maps but you cannot buy tickets for any of the sites there.

Since we didn't know how long our band of five would last, we decided to hit our must-sees first. That was a good plan for us in general, although we didn't always follow it. San Vitale was first on the list so we walked over there. While we were waiting for mass to end, we visited the Mausoleo di Galla Placidia for our first taste of the mosaics. We first bought a combined ticket that seemed to cover most, or all, of what we saw, and then walked back to the Mausoleo. It was very interesting, quite small and solemn, and a good introduction to the mosaics we'd be seeing all day. Outside the building was a very cool installation from the exhibit of contemporary mosaics which was ongoing at the time. I loved the haystack that was outside San Vitale – photo of it on top left of link – http://www.ravennamosaico.it. If we had another day in Ravenna I definitely would have tried to see a few more of the contemporary works.

Mass was over at San Vitale and we headed inside. It was truly spectacular. The mosaics were amazing, even without binoculars, but it was fun to see the detail as well so I'd recommend bringing a pair. I was glad we had our Cadogan guide as it gives a good description of the history for Ravenna. Learning a little bit about the city and history made a huge difference in appreciating what we were seeing. DH and FIL went into the Museo Nazionale. I ran around outside with DD who was ready to burn off some steam and my MIL sat with us. DH and FIL somehow got lost in the museum and had to call us to find them outside at another exit. FIL's summary was that the museum “had a bunch of junk thrown together”so I didn't mind having missed it.

We were all hungry by now and headed toward the Piazza del Popolo for lunch. There were only a few cafes but MIL was fading so we just picked one that looked okay. We weren't expecting anything special foodwise, we just liked being able to sit outside in the lovely square. The food turned out to be pretty good. My MIL got her usual, a gin and tonic to start and then lasagna. Quite a combination! She was truly an expert on both by the end of the trip. She raved about her lasagna. I didn't write down what I ate but I remember it being fine. DD had pasta with arrabiata sauce. I regretted ordering it for her (too spicy) but the service was so slow I didn't want to change and, surprisingly, she ate it. I guess a hungry kid will eat anything. I really enjoyed our lunch as the Piazza was lovely and not too crowded. Eating a long lunch outside in beautiful weather in Italy ranks pretty high on my list of favorite things to do! DD's grandparents couldn't resist getting her a huge ice cream (so, naturally, we all had to get gelatos as well). DD passed out in a sticky mess of tomato sauce and ice cream as soon as she finished eating and we all headed to the Battistero Neoniano.

I really liked the Battistero Neoniano. I developed a fondness for baptisteries on this trip. In Ravenna, Parma and Florence, I found the baptisteries to be more pleasing than the accompanying churches. While the art in the churches can be beautiful, in my admittedly non-expert opinion, they often seem disjointed and intimidating as a whole. Probably because they were built over such long periods of time and funded by different patrons, and, well, they are supposed to be intimidating. But I did prefer the baptisteries, this one included. There is an interesting story about this building and Carl Jung on the Ravenna tourist website I included above.

Our next stop was Basilica di Sant'Apollinare Nuovo. On our way we passed a group of Italian tourists. DD was wearing a pair of pants that were too short on her (bad mother!). One of the women we passed tapped me on the shoulder and started telling me how DD was cold and then started yanking down her pants. The woman then started explaining how it was so cold out (it must have been in the 60s) and that she was a “nonna” and “couldn't help herself”. In thinking back on that, it is funny how the whole experience seemed charming at the time but had that happened here, I would have been annoyed at this bossy, intrusive woman poking at my kid. Ah the rosy lenses of vacation!

We got a little lost walking to Sant' Apollinare and ended up walking by Dante's tomb which I could swear we also walked by a few days later in Florence. Sant' Apollinaire seemed huge in contrast to our last stop and reminded of Santa Maria in Trastevere in Rome. My MIL was very tired by this point so we decided we'd split up and meet back at the train station for a 5pm train back to Bologna. DH and I raced over to Battistero degli Ariani. More beautiful mosaics and neat to see how the building had sunk about 8 feet since it was built. We would have liked to have gone out on the bus to the Mausoleum of Theodoric but we didn't have time. Overall, I would have liked to have spent more time in Ravenna. If you are planning a trip, Ravenna could easily fill two full days and just seemed like a nice place to relax and hang out in general.

After stopping in the supermarket we found on the way for some snacks for the train ride, we found my in-laws “talking” in the train station to an Italian man who speaks no English. We were all very tired on the train ride home, except DD who had woken up not long before from a two hour nap and who chattered the entire way home. Back in Bologna, we quickly cooked up the pasta we had bought from Tamburini the night before and went to sleep. No problem sleeping that night.

Love it, thanks for the great information. Giacomo wants to go to Bologna next trip and I will save your report for planning.

I too am contmeplating a trip to Emilia Romagna as part of a larger trip to Italy and wonder if a week in Bologna would be the right amount time to see the Bologna plus the towns of Parma, Modena and Ravenna.

apologies for not getting back to this sooner. will finish up soon I hope. Treebeard - I think a week would be perfect for that itinerary.

Sally...

I've just read the first few posts, but loving your report. I'm considering an autumn 2010 trip to Bologna and bookmarking your report to read tomorrow.

Sorry for the delay in continuing. Pesky work got in the way of my internet time.

I woke up the next morning to DD making noises. It was dark and I was wondering what woke her in the middle of the night. Looked at my watch and saw it was 10.30am. Another late morning. Like I mentioned earlier, I guess you need to pick your schedule when traveling with a young child – missing the evenings or the mornings. We were enjoying our evenings so I couldn't complain about the late starts. DH and I skipped breakfast and headed to meet up with the in-laws. We walked around Piazza Maggiore a bit, enjoying the beautiful day, and decided to look for a place to eat. I initially suggested Da Cesari as it looked great when we walked by and I had heard good things. Although as we approached, I realized that was probably not a wise choice as it would likely be filled with business people on a Monday, looked fancy and DD would probably not want to sit through a long meal so soon after getting up. We decided to head to Tamburini instead to try out the cafeteria.

When we arrived it was packed and chaotic. A large table opened up so MIL and DD sat with our stroller and gear while the rest of us got in line (it is cafeteria style). Clearly that was a major breach of Tamburini etiquette as the other customers who had gotten their food and were looking for a table gave us dirty looks (okay, I did see and ignore the sign that said not to take a table before getting your food but hoped that we fit into some sort of exception for traveling with a child and a lot of stuff plus, since when do Italians actually follow rules?). MIL seemed oblivious which was perfect so she and DD contined to sit. The cashier then turned around and told them to get up. Fortunately, we were next in line so they stayed. And now on to the food. Wow, it looked and was delicious. My FIL and I had tagliatelle bolognese. Delicious. I ordered a small portion for DD and she ate the entire thing. DH decided to try the pumpkin ravioli as he had liked mine from Serghei the other night. My MIL had these large ravioli stuffed with ricotta which were wonderful and incredibly filling. We shared side orders of broccoli and green beans that were good as well. As we were leaving I saw that they had put out a big tray of roasted chicken that looked delicious. I wish I had tasted that too. We all really enjoyed eating at Tamburini. The food was great and the atmosphere fun. In walking by on another day, I noticed that in the evenings they also have a wine bar that serves the cheese and meats from the store. It looked like a fun place to go without a preschooler in tow.

We headed down Via Zamboni to look at the university and stopped first at a church (San Giorgio?). The buildings were clearly lovely but, not surprisingly for a university neighborhood, were covered in graffiti. When we got to the university, the museums had all just closed. I was getting frustrated. Sightseeing in a group can be annoying when you are moving slowly (and then miss seeing everything)! DH and I decided to try to get up to the top of the tower before that closed too (the one of the two Due Torre that is open). We left DD, kicking and screaming, with her grandparents. Guess she wasn't entirely used to them yet, pointed them to a cafe and we headed up the tower. It wasn't too bad climbing up (although I have not been to the gym in ages and was tired by the top) but my size 9.5 feet were clearly way too big for those steps on the way down and my feet were hanging off the edges. I had been wearing a coat and scarf and was pretty hot and sweaty by the time we reached the bottom. The view was good at the top and the whole tower had a fun medieval feel so I thought it was definitely worth the walk.

We headed back to the Cafe Zamboni where DD and in-laws were waiting. DD was covered in gelato (bribery works). After that hike, DH and I decided we needed a drink. We ordered the red wine we had been enjoying all week and the waitress brought over a big bowl of potato chips. I was starving so was very happy about the chips. While I was enjoying my good fortune with the chips, the waitress brought over a heaping plate of treats – bite size paninis, cheese, proscuitto, and something that looked like a raw hot dog (gross). The best thing about drinks in Bologna (other than the drinks themselves, of course) is the fantastic (free) snacks that come with them. And it is unlike an expensive hotel where you may get “free” snacks but the drinks cost a fortune.

We polished off the plate and when we ordered another round of drinks, the waitress brought over another tray of snacks. I liked sitting outside at this cafe and watching everyone around me go about their business. By the time we finished our drinks we were pretty stuffed and no one felt like going out for dinner. In-laws went back to their hotel and we headed to our apartment. DD fell asleep in the stroller so we decided to take advantage and do some shopping. I didn't buy anything this night – I like to do some initial reconnaissance before I start purchasing – but discovered many nice looking, reasonably priced, clothes. My husband had been mentioning for some time that my wardrobe looked tired (“Did you have that shirt in high school”) so I was hoping to pick up a few things. We eventually made our way back to the apartment and grabbed a couple of pizzas at the place next door.

Back in the apartment I tried to get a bit organized, including washing our clothes. Moments later it went dark. Good thing I brought a flashlight! We had blown a fuse. We called Graziella to come down and help us. Apparently we cannot run the dishwasher and washing machine at the same time. Graziella was gracious, since it was late and I think she did tell us that when we arrived, and I was very appreciative that she lived upstairs and that we could resolve the situation in a few minutes rather than waiting for someone to come the next day. After all the excitement we all fell asleep.

We were planning to go to Florence the next day. Would we make our early train? Would we be speaking to one another by the end of the day? Stay tuned. Hope to finish the next installment faster than this one!

Sally, take your time - it was worth waiting for!

Hoping to hear more someday. Toss us a bone?

Treebeard - thanks for staying interested! I told myself I had to finish this report before I go away again and we are leaving on Friday to escape the Boston winter so I better hurry up. Next installment....

Florence – Why is he going potty?

Our trip to Florence was not a great success. I was not that keen to go there as I am not a huge fan and would have rather tried somewhere new. But the rest of the group wanted to go, so we went. This was one trip for which I wished I was better prepared and had done some basic research (on the trains etc).

We arrived at the train station on time and went to buy our ticket. I don't recall all the details now but basically there is a really fast train that goes from Bologna into central Florence but cost about E15 more per person each way than the regular train which requires a change of train outside Florence. I couldn't justify an extra almost $100 each way just to save walking across the tracks to a different train. Anyway, the train was late and the connecting train even later. When we got onto the connecting train, there were no seats and it was pretty uncomfortable. Had I done some research, I would have known that the first train stopped just outside Florence and we could have taken a cab and not waited around for the connecting train. Everyone was now annoyed at me that I insisted we take the crappy train.

At the end of our train ride, we discussed our plans for the day. MIL seemed exhausted before we even started. FIL, DH and I all seemed to have our own itineraries. DH was also annoyed about the train. This was going to be a tense day!

I really wanted to see the Masaccio frescos in the Brancacci chapel (Santa Maria della Carmine). DH wanted to do something else which I forget. My father in law pulled out a 20 year old New York Times article with one of those “24 hours in” articles and was determined to follow it.

We moved at a snails pace to Santa Maria Novella. I was feeling guilty for being antsy because my MIL was being a good sport but she really was worn out. She sat while we looked around the church. DD reminded us all that she is in fact a 3 year old by deciding to be a “caterpillar” and wiggling around on the floor of SMN. Fortunately the place is huge and chose a quiet animal so no one seemed to notice her. DH decided that this would be the day he would become an art historian and examine EVERY single piece of art in detail. SMN is spectacular but did want to see other things too so after about an hour touring the church (DH had finished reviewing one fresco at this point), the rest of us told him to hurry it up. He begrudgingly completed his visit and we went outside. Later, I was disappointed to learn that somehow I missed the whole Spanish chapel.

We left the church and FIL insisted we follow his itinerary. Next stop was a hotel, the Grand Hotel, which was noted in the NYT article as having a “noteworthy” painted ceiling. While this may have been “noteworthy” in Cleveland, we were in one of the world's greatest art cities for one afternoon. Who wanted to go see a Sheraton? But he had mentioned this about 5 times already so we went to placate him. The hotel turned out to be not that close and not very interesting. MIL really had it by this point (we had only been in Florence for about two hours at this stage but the trip was catching up with her) so she decided to stay at the hotel and relax in the bar while we went sightseeing. The weather was beautiful and we crossed the river to the Santa Maria della Carmine. DH continued to be in a bad mood. I could see that any repressed irritation he had with his parents over the past few days was about to explode. We got to the church and it was closed. Detonation!! As was pointed out to me, yes, I was dumb for not checking the opening days. DD also decided to have a small melt down as well.

Thankfully there were other people around so we all had to behave. We gave DD a lollipop and she was fine. DH was not as easily calmed down but we decided that we'd split up and meet back in a few hours (I am forgetting where). My FIL went back to the hotel to get my MIL and they went out for lunch. I had plans for several sites that we could see over the next few hours, but, in the interest of family peace, decided that maybe relaxing was a better plan. We walked around a little and had a mediocre lunch at a restaurant with a nice view of the church of San Spirito. Wine and food soothed our nerves and we walked back across the river winding our way to the Piazza della Signoria.

DD enjoyed chasing the pigeons in the open space. Then she pointed to the David replica and asked why he was going potty outside. Not why is he huge, or why is he naked, or why is he made out of marble, but where is the toilet? Just potty trained herself, DD maintained her single mindedness! We enjoyed our walk through the Piazza and made it to the meeting spot without being too late. When we reunited my FIL continued to rave about the Grand Hotel (you have to love a man who sticks with his story) which became our joke for the rest of the trip. He told us how he gave the NYT article to the people at the Grand Hotel and they were thrilled. So if anyone stays there, please let me know if the hotel framed it and hung it in the lobby.

We walked around a bit more. We walked up to the Duomo and I looked in the Baptistery. My FIL wanted to go to the Bargello, which was closed by the time we got there. We also wanted to go inside the Orsanmichele which was closed too. Bad planning on our part. Still, Florence is very beautiful and the architecture is wonderful so we enjoyed seeing the buildings from the outside. We were all tired by now and took a taxi back to the train station and the FAST train back home. I admit, it was much more comfortable. I forgot what we did for dinner that night. But we were all speaking to one another by the end of the day (although not so much in the middle) and felt relieved that we had had the inevitable blow up and it was now behind us.

When we got back to Bologna, we checked the weather which looked like it was about to take a turn for the worse. It had been beautiful so far but showers were predicted for tomorrow with heavy rain to follow. DH and I decided we would go to Parma the next day, in the afternoon, to hopefully miss the heavier rain in the following days. MIL and FIL planned to take it easy and rest in Bologna. We told them we'd call them tomorrow to meet up for dinner Went to the apartment and fell asleep.

hi sally,

phew - someone else who has c..p days on holiday. i LOVED the fact that YOU didn't want to go to Florence, but then everyone else blamed you for not knowing what was open/closed on that day....YOU ARE NOT THE ONLY ONE!!!

DH hates planning, but then grumbles if we haven't got plan A & B ready for every day. I'm wise to that now and have ideas in my head that I can produce as it were "impromptu". but even he wouldn't think he'd get away with taking me somewhere I didn't want to go AND expect me to ahve it all planned! I'm very surprised [and impressed] that it wasn't you who had the sense of humour failure.

Thanks for continuing on with the story! I am thinking that our trip to Florence might occupy two or three nights. Great heads up about the train schedules too. Parma next?

Great report! I love the image of your daughter being a caterpillar!

I am still with you and enjoying the story, Sally. I can't wait til our Sept trip to Bologna.

Glad your warm weather get away is helping you finish your report I understand wanting to get away -I live in Wisconsin. Where are you going? We are heading to a week in Grand Cayman in Feb for our dose of sun and water.

HappyCheesehead...

I'm just starting to plan a trip to Bologna (for November).

I'll look forward to reading a trip report from you too!

LCI - Really?? We seem to have some similar travel ideas!

I will have to take really good notes then

Are you combining Bologna with any other areas?

Happy...

We do seem to travel to similar destinations...wasn't it Turkey a couple years ago?

Yes, I'm going to spend 8 nights in Bologna doing a few day trips in the area and (since I'll be in Italy and can never ignore the Eternal City) 7 nights in Rome.

Sally...sorry to have hi-jacked your thread!

LCI and Cheesehead, you will both have a fantastic time in Bologna. It really is a great city. Go hungry. We ate like there was no tomorrow.

We are heading to Hawaii (yippee!!). Maybe I'll finish the trip report in longhand on the plane while my perfect child sleeps for 12 hours. Or maybe not....

Sally - you ARE lucky - I love Hawaii. Have fun!

LCI - yep - we were in Turkey a couple of years ago, and we also loved the Czech Republic, Croatia, and of course the Amalfi Coast! I think you are a much better planner than I, however, so I will be watching to see how your plans shape up. On this trip, besides the time in Bologna, we will spend some time in Switzerland and one of the Italian Lakes (to be determined later).

Sally - LCI and I will just keep your thread warm for you until you get back to finish. We are both taking copious notes

bookmarking

In-laws, spouse and child on one trip? You deserve a medal-no worries for not getting all perfect!

Thanks! I shared that comment with my husband when he started talking about the next trip we should take with his parents. Will finish this report one day.

Please finish it before the end of the year as we are going sometime in 2011. Thanks!

Trip Report Resuscitated - Prosciutto and Rain
My notes started to get sketchy at this point in the trip and, now, my memory even sketchier but I would like to finish this so here we go again.....Wednesday morning we set out for Parma in the late morning. We had done our homework, hoping to avoid another Florence situation, but were tired so were not in a real rush. It was raining as arrived but we were starting to run short on remaining days so we figured we'd just tour as long as we could stand the rain and then head back.

Our first destination was a food store – Gustatoria Garabaldi. It was on the way into town from the train station and smelled amazing (if you are into super stinky cheese and sausage smells like I am). A very patient young man waited on me answering all kinds of questions I had. DH got antsy and headed to the Museo di Glauco Lombardi which is a museum about one of Napoleon's wives, Maria Luigi, who I am guessing is from Parma. I was vaguely interested as I had just read a fascinating book about a Venetian woman in Napoleonic times called Lucia (http://tinyurl.com/y6rfyjq – highly recommend it especially as background for a trip to Venice) but the museum sounded way to fussy for DD, especially in the rain, so DH went alone and we agreed to meet up in an hour. DD and I puttered around the store for a while and chatted with the guy who was waiting on us. When I told him that I was from Boston, he got very excited as he is a baseball player and avid Red Sox fan. It really is impossible to get away from them! DD and I left with cheese, salame and a bag full of cookies and cakes. I let DD hold the bag with the cookies and when I bent down to take her out of the stroller at the museum, she was covered in food, sugar, crumbs and chocolate. I could see the ticket seller's relief when I just asked to stand in the lobby to get out of the rain and assured her that we did not intend to actually visit the museum.

Even in the rain, Parma is an attractive small city. There was certainly an air of prosperity and culture about it and I wished we had timed it to have had lunch there as the restaurants looked great. Although we didn't have the most thorough visit given the weather, it seemed pretty small and and far less bustling than Bologna. I have seen a few posts asking about Bologna v. Parma as a base for the region and I would absolutely stay in Bologna which has much more to offer.

I had read somewhere (I thought) that a good way to taste Parma ham is as a snack in a bar. We stopped into a bar and ordered some beer and a ham sandwich. We were expecting a tapas style small plate with some proscuitto on it and were pretty surprised when we got the equivalent of a foot long sub instead! We were the only people in the bar and didn't want to be rude so we ate the entire thing which was, of course, delicious. Overstuffed, we headed outside to the baptistery.

The Baptistery was really incredible. We were delighted to have the entire place to ourselves – such a nice contrast from crowded Florence the day before. I was glad we bought a book that explained the paintings and we stayed quite a while trying to identify the stories. Next we headed into the Duomo not expecting much as on this trip we found that the baptisteries outshone the duomos. Parma seemed to be no exception as we looked around the large dark church. A tour group was also inside and after a few minutes their guide put some change in the machine to light up the main alter. Wow, were we wrong! When the lights came on it was like a different place entirely. This doesn't really do it justice but to give you a sense, look at - http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2009/12/26/travel/20091227-italy-slideshow_2.htm The tour group left and again we had all this amazing art all to ourselves. We stayed until our change ran out and headed outside. The rain was still pretty bad so we decided to head back on the 6:30 train. We called MIL and FIL from the train and arranged to meet them at Trattoria al Rosso, one of Fred Plotkin's suggestions I think, for dinner.

Everyone seemed refreshed after a good day (us exploring and in-laws resting) and Trattoria al Rosso was a hit and my FIL's favorite of the trip. We started with a mortadello pate which was really good. I had my first lasagna of the trip and then didn't want a heavy main course so ordered grilled vegetables and scarmoza (a heavy cheese). I guess it is all relative! That was delicious. Intrigued by the name, my FIL had something called “Stinco al forno” which was a big piece of grilled meat that looked fantastic. We continued our new habit of ordering Lambrusco which we all really enjoyed (and have been drinking since returning home). It was especially fun going to Trattoria al Rosso because it was the kind of place (casual, mostly locals) that my inlaws would probably not have found without us and it was nice to see them enjoying it. DD had fun coloring with her markers and chatting to her grandparents, if not particularly hungry after eating all those pastries earlier. She did manage a gelato on the way back. As we left we passed another restaurant, Donatello, with lots of photos on the wall and a formal, old fashioned look that caught my FIL's eye. We walked them back to their hotel and then headed to our apartment. We stopped at Grom again for a second dessert on the way back to the apartment.

Hi Sally - has your report been nagging at the back of your brain for you to finish it?

I am going to keep it in mind for future reference as we have changed our plans for our Sept trip. I was going to spend 4 days or so in Bologna during a trip to Lake Como and Switzerland but have decided that is not enough time for all we want to do. So, we are just taking two days out of Switzerland and buzzing up to Munich for the beginning days of Oktoberfest and back to Switzerland.

I will be referencing your report when we do go to Italy next, because Emilia Romagna is top of the list!

A little, yes. Is that too obsessive of me?