Bologna was our 3rd stop on our January trip to Italy. It was the only place where we only allowed for a two night stay. That was a big mistake! Bologna has so much to offer, that we were very sorry to leave so soon with so much more to see, and do, not to mention restaurants to try. Two nights were hardly enough.

Posted are our Bologna photos.
www.flickr.com/photos/basingstoke2/collections

The collection is called, (with great originality) Bologna, January 2009. Our Verona and other collections are there too.

Working now on editing Venice photos and finally Rome. Will post soon.

Whew! When I clicked on your thread, I thought you were going to lament ever having set foot in the place based on other's recommendations! While am sorry you were torn away before you were ready to go, it's great you know to book yourself in for a longer stay next time. Bologna is so central, you can base yourself there again and again and still not run out of interesting spots to visit.

Hope to see you there sometime!

> When I clicked on your thread, I thought you were going to lament ever having set foot in the place based on other's recommendations!

Oh, me too...

Oh no, basingstoke2, you were in one of the few italian cities still governed by a lefty major, and you took a picture to the Lega Nord's stand in Piazza Maggiore (P1000650)? Are these people going to overcome also this territory?

Anyway, very good pictures!

I enjoyed your photographs -- all of them. You did a great job photographing food. I like to photograph food also.

Good timing, b. How about a quick recap (in text) of the Bologna part of your trip?

Many thanks again..... your pictures brought back so many wonderful memories.

Holly- click on my name and then recent topic activity. My Trip report is the 4th one down (see all topics). Scroll past Verona and Venice.

Liberosette - The Lega Nord had the only stand in the Piazza at the time. I was drawn mostly by the poster of the American Indian and also the Israeli flags. They were in support of Israel in the Gaza situation that was going hot and heavy at the time. The gist of the American Indian poster was that "real" Italians will find themselves living on reservations surrounded by the immigrant majority unless Italian immigration laws are changed. Although they are controversial, I found these guys interesting to speak with keeping in mind their right wing point of view. The best part of their stand for me were the manifestos in Italian that I could actually read and understand after about 60 hours of listening to Pimsleur Italian CDs.

zeppole - I look forward to returning. I can kick myself that I did not visit Bologna on my 5 earlier trips to Italy.

luvtotravel- as you can tell, I love photographing food too. Mi Chica kids me that I remember every meal I ever ate. Not True! (but close).

Gwen - thanks for the kind words.

As a fellow Bologna lover I too was very worried about your thread title. So glad you seem to have loved it as much as I did. Your ghetto/university photos reminded me of when we were walking down one of the streets and there was a car advertisement being shot. I went to take a picture and nearly had my camera taken by an irate production assistant.

I could spend a week or two in Bologna.

Great, basingstoke.

On my last trip to Bologna, Berlusconi was having a rally. It's a popular place to campaign.

Those Native American posters were seen a lot during the lost election. The words on them roughly translate: "They didn't fight back, and now they live on reservations." The intellectual inconsistency of their position is rather evident in their opposition to native Gazans fighting back against Israelis who only recently arrived. In fact, their support of Israel against Gaza is a strictly anti-Arab, anti-Muslim, people they don't want in Italy. Period. They're just bigots, and some are homegrown racists who imagine their is some pure strain of Italians to be found somewhere. (Ascoli Piceno?) But I agree it's interesting to talk to everybody as a traveler, and in Italy, it's not common to get Italians to talk about politics.

But quit kicking yourself. Just come back to Bologna.

Well, I missed that report back in January, but just read the Bologna portion of it, and it was delightful. Can you tell me where the Trattoria dal Biassanot is located? I'll be there next week and would love to try it.

Holly - Trattoria dal Biassanot, 40126 Bologna - via Piella, 16/a

Telephone 051 23 06 44
www.dalbiassanot.it

I would suggest reservations, they fill up for dinner very soon after opening at 7:30 and I am told they are usually fully booked. You can make your reservation now at the above email address.

Walking directions: From via Indipendenza (with the Piazza Maggiore to your back) turn right on Via Augusto Righi. After about a block or maybe two, turn right on via Piella. The restaurant is down the street on your right. Have a great time. Don't miss the old medical school and other University museums. The market street pictured is just behind the Piazza Maggiore.

Zeppole - for us the best part of traveling is the people that we meet. Let's agree to disagree about the Israel/Gaza mess, but just one point of historical fact, there were Hebrews living in the Gaza area in significant numbers for several thousand years - as long as other residents of Gaza. The British mandate authorities forced them out in the 1930s and they returned after 1967. Whether or not that was a good and wise thing to do is for another thread.

basingstoke, I don't disagree with your archeological and historical points, but nowhere else on the planet are people seen as entiitled to jump over several thousand years of absence and displace living families and deprive them of their property and livelihoods, and only to Zionists is that a complicated point. I can think of no justification for what happened to Palestinian families over the past 50 years and atrocities committed by Israeli governments, or Native Americans by European settlers. It was neither good nor wise.

But I'm glad you like Bologna!

Zeppole, you seem like a reasonable person. If you would like to continue this aspect of the discussion why not open a new thread on the lounge and we can have a civil exchange of ideas. I do not want to hijack my own thread.

Thanks okay. I've made up my mind on Israel. My main point regarding your trip to Bologna was about the Lega Nord's waving of the Israeli flag in the Piazza Maggiore, which in the context of Italian politics needs to be understood as their hoping to pick up Jewish votes in Italian cities with Jewish populations (like Bologna and nearby Ferrara), and to stir up anti-Muslim sentiment (they are somewhat less hysterical about Christian Arabs, but they swing first and ask questions later).

I've not a doubt that were Israel to make peace with it's Arab neighbors, the Lega Nord would stop waving those Israeli flags in piazzas in the blink of an eye.

We agree on that. Hope it happens.

Great photos, basingstroke. I have enjoyed viewing them. And it's a stroke of luck I found this thread with the new format. Would you consider also putting a photo link at the end of your trip report?

Many thanks for posting these.

Thanks for the link, b. Great menu! Are they open for lunch?

Holly -I believe they were when we were there - at least I saw a lunch sign at the door.

I was so nervous clicking on your thread as I am leaving for a week in Bologna (first time) next Tuesday...am relieved to hear you wish you had spent more time there!

Your pictures are beautiful. I am really looking forward to my trip!

Where did you stay in Bologna?