Can anyone answer the questions I posed about city buses and ticketing - important for anyone to know if pondering taking the bus? anyone ever taken a bus in Bologna?

annw, Hope you enjoy B&B Al Teatro--say hi to Dani from me. I am just about to reserve there for another mosaic class in May.

ellenem! We are taking a 3 day ad hoc class with Luciana (I've taken 3 full week classes previously). My friend will be having her first class. Are you at Ravenna studio with Luciana or Koko Mosaico? I keep thinking I should try Koko but am very comfortable at Luciana's place.

Are you on CMA or on the 3D Facebook group?

Sorry about this full diversion; please carry on re: Bologna!

To add to Bologna info, I did like I Portici, but Metropolitan looks like a better deal, and similar neighborhood. Did not have a lot of time there and look forward to another visit -- this March.

PS thanks for the link, Palenq.

I'm thinking of the special free-style class with Luciana. I'm not on those groups but I'm just a beginner.

And for Bologna information, from the station it is an easy walk to the Metropolitan. Via dell'Indipendenza is a slight uphill walk in the direction toward Piazza Maggiore, but it is for all intents and purposes a flat walk along wide sidewalks beneath portici. I think Via Galliera may have less wide sidewalks, some cobbled —less easy if you are dragging luggage.

Thanks ellenem. When you get around to it, consider joining CMA. It is only a closed group in the sense that you submit a mosaic you've done so they keep trolls out. It's pretty inspiring to see all the work being done. Ditto FB group. I'll be happy to send a link if/when you consider it.

The freestyle class should be fun. I'll miss having a larger group when my friend and I go.

Looking forward to walking in Bologna AND Ravenna....and to lo Spritz con Aperol.

Thanks for all the comments and ideas. We are comfortable with the walk from Bologna Centrale to Piazza Maggiore. Since it is only a day trip we will limit ourselves to the Neptune fountain (there is a copy of it near our home), and the buildings at the piazza, plus wandering through the food markets. A couple of the adults may venture into the Anatomical Theater but we will not corral the entire group there. Climbing the tower for some of us is still open for discussion. Although the kids are resilient we don't want to push our luck and do more than they can tolerate - - furthermore it will most likely be warm in late June.

Ladies, enjoy your Ravenna experiences. My husband and I will be satisfied to see the mosaics when we leave the kids behind for our day trip there.

Thanks again for all your help.

Thanks for all the comments and ideas. We are comfortable with the walk from Bologna Centrale to Piazza Maggiore. Since it is only a day trip we will limit ourselves to the Neptune fountain (there is a copy of it near our home), and the buildings at the piazza, plus wandering through the food markets. A couple of the adults may venture into the Anatomical Theater but we will not corral the entire group there. Climbing the tower for some of us is still open for discussion. Although the kids are resilient we don't want to push our luck and do more than they can tolerate - - furthermore it will most likely be warm in late June.

Ladies, enjoy your Ravenna experiences. My husband and I will be satisfied to see the mosaics when we leave the kids behind for our day trip there.

Thanks again for all your help.

I'm the OP and I'm back with another question about Bologna. Thanks for clarifying the walk from Centrale to Piazza Maggiore - we are comfortable with that trek. I just learned of an MC Escher exhibit at Palazzo Albergati and that appeals to all three generations... reminder about our group: 5 adults and 3 kids (13, 11 and 6). Any suggestions on how to get to the exhibit? Our goal for our day visit to Bologna is the Neptune Fountain and the piazza, wandering through the food markets and shops, and now we have added the Escher exhibit. What sequence makes the most sense? We know about some gelato and lunch options to keep everyone fed but where should we go first? If we decide to go to the Escher first what's the best way to get there from Centrale? Bus? If so, which one? Thanks again!

The location of the palazzo is far beyond Piazza Maggiore, almost as far again as you would have walked to reach Piazza Maggiore. It really depends on your priorities: how important is the Escher exhibit considering it is so far out of the way?

You might begin your visit with the Escher exhibit. You could take bus 33 from the station to the palazzo. But considering you've never been there before, the lengthy and confusing and confusing bus route, this might not be the best option. If it were me, I'd take a taxi from the palazzo, see the exhibit, and work my way back through the center of town, Piazza Maggiore, and on to the train station.

The Palazzo Albergati website gives public transit (bus 33 from the station) info and ticket prices:

http://www.palazzoalbergati.com/?p=515

Bologna bus map:
http://www.tper.it/sites/tper.it/fil..._Mappa_DEF.pdf

Ellen,
Thanks for pointing me to the very colorful map of Bologna bus routes. There I found PDF files of the current bus schedules. It is clear the bus #33 runs counterclockwise on the "ring road" and #32 goes clockwise. The schedule confuses me a bit... #33 schedule says the bus from Centrale to Saragozza takes only 10 minutes - is that possible? I frequently ride buses in Manhattan and Brooklyn and those trips are MUCH, MUCH slower!

I have also found bus #20 that could take us from the exhibit on Saragozza to the vicinity of Neptune and Via Drapperie shops and markets. From there is looks like we could use bus A to get back to Centrale area. Are these assumptions realistic? We could walk but if it is too hot we would like to have an alternative. I also assume there is a daily pass for the buses in Bologna if we do choose to do this. Where does one purchase the daily pass? Is there anything to be concerned about using the buses?

Your comments were very helpful! Escher has intrigued my husband and me since we failed to buy a print of his in 1966 ($500 was huge for us then) - - so why not see his work with our kids and grandkids as we travel in Italy for our 50th anniversary!

I've never taken a bus in Bologna, so can't attest to their speed.

However, my experience with buthe bus in general is this: do not assume that a public bus in Italy will be more comfortable than walking on a hot day. The bus may be crowded and hot, chances are no air conditioning . . . and in my experience people may keep the windows closed for fear of an unhealthy breeze.

About tickets:
http://www.tper.it/sites/tper.it/fil...19_08_13_0.pdf

The OP is back to report the following...

Several months ago I posted the questions about walking from the train to Piazza Maggiore with our family of five adults and three kids (ages 13, 11, 6). Your responses were very helpful and after studying the maps and Google Earth, the bus schedules, reading restaurant reviews, and discovering an Escher exhibit, we finally have a plan that is agreeable to all, satisfies our primary goal of wandering through the food markets, and gives us time to take the obligatory family photo with the Neptune Fountain. We also needed a plan that got us from place to place without creating chaos and grumpy kids (and adults!)

Our first decision was to eliminate the city buses. Corralling eight people on and off the unfamiliar buses did not seem wise. After learning from this forum where we would find the taxi stands, we decided to use them for the longer distances. We also decided to take the time to have a hopefully relaxing and restful late lunch and not just grab something to eat standing up or leaning against a building. Since we were getting good at making decisions we also decided to leave the villa where we were staying later in the morning so we were not rushed to get to the train. Since we also planned to purchase food stuffs for our week at the villa we opted to visit the food markets after “the pause” in the late afternoon. This approach also provided flexibility – if some wanted to do the markets, other could climb the tower or head back to the train station for an earlier train. We did not want to split up earlier in the day for fear of never finding one another!

So, here is the blow by blow plan for the day (it’s a Monday) – this plan would never have developed without the help of this forum. Molte Grazie!
1. Train to Bologna Centrale – arriving about 11:00
2. Taxi to Palazzo Albergati at via Saragozza 26-28, where the Escher exhibit is running – arriving before noon
3. Explore Escher exhibit until about 13:30 then walk about 15 mintues to either Zanarini or Vicolo Colombina for lunch. Zanarini might be too much on the pastry/dessert side and Vicolo Colombina might be too formal. We do want a relaxed, non-rushed meal. The kids will be hungry.
4. Walk to Piazza Maggiore and linger at the Neptune fountain for obligatory photos. Walk to the gelato place near the tower and split up is some want to climb while others start wandering through the food markets and shops. By now it should be about 16:00. We will take our time to explore the shops and to purchase goodies for our week at the villa.
5. We will reconvene with the help of our Italy enabled cell phones – we are counting on them to work! If everyone is really hot and tired we will walk to the taxi stand near the Apple store and taxi back to the train station.
6. Otherwise we will walk Via dell'Indipendenza to the station with a stop at I famosi Tortellini della Nonna for more treats and perhaps another gelato along the way as fuel to get everyone back to the train. We are guessing we will be back on the train by 19:00.

Thanks for all of the helpful comments. We think we have the plans for the day in order. Your suggestions and comments were indispensable in getting us to understand the best and easiest way to move about the city to do what we wanted to do. If you see something that is amiss with our plans please share your thoughts.

Next up will be the logistics of grandma and grandpa’s day trip to Ravenna. Planning for two adults is far easier than planning for eight people with ages ranging from 6 to 72!

Well, our day in Bologna is now history. Although all the discussion was helpful when we were actually there we modified on the fly. Train from Castel San Pietro to Bologna was quick and easy. We avoided all the hassles of walking and buses (it was one of those toasty warm days) so we took two taxis to the Escher exhibit - about 15 euros for the two fares and very easy - saw some sights as we drove. The exhibit was excellent - held all of our interests for almost two hours. There were great notes in English and the audioguide was very thorough. Very limited photography allowed which was frustrating. Stopped for cold drinks on our walk to the Quadrilatero area. Meant to eat at La Baita Formaggi but I think we ended up somewhere else even though it was the correct sign on the store front. Markets and shops were not a hit with the kids so we made a few purchases and moved to the Neptune Fountain which has special interest to us since where we live in California has a replica. Not much time there. Saw the taxi stands and changed our plans and headed back to the train station four hours earlier than planned. Kids were delighted and I think adults were as well. Train back to Castel S Pietro Terme, stop for gelato and back to our "castle on the hill" for an afternoon in the pool. We made the right choice for our group considering the high temps. Traveling with three generations required adjustments and compromises - this time everyone was a happy camper.

Thanks for the report! Great to hear how it turned out.

I look forward to hearing about your time in Ravenna.