"Bologna" Bologna by nichole_521

My first Italian city – Bologna. Bologna is positioned in northern Italy and is the capital of the Emilia-Romagna region. At first sight this city was not beautiful in the sense of the world, but rather Bologna was a beautiful feeling with wide streets that suddenly turned narrow, crazy traffic, tiny ally ways plumped full of produce merchants, gelato stands sprinkled throughout, old buildings with grand doorways and Italians who loved being Italians.

First I must elaborate on the produce stands because they really were beautiful in every sense of the word. Stands were every where and sold the most stunning peaches, grapes, figs and oranges along with vegetables and nuts – think almonds and hazelnuts. Meats and cheeses lined the streets. Fresh pastas (not frozen) made their debut in windows of tiny shops. This presented to me such a different way to grocery shop, such a different way to eat. Many of the street vendors and stores closed between 2:00-5:00 and opened back up in the evening.

While in Bologna we enjoyed time in the city square, listened and watched the people go by, played cards in the park, excited our mouths with meat, cheese and creamy ice cream and felt what it was like to be in Italy. I liked Bologna for the feeling it gave me. I felt like it was the least touristy city that I visited even though I did not visit many. Highly recommend a visit to this city for a night or two.