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Friday, October 28, 2005

Bologna - Day 1

Is it a bit of a worry that the station doesn't have one but two McDonalds?

Just as planned my hotel is right opposite the station so all I have to do is cross the road. Must say that the room is probably one of the more luxurious ones of this trip - the whole hotel is very nice and recently refurbished by the looks of it.

As it's time for lunch I decide to kill two birds with one stone - check out my surroundings while scouting a place to eat. Just armed with my camera phone I take off.

If you think of the old centre of Bologna as being a circle and in the very centre is the Church, then I am on the outside ring. It's a fairly straight walk down one of the major roads (via dell'Indipendenza)

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I do find a place for lunch in a side street - everything is made fresh to order and there's no English menu (always a good sign)! I decide on something classically Italian but not too heavy

lunch

How wonderfully fresh - buffalo mozzarella, ripe tomatoes and lettuce, with a do it yourself drizzle of great extra virgin olive oil and a generous basket full of assorted breads.

After lunch I continue onto the main square, Piazza Maggiore.

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The centrepiece of the Piazza is the Basilica di San Petronio:

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To one side is a smaller Piazza - where you'll find the Fontana di Nettuno (Fountain of Neptune)

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There is one thing that has struck me about Bologna - in the short walk from my hotel to the piazza I've gone past at least 5 of these

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How very disappointing.

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