We have been very busy trying to fit in all the places we still want to see with only a little time left.

We have ventured up into the Dolomites again…sorry more photos and Greg is loving it!. We went to our usual Sunday morning at “Nettis” , and the waitress (who served us the week before) came across and said to us ” dua cappuchinis and dua broiches grand pistache?”. We must be locals now! But we disappointed her and had something different!

 

After breakie we continued onwards and upwards , as did thousands of others….. note to self……DO NOT GO FOR A DRIVE IN THE MOUTAINS ON SUNDAYS! Every time we drive up , even on the same road, we notice something different, so of course we need to stop and take photos! Some villages have the backdrop of the Dolomites at their doorstep and it is stunning scenery.

We eventually found our destination , the gorgeous Lake Braies , known as the “Pearl of the Dolomite Lakes”.

Greg was keen to go and “row row row his boat” but Rhonda decided a nice walk halfway round the Lake and a coffee was a better option.

 

Lucky we were there early as by the time we left , at around noon, you could hardly move. We stopped another Lake , Lago di Landro Durrensee,  (below)which wasn’t quite as crowded but still lots of people around.

 

The next day the weather report was good , so off we went again, yep , up the mountains! Sorry more photos. We love the churches that all stand on hills with the mountains in the background. They even have car parks to pull in off the road to take photos.

We drove to Cortina d’Ampezzo and took the Gondola up to the top of Mount Floria, at an altitude of 2123 metres. It was bloody spectacular , a photographers dream!

Going up we had great views of Cortina but the vista of the mountains at the top was absolutely stunning.

 

Everywhere we looked , our reaction was “WOW”. There was still a little snow or ice on the ground but wasn’t as cold as we thought it may have been.

We began to walk upwards again but Rhonda “piked out” (she blamed it on the high altitude!!!!)

 

We spent a fabulous 3 hours at the top and enjoyed every minute. Cortina hosted the 1956 Winter Olympics , and the ski jump is still on the outskirts of the town. They are hoping to host again in 2026!

We had a great 2 day / 1 night trip to Bologna, not only to see the city but to taste the great food. It is lovingly referred to as La Grassa, or “the fat” , so it is compulsory to eat , eat eat, and we did!!! Photos to follow! We stayed in a fantastic small hotel which was situated in the Quadrilatero area , the narrow winding streets of the old city market.

 

The fruit and vege stalls were amazingly colourful , although the fish stalls would not pass our health standards, fish sitting in the sun , on ice , not refridgerated!

We checked out the Anatomical Theatre, which is in the Worlds Oldest University! The “marble slab” in the centre of the room was the “dissection table” where in the 1600’s dissections of the human body took place for the students.

The room was heavily bombed in WW11 but was reconstructed immediately after re using all the original wooded sculptures recovered from the rubble.

 

The antique Lecture rooms have been transformed into a library holding antique books with many Coats of Arms decorating the walls.

 

 

The main square is Piazza Maggiore. In 1390 the Basilica of San Petronio was designed to be the largest church in the world , however the Pope at the time decided it was not going to be , and to this day it is still not completed and the marble exterior only goes halfway!

 

The Palazzo Communale is Bologna’s City Hall and also home to 2 museums. The Fountain of Neptune also takes pride of place in the Piazza!

At Bologna’s peak , the city housed over 100 towers , but today only 22 remain. The most famous of those left today is the 320 foot Asinelli Tower.

 

 

Yes you can climb the tower , 498 steps, no lift, up a steep wooded staircase for 5 euros per person. We decided our money was better spent having a beer and pizza at the Pizzeria da Torre! The pizza by the way was fantastic, almost as good as 400 Grandi!

 

 

 

We wandered up to Piazza Santo Stefano and went inside the beautiful Basilica. The complex was originally home to 7 churches , it now houses 4 dating back to the 13th century. It was extremely peaceful as well as a nice relief from the hot sun outside.

 

 

 

Of course , to us , food was important so we had to try some typical “Bolognese food” for lunch. So lunch was a piadina , which is Italian flat bread filled with ham and cheese. Yum!

 

 

Bologna’s Porticoes are UNESCO listed and unique in the world. There is over 40 kms of the sheltered archways throughout the city. Some of the original wooden ones are still visible today. We have to say it was good to have shade whilst pounding the pavement.

 

In the afternoon to “cool ourselves down” we stumbled across “the oldest bar in Bologna”. Osteria del Sole, a bar that has been operating since 1465! It was hard to find , no sign anywhere but of course we found it! Only sells vino and beer but you can BYO your own food!

Bologna also has 60 kms of largely covered canals running under the city. We had read about one viewpoint from a small window along a back street and we found it!

Dinner time , and of course we wanted traditional food again. We went to an Osteria recommended by our hotel. Our shared entrée was Tortellini in Brodo (tiny tortellini stuffed with cheese and served in a simple broth!) Yum!

Main was Tagliatelle al Ragu , again absolutely delicious!

We finished with a “shared” panacotta , however , when it was served  to us  it looked more like a crème caramel!! The chef even come out to explain to us that it was Bologna’s version of panacotta! Greg did not accept this explanation and told the chef it was a crème caramel! All in good fun though! Did we forget to mention that dinner washed down with a bottle of Italian Pinot Grigio! It was a great dinner! And obviously Greg is still searching for that perfect panacotta!

We had a great time in Bologna, walked our legs off , over 32 kms over the 2 days , but still isn’t helping the waistlines!

Sorry to tell you , there will be more mountain photos to come as we have a couple more trips planned! Only 1 week left here in Italy then it’s onto Germany! Beer photos from there!!!

So , talking of beer, it’s that time again!

Ciao ciao

Love Greg and Rhonda