Day 5

I've learned two interesting things about the architecture of Bologna both relate to defense. First, the porticos which dominate the streets where not built to attract tourists eight hundred years in the future. They were built because space was tight -- no one dared build outside the city walls and the cheapest way to make your house bigger was to extend it over the street and build a portico. A spandral for tourists.

Second, yes, the towers that dominate the skyline were for defense. Everyone knows that. But when you lost a fight with a neighbor you had to reduce the height of your tower. And Gert Hoftstede claims this is a heavily masculine society...

Now, on to the food! I had a wonderful lunch today with Giorgio Freddi who founded the department of political science here at the University of Bologa. Giorgio's a Berkeley grad, one of the first from Italy and a major player in the European political science community. He's also a gracious host with abundant local knowledge (see photo). He took me out to a restaurant housed in an old drugstore. It still looks like a drugstore inside with lots of bottles and containers lining the shelves. It seats maybe twelve people. As soon as we sat down, we had prosecco (Italian champagne) and a plate of meats and wonderful mozzerella.


Giorgio insisted on ordering for me and he ordered me a four cheese tortellini with shaved eggplant on top (see left). The pasta was the best I've had, but not light. I have to admit, I thought, wow, what a lunch -- drinks, meats, cheese, pasta, bread, and Panne water (only the best with Giorgio). What was perhaps best about the meal was that the place was filled with older Italian men, some in their nineties at least. I was hanging with the home boys.


And then, just when I was ready to leave out pops the waiter with a plate of green vegetables and oven baked potatoes, which were nothing special except for this outrageously rich, nap inducing vegetable flan with bechamel sauce. Boy, did I need that!!

Knowing I wouldn't eat much dinner, I splurged and sat alone at one of the trendiest cafes in bologna (and me the only person not wearing black). I had a small plate of hard cheese and 10cl of red wine. Twenty euros! (ouch).

The good news is that I may have room for gelato in an hour. But which place? And which flavor?

Answers:
(a) The fancy place downtown that looks like it's run by the Swiss
(b) a mix of chocolate and pistachio.

Oh my. Oh my. Jenna, Orrie and Cooper. Come soon!!