…it’s n-e-v-e!

(la neve = “snow”)

Ciao tutti,

That’s right. For the past week, la neve has been the name of the game here in Bologna. With the arrival of February came the onset of seemingly endless snow. Starting last Tuesday, it snowed about thirty hours straight before finally taking a break for the weekend. However, the snow has started again today and we are expected to get another big storm this weekend.

I’ve heard this is the most snow Bologna has received since 1985 (at least for February). I don’t doubt it… it’s all i Bolognesi (people from Bologna) seem to be able to talk about. So far, from what I can tell and from what I’ve heard, we’ve received about 75 cm of snow (about 2.5 ft). And it’s only going to increase, what with this projected snow storm this weekend.

Classes at UniBo (the University of Bologna) were canceled Thursday and Friday of last week, as well as Monday and Tuesday of this week. What’s more is that a couple of the BCSP classes have also been delayed because of the snow.

(SIDE NOTE: While I’m studying abroad here in Bologna, I will be taking classes both at the University of Bologna as well as classes offered through the BCSP program. Both types of classes are taught in Italian. The main difference is that while the BCSP courses follow a more “American” style of teaching with regular homework and exams, the UniBo classes are strictly “Italian” in that there is no regular homework and usually the only grade you receive for the class is from an oral exam with the professor at the end of the semester.)

Although it’s been nice to relax and not worry about classes, I’m starting to get bored. I was kind of looking forward to classes starting to at least give me something to do! It would be one thing if we could travel during this time, but most of the trains are delayed or canceled completely. This is especially a problem for this weekend, as many of us were thinking about heading to Venice for Carnival. Hopefully we’ll end up going, but with the projected storm this weekend, it seems unlikely L Luckily, Carnival in Venice continues next weekend, so fingers crossed for better weather then!

The snow has also affected the inventory of a lot of stores here in Bologna, especially grocery stores and supermarkets. Farmers and distributers haven’t been able to get their goods into the city, so many meat and produce sections of grocery stores and supermarkets here have become barren. However, with the break in snow this past weekend, shipments of goods have started coming in again.

The other major factor of the snow is the cold that it brings! I went to Mass at San Petronio (the main basilica in Piazza Maggiore) on Sunday and even with a few heat lamps that were scattered among the pews, the huge stone structure just radiated cold throughout the entire service. I felt like an icicle. Furthermore, biting winds have made it hard and a little undesirable to walk through the city. However, I’m glad that I live in the land of porticos, which offer great shelter from rain and snow. The down side is that the ground underneath these porticos has become extremely slippery, as people enter with wet and snowy feet. Therefore, it can become pretty dangerous walking under the porticos if you’re not careful.

I know the majority of this post so far has seemed a little negative, but in general, the snow hasn’t been too terrible. I’ve enjoyed seeing the city under a blanket of white, and it’s made for some great stories and photos. See for yourself:

Across from my apartment. The beginning of the snow...

The same parked cars two days later.

The statue of Garibaldi on Via dell'Independenza

Piazza Maggiore at nighttime, covered in snow

An empty meat section at a supermarket on my street

A view of the terrace and courtyard from my kitchen

View from my bedroom window

The streetlamp outside my bedroom

 Most people stuck their windshield wipers out like this. I guess they knew 

the snow was coming and that their cars would be buried for a while!

A sad day for bicycles in Bologna...

...and for motorcycles/vespas

I guess someone wasn't too happy about the snow!

Ciao for now,

Augusto

...it's M-i-l-a-n-o!

M I L A N O

Ciao tutti,

My most recent viaggio was to the great city of Milan, the weekend before last. Taking the train there was easy enough. In fact, there was a “buy two tickets for the price of one” deal with Trenitalia’s Fast Train, so we were able to get to Milan in only about an hour (as opposed to around 3 to 4 hours, if traveling by normal train).

Once we got to the city, we were greeted by cold weather, grey skies, and a constant drizzle. Not the most picturesque Italian scene. Still, we were there and we were going to make the best of it. In fact, I think the hostel where we were staying put us all in better spirits. This place was called Zebra Hostel, and it was exactly like it sounds. Everywhere you look there was zebra print. And all of the rooms were decorated in bright primary and pastel colors. It was just the perfect amount of ridiculousness that we needed. Take a look:

Before we could do anything else, however, we needed to get some food. Because we wanted to see Milan’s Duomo right after we ate, we decided to walk towards there and find a restaurant close by. We started walking… and kept walking… and kept walking. You see, we were so used to walking everywhere we go because Bologna (as well as Florence and Parma) is a very walkable city. Milan, being the second largest city in Italy behind Rome, is not. But we persevered and found a good ristorante right by the Duomo. And it worked out great: I had a delicious plate of spaghetti alla carbonara and even better, we made friends with the maitre d’s dog, Estelle! She was great – a champion sleeper in her own right, and super friendly once she was awake. I miss her already.

Estelle, taking a snooze

My BCSP friend Sam saying hello to Estelle

After lunch and saying goodbye to Estelle, we explored the Duomo. This cathedral (both the exterior and the interior) is massive and incredibly ornate. It’s a shame the sun wasn’t shining brighter that day, because it would have been great to see the cathedral lit up inside with the incredible stained glass windows. Nevertheless, artificial light adequately lights up the nave of the cathedral, and overall, the Duomo is pretty spectacular inside. It’s easy to get lost in its greatness.

The exterior facade

The nave looking at the altar

The back of the Duomo, notice the beautifully designed marble floor

Inside the Duomo. A statue depicting St. Bartholomew, who is said to have been skinned alive

After the Duomo, we spent the evening shopping, eating, and walking (so much walking!) We were exhausted when we finally returned to Zebra Hostel, but we enjoyed our night there, what with there being twelve of us in one room, bunk-bed style like summer camp. It was a lot of fun. The next morning, we got up early to head over to La Scala, a famous theatre and opera house in Milan known for (among other things) hosting the premieres of several of Verdi’s famous operas. It was incredible inside, and I’m very glad took the opportunity to see it:

One of the upper level Galleries of La Scala

Il Teatro alla Scala. We think they might be preparing for Aida,
based on the Egyptian-looking props being constructed

A few of us then headed back to the Duomo to climb it! All the cimbing I did in Florence definitely prepared me well. Despite the overcast weather, there were some great views of Milan from the top of the Duomo, and it was very cool to see the detailed design of the Duomo up close.

Gargoyle

The statues perched on the delicate pillars that sprout
from the Duomo, looking out over the city of Milan

Almost at the top! The outdoor portion of the climb.
A view of the walkway under the flying buttresses
along the side of the Duomo, about 3/4 of the way up

A bird's-eye view of the Piazza del Duomo

Overall, I had a great time in Milan. I will admit it's not my favorite city in Italy (it’s a bit too large, too industrial, and not as picturesque for my taste), but I do not regret my trip there. I enjoyed the Duomo and La Scala very much, and I had a blast taking over the Zebra Hostel with my BCSP buddies!

It was nice to return to Bologna, which is starting to feel more and more like home J

Ciao for now,

Augusto

…it’s P-a-r-m-a!

P A R M A

Ciao tutti,

After Florence, the next viaggio on which I embarked was a day trip to Parma. Besides being beautiful and historical, this Emilia-Romagna town is known for two things: prosciutto and Parmesan (known in the region as Parmagiano-Reggiano). This cheese is unbelievably good, and there’s just nothing like it back home. Another fantastic cheese of the region is called Pecorino, and it is just as good as (if not better than) Parmagiano-Reggiano. I could go on and on about these amazing cheeses, but I’ll let you look for yourself:

Parmagiano-Reggiano

Certified Prosciutto di Parma!

Some prosciutto sandwiches

Okay, back to my actual trip to Parma. We took a train early afternoon from Bologna and arrived in Parma in about an hour. On our walk from the Parma station to the city center, we passed the Palazzo della Pilotta which sits on the Piazza della Pace (Plaza of Peace). This palace used to cover the entire piazza but much of it was destroyed by Allied bombings during WWII. Also situated in the piazza is a monument dedicated to famous Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi, as well as a monument of the “Italian partisan” conquering fascism. It is an interesting Piazza, indeed, with apparently a lot of history behind it. If only I had more time to learn about it!

The monument of the Partisan, with the Palazzo della Pilotta behind it.
You can see where the palace was bombed.

The Verdi monument on the Piazza della Pace, with the palace behind it.

We didn’t stay long at the Piazza della Pace. We continued on towards the city center, eventually arriving at the main cathedral of the city. Although it isn’t much from the outside, the inside of the cathedral was spectacular.

The outside of the Parma Cathedral

Inside, the nave and decorative ceiling

Detail of the artwork along the nave ceiling

One of the side-chapels dedicated to St. Anthony of Padua

The Baptistry, just outside the Parma Cathedral

Walking through Parma, I couldn’t help but enjoy the charm and tranquility of the streets there:

As we moved through the peaceful and beautiful Parma streets, we passed multiple shops with great displays of meats and cheeses.  We found a great restaurant called Tiffany’s (I suggested we should go back there sometime for breakfast) to stop and have an early dinner, and I must admit it was one of the best meals I have had so far in Italy.

A little vino...

A little tortellini alla panna...

A meat and cheese plate with prosciutto, salame, Parmagiano-Reggiano, e Pecorino...

...the perfect meal!

After dinner, on our way back to the train station, we found a pasticciera with some delicious chocolates inside! It was the perfect ending to a great day. 

Loving my way through Italy, one city at a time.

Ciao for now,

Augusto