Beautiful Beginning

Sunday was our first full day in Italy, and what a perfect day it was.

We dawdled over breakfast and took our time getting ready. Near noon, we walked out to the Porta Saragozza, one of the many gates into the old city dating from the Middle Ages. We sat on a bench and soaked up some sun for a few minutes before our friends Cinzia and Sergio came to pick us up for a drive into the countryside for Sunday lunch.

N.B. Sunday lunch is very important in Italy. Restaurants are packed as families and friends get together for big meals and long conversations.

Sergio's sister Manuela and her partner, Luca, are the proprietors of an agriturismo north of Bologna, near the small town of Granarolo dell'Emilia. (Luca also makes dog sleds.) We arrived around 1 and the place was packed with a lively crowd. There was much chatting about the menu of the day, as Cinzia and Sergio explained all the possibilities. (Our dictionaries got a real workout: Cinzia knows some English, Terri and I know a little Italian, Sergio knows a little English.) In the end, it was too difficult to decide so we got plates of all the primi piatti and shared them around. That was followed by a big platter of crescentine, hot squares of puffy fried bread, accompanied by prosciutto, pancetta, salumi, and cheeses. We eventually finished it all and left around 4, feeling very satisfied and full and happy about life.

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As we were driving back into town, Sergio had the excellent idea of driving up into the hills to San Michele di Bosco, a church and hospital complex overlooking Bologna. The timing was perfect: the sun was setting, the sky was blue and pink, and the lights of the city were spread before us.

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After leaving San Michele, Sergio found a parking spot just outside the city walls. We strolled up Via Santo Stefano, blending into the evening passeggiatta as all of Bologna seemed to be out and about. In Piazza Maggiore, we joined the crowd watching Beppe Maniglia play his guitar, as he has been doing for over 30 years.

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At last it was time to say goodbye. There were fond farewells all around and promises to share photos and stories and talk of the next time we'd all get together.

Here's the trip photos I've posted on Flickr.