Walking past the picture painted on the grating shown in the photo above, I could not help but wonder if there was a shop of some kind right behind it, and just what it was they could possibly sell.  I have said this before, and I am going to say it again: Walking the streets…

Throughout its history, Bologna has been circled by three different sets of walls.  We stumbled upon what is considered to be a portion of the third set of defensive walls, built between 1327 and 1390. The Santuario del Corpus Domini is on Via Tagliapietre, #23.  It dates from the 14th century, but the building was…

You will find the Caserma Enrico Cialdini, or the Enrico Cialdini Barracks, on Via Urbana, #8.  The building dates from 1486, when it was the seat of the Cinobio delle Clarisse di Santa Caterina de’ Vigri.  The space was taken over by Napoleon’s army from 1812 through 1816, who used it as barracks.  In 1866,…

Bologna is lined with porticoes.  In inclement weather, one can walk from one end of the city to the other, only getting wet when crossing the streets.  Some of the porticoes also have art in the form of frescoes, painted in their lunettes.  I always feel blessed, whenever I am lucky enough to see them,…

In the middle of the street, in Piazza Malpighi, you will find the Colonna dell’Immacolata.  The copper statue of the Madonna, at the top of the column, dates from 1638, and is the work of the artist, Giovanni Tedeschi, based on a design by Guido Reni. Approaching the Basilica di San Francesco, at the edge…