Italy. City of Bologna
What is Bologna?
Break a bunch of reference books, I never got the truth. But the English translation, as always, pleased. Bologna in the dictionary of general vocabulary is listed as follows:
1) waterproof nylon cloth - fabric, in other words;
2) light nylon raincoat - raincoat, in short.
But it’s true, except as a cloak that covers almost 400 thousand people of different nature and religion, this amazing city cannot be called.
Firstly, thousands of students from all over the world seek to get higher education in the oldest (from the 11th century) in Europe, the University of Bologna, a magnificent landmark of the city, the main merit of which is the introduction of Roman law. Back in the 13th century, up to 10.000 students fit under its wing. And, in many ways, because of the presence of so many young people, Bologna, for all its medieval fundamentality, remains bright and powdered.
Also, a curious legend says that from around the 12th century, wealthy families began to build tall towers.
And the more powerful the family had, the greater the figure of the last floor. As a result, a good hundred or even 2 hundred towers were set up, among which Le Due Torri (two towers, Garisenda and Asinelli), still symbolize the city.
Most excursions start from Piazzo Maggiore. Surrounding the square are architectural masterpieces such as the Palazzo d'Accursio (its clock tower is the local Big Ben), the Palazzo Podestà (a 14th-century courthouse) and the majestic Basilica di San Petronio with its slightly unfinished faç ade. The Fountain of Neptune is also not to be missed. Pigeons circle around it, tourists with cameras, fakirs, cellists and many others who want to join the splendor of the amazing work of the sculptor Jabologna.
From the main square, one can notice such a motley variety of visitors to Fat Bologna, once again marvel at how many masses a Big City can accommodate.
For some reason, it was there that I mostly heard native speech.
For the sake of Raphael's "Ecstasy of Santa Cecilia" and the unsurpassed "Samson the Conqueror" by Reni, hundreds of thousands of tourists also come to the National Art Gallery of Bologna. Paintings by artists of the Bologna and Emilian schools, from the 14th century to our time, such as Vitale da Bologna, Rafael, Perugino, the Carracci brothers and Guido Reni, do not tire of winning the hearts of the most picky tourists.
And the main explanation for the raincoat name of the city I want to call its bizarre architecture. Almost all houses are built with galleries, their total length reaches 40 km. These are antique wooden porticoes in houses of the Roman era, and Gothic arcades of the 14th and 15th centuries. , and arcades from the Renaissance and Baroque periods.
On Sentinel Hill, along the road leading to the Madonna di San Luca, stretches the world's longest continuous gallery with 666 arches (3.5 km).
You walk, and screaming, screaming, smoking, laughing, grinning, crying, thoughtful, serious faces, strollers, carts, chairs, shop windows flash by at the speed of a freshly drawn cartoon, where the top is outlined by an arch, and the bottom - by different-sized shoes. One of the reasons for this arched architectural technique was the rainy climate of Bologna, uncharacteristic for the whole of Italy, and by the way, thanks to which the whole world began to dress in “Bologna” raincoats and jackets.
And it is precisely to dress here most often that guests from all over the world come. Bologna is currently the largest exhibition center in Italy. Every year a lot of different exhibitions and seminars are held here, where one of the leading European exhibition companies, Bologna Fiere, is the organizer...
So the dream came true.
I got to the dream city, the city in which Rossini staged 12 of his premieres and in which Wagner first showed the world his Lohegrin. Bologna is the birthplace of many great people; in which the artists Francia, Primaticce, three Carracci, Domenichino, Guido Reni, Albani, Cardinal Albertini, who later became pope under the name of Benedict XIV, Cardinal Mezzofanti, who was in charge of the Bologna Library for many years and allegedly spoke 42 languages, and many scientists were born , with the famous Galvani at the head, who made his experiments on electricity here. True, not all words and names say something significant and familiar to many people, but I can say for sure - this city smells of a cherished centuries-old history, with all its ups and downs, with all its changes.
