Bologna

[Heart of Northern]

Girlfriend and myself thinking about a long weekend away here.

Looks like a beautiful city.

 

Thinking about end of May. We had a look at average temperature etc so realise it'll not be scorchio but that's not a problem.

 

Just looking for the usual little insights from the P&B masses that maybe aren't in the guide books.

Cheers

[Richey Edwards]

I have heard that their sausages are quite good. Never tried them myself.

[Richey Edwards]

Probably a load of baloney.

[Heart of Northern]

Link?

[centralTon]

Beautiful medieval city, was there in July this year. Most touristy things, Due Torre, Piazza Maggiore, Neptune statue, Basilica San Pietro are all near each other, so easy to get to and generally an easy city to navigate. Our favourite place to eat was La Prosciutteria, mixed selection of meats, cheeses, fruit, salad, bread and spreads from 10 euros per couple, but being the gastronomic heart of Italy, restaurants are plentiful and really good for the most part. Tortellini, lasagne, tagliatelle ragu all originate from here and should be tried along with the Sangiovese wine. We stayed in the Hotel De La Gare near Bologna Centrale, which was handy for us as we were going to other places in Italy by train.

[Heart of Northern]

Beautiful medieval city, was there in July this year. Most touristy things, Due Torre, Piazza Maggiore, Neptune statue, Basilica San Pietro are all near each other, so easy to get to and generally an easy city to navigate. Our favourite place to eat was La Prosciutteria, mixed selection of meats, cheeses, fruit, salad, bread and spreads from 10 euros per couple, but being the gastronomic heart of Italy, restaurants are plentiful and really good for the most part. Tortellini, lasagne, tagliatelle ragu all originate from here and should be tried along with the Sangiovese wine. We stayed in the Hotel De La Gare near Bologna Centrale, which was handy for us as we were going to other places in Italy by train.

Thanks for all that. [emoji106]

[centralTon]

1 hour ago, Heart of Northern said:

Thanks for all that.

No probs. Going back to Italy next July. Flying to Treviso with my wife, my dad, my son and his gf. Train to Vevice, bus to Jesolo, week in an an apartment, train to Verona, weekend in Verona. Son and gf are gonnae explore Venice, me Mrs. cT and my 81 year old dad are having a day out in Bologna.

[Enigma]

What’s it like getting a train from Bologna to Florence. Looks like it should be a piece of cake. I like the look of Bologna, and there are cheap direct flights available from Edinburgh, and the girlfriend is keen on visiting Florence.

[Heart of Northern]

What’s it like getting a train from Bologna to Florence. Looks like it should be a piece of cake. I like the look of Bologna, and there are cheap direct flights available from Edinburgh, and the girlfriend is keen on visiting Florence.

Looks simple enough.

[DiegoDiego]

12 hours ago, Enigma said:

What’s it like getting a train from Bologna to Florence. Looks like it should be a piece of cake. I like the look of Bologna, and there are cheap direct flights available from Edinburgh, and the girlfriend is keen on visiting Florence.

I took a train from Bologna to Florence a couple of years ago. Well, I was supposed to but it broke down in Modena so I ended up there instead. Not my first disappointing Italian train experience.

I really enjoyed Bologna. I was there in February and some snow still lay. It's got the oldest university in Europe and to me had more of a medieval feel than a renaissance one (probably down to lack of marble more than anything else), and it was far more relaxed than the likes of Milan, Turin, Genoa though the cold weather may have had a part to play.

San Marino is just down the road and worth a visit, a most curious place with lovely views. It was the only country in Europe I hadn't visited and I became the thousandth Scotsman to shake the hand of the guy who scored against England. 

The food seemed to be of higher standard than the larger cities. That is to say, there's didn't seem to be as many shitty options. Like most of Italy, prepare for very little English to be spoken, though we're all familiar enough with Italian menus these days, train stations and so on pose a bit more of an issue.

[Heart of Northern]

I took a train from Bologna to Florence a couple of years ago. Well, I was supposed to but it broke down in Modena so I ended up there instead. Not my first disappointing Italian train experience.
I really enjoyed Bologna. I was there in February and some snow still lay. It's got the oldest university in Europe and to me had more of a medieval feel than a renaissance one (probably down to lack of marble more than anything else), and it was far more relaxed than the likes of Milan, Turin, Genoa though the cold weather may have had a part to play.
San Marino is just down the road and worth a visit, a most curious place with lovely views. It was the only country in Europe I hadn't visited and I became the thousandth Scotsman to shake the hand of the guy who scored against England. 
The food seemed to be of higher standard than the larger cities. That is to say, there's didn't seem to be as many shitty options. Like most of Italy, prepare for very little English to be spoken, though we're all familiar enough with Italian menus these days, train stations and so on pose a bit more of an issue.

Cheers. Google translate might be in use a fair bit then [emoji16][emoji15]

[git-intae-thum]

Used Italian trains a good few times between Florence, Venice, Rome etc.

They are far superior to what we are used too. Faster, cleaner and more spacious. Similar to the French TGV.

Oh...they are also much much cheaper than our shitty trains.

A really good way to get around Italy.

[Ya Bezzer!]

Yeah, have traveled the length and breadth of Italy on trains.  With the exception of Sicily where it's quicker to walk, Italian trains are pretty good.  Better than here although sometimes, at big stations like Termini, it can be pretty chaotic actually finding your train as they give you about a 1 minute 15 second window between announcing the platform and the train leaving.

When I first went to Italy it was a very cheap way to travel but prices seem to have have gone up in recent times so that it's probably broadly equivalent to UK prices if you want to get a fast train.

The big red trains that look like Formula 1 cars are pretty cool.

Note - Remember to stamp ticket before going on train or you will be shot in the head and dumped out a window on to a gravel embankment.

[DiegoDiego]

Italian trains vary massively depending on which type you get. Yes, the best are very good, but you pay for it. I just checked and the next train from Bologna to Florence is €34 for a 35 minute 118km journey. Glasgow to Edinburgh is €14.20 for a 52m 80km journey.

The decent trains only serve the biggest stations. If you're looking to travel somewhere smaller than 100,000 inhabitants then you're stuck with a service not too dissimilar to an above ground version of the Glasgow Subway.

[centralTon]

1 hour ago, DiegoDiego said:

Italian trains vary massively depending on which type you get. Yes, the best are very good, but you pay for it. I just checked and the next train from Bologna to Florence is €34 for a 35 minute 118km journey. Glasgow to Edinburgh is €14.20 for a 52m 80km journey.

The decent trains only serve the biggest stations. If you're looking to travel somewhere smaller than 100,000 inhabitants then you're stuck with a service not too dissimilar to an above ground version of the Glasgow Subway.

We were accosted by a woman at Bologna Centrale in July trying to sell us single tickets to Venice Santa Lucia for 80 euros for a 2 hour, 131 km journey. However, we got them from a machine in the station for 12.50 euros.