After 6 days in Ireland and 12 days in Italy, it's time to head home, via Dublin.

 Arrivederci, Bologna...

Over the Italian Alps...

Hello Ireland...

time for one last one on Irish soil....

We leave Ireland under a wee bit of rain...

clears up a bit for one last look at the Emerald Isle...

starting to feel like home...

The Canadian Rockies....

and, back home...and now writing this in December, we loved Italy.  And contemplating a return trip...probably further south, to Puglia...let the planning begin!  And the blog!

October 2, 2019

A day of rain.  As in our one full day in Venice, it would rain most of this day, our only full day in Bologna.

At times it rained hard, so might as well stop for coffee to wait it out at the Caffe Mercato....

but then there's always the thunder!

But we still enjoyed walking around, especially strolling through the Quadrilatero, the historic centre of Bologna and a market area since the middle ages, with shops full of fish, produce, meat, cheese, and more.

blue crab....

We bought a kilo of parmesan for 20 Euros, about $30cdn, or $3/100grams....brought it home and froze it.  It's now mid-December and we are still enjoying it, much more moist than anything we've bought at home, wonderful!

All together now, guys....

Even coffee from Costa Rica!

Now that's some mortadella!

369 euros...for bowling shoes???!!!  ah, ok, it includes a matching belt (close to $550Cdn)...I know, they're not bowling shoes.

 

Bologna's porticos come in handy in the rain...

Santo Stefano Basilica...parts of it remain from the 5th century...

porticos here too...

then to the Torre del Asinelli...the tallest leaning medieval tower in the world, from the early 1100s...only 498 steps to the top...but it's raining so the view wouldn't be worth it right...well that's our story anyway...

Back to Piazza Maggiore, though there would be no magical musical moment in the rain...we go into the Basilica di San Petronio...with its magnificent cross over the altar...

the subdued beauty of stained glass...

the massive front door....

one of its 22 interior chapels...

then Cattedrale di San Pietro...

Ok, I took Latin in high school...let me see....Zucchini???...there's a zucchini back there?  must be some special Zucchini...

Then after an enjoyable dinner at the modest-looking Ristorante Da Lucia...

time to head back to our hotel...we have a flight back to Dublin the next day.

October 1, 2019

The first day of October brings a lovely sunrise over the Adriatic, and would include a magical moment in Bologna as our vacation starts to wind down.

Coffee on the balcony....

and breakfast...one of 3 large buffet tables....the always-present breakfast pastries....

but fruit and yogurt and cereal, and cheese and ham...

And so, on full stomachs, we leave the Rimini sunshine and the lovely Hotel de Londres....

it had this nice little pool with a terrific view but no time to enjoy it unfortunately....

It's a routine drive to Bologna and the view from the Nuovo Hotel del Porto and not quite as spectacular in Rimini...

Bologna is well-known for its food, and porticos, which are everywhere...

 

and of course some terrific ancient architecture...

but very much marred by a modern big-city problem...

But it's a warm sunny afternoon in the Piazza Maggiore...so we stop at the Bar Vittorio for a prosecco...or two...

The Bar Vittorio is by the two porticos on the left...

and this is our view.....

but the highlight on the Piazza....a magical moment for us...is watching and listening to those excellent two musicians - one with a saxophone, the other with a tuba - playing some classical and classic music...quite possibly the highlight of our stay in Italia...





Adjacent to Bar Vittorio is the Neptune statue & fountain....

And after dark...an imposing shadow...

Piazza Maggiore after dark...

Then back through porticos to the hotel to end our day....the next day would be our last full day in Italia...