Imola and Florence...Contrasting and Yet Wonderful

Even with the group in various stages of sleep deprivation due to jet lag, we were all up and ready for two different types of activities. Ken and Don were joining Claudio for a visit to his home town of Imola, while Katelyn, Shaun, Ashley and I were taking a train to Florence. So, Ken is my guest writer for his portion of the day:

While Jenine and the others took the train to Florence, Dad and I met Claudio at Porta Maggiore for a trip to the countryside. Claudio works w bro Rick at Clemson but he grew up in Imola which is about 25 miles outside of Bologna. When we arrived, we parked near a castle and walked over to the central square for lunch.

As we walked under the Portico (most of the walkways in this part of Italy are under Porticos) we passed by a very old Farmacia (Pharmacy) which, lucky for us, was open. Lining the walls were ceramic jars labeled with the contents, mostly herbs and spices, but it was all in Italian (duh) so we really couldn’t tell what was in them, but they were very artistic and quite beautiful.

Above the Farmica, Claudio pointed up to the small second floor Juliette balcony where many years ago a young lady was standing. At the same time, a young man passed by and said hello to her…and

the rest is history as it was Claudio's grandparents.

We rounded the corner to the central square and passed by another, larger balcony. It’s famous for a speech made by Mussolini to a packed crowd in the square. A video of Mussolni’s speech in Imola can be found on You Tube.

We sat at an outdoor cafe in the central square where we had lunch consisting of the five food groups eaten in Italy (cappuccino, pastry, pasta, Parmigiano-Reggiano and wine). As business was slow and we were obviously Americans the staff were very courteous and brought us first a plate of small sandwiches which we learned later is customary in Italy (order a drink and the sandwiches are free!). Then pasta, wine and an assortment of ornately decorated pastries.

Claudio’s parents joined us for the wine and pastries in the square and invited us over to their house on a nearby hillside for Prosecco (sparkling wine) and more pastries. The Ferrari test track is near their house where the roar of the race cars provides a constant reminder of the Italian craftmanship of the area.

With Claudio as a wonderful tour guide we drove up the hills outside of Imola and enjoyed a spectacular view of the rolling hills of Italy. We continued for a short drive to the small village of Dozza where we toured another castle and luxuriated in the wonderful surroundings and cool afternoon breeze. So calm and peaceful in the shade of the old trees outside the castle moat. Not a care in the world and so removed from the toxic brew of politics in the US.

Italy as it was meant to be enjoyed.... slowly, beautifully with another glass of Prosecco and wonderful companionship.

Arrivederici buon amico Claudio!

Now on to Florence with the other side of the family and back to Jenine!

Katelyn, Shaun, Ashley and I walked the 1.5k to the train station, got our tickets on the "fast" train to Florence, which took only 35 minutes. In what seemed like no time, we were wandering the small alley's of Florence. We found our way to the impressive Duomo, a massive cathedral with beautiful tile and marble on all sides.

It was time for a snack and somewhat of a game plan. We found a small square where some musicians were playing on the corner and just down a few doors was a cute little wine bar. We snagged a bottle of awesome Sangiovese, ordered some typical sandwiches made

with focaccia-type bread, parma ham and local cheese. We sat on benches outside of the shop and watched the Florentine world go by, while enjoying the wine and snacks.

We had a walking tour scheduled at 115p, which awesome as it skipped the line at both the Duomo and the Academy where MichelAngelo's David is on display. We easily found our guide Charles, who is from Brooklyn but lives in Florence and studies Italian history. There were only 9 on the tour, and we each got a small earphone which allowed us to easily hear Charles, without him having to bother those around us.

Our first stop was David, which although I had seen him before He is still impressive. Charles explained the nuances of the sculpture which was supposed to sit atop the Duomo. But, with David being

quite naked, it would have been scandalous to have him sit on top of a church. So, he was relegated to several areas, before finally being moved permanently to the Academy.

We continued the tour heading towards the Duomo, learning about the various parts of history both artistically, culturally and politically. As with David, we walked right in to the Duomo, past he insanely long line to get in and were able to see the cathedral from the inside. Unlike the outside, which is quite ornate, the inside was actually very stark, so a very interesting contrast.

From there Charles suggested a gelato and of course who can turn that down! We then headed towards the Ponte Vecchio a pedestrian bridge that crosses the river. An interesting tidbit...it was the only bridge that survived WWII, and it is believed that it was due to Mussolini inviting Hitler to visit and bringing him to the walkway at the top of the bridge for dignitaries. Hitler was impressed and the bridge survived.

After the 3 hour tour, it was time for us to get to the train to head back to Bologna. It was another quick trip and we arrived in time to meet Ken and Don after their wonderful day with Claudio.

The entire group, wandered back towards an area that had many outdoor restaurants and found one that could fit us in. Our friend Jan, who is joining on the bike trip, had also arrived in Bologna and was able to join another great dinner in Italy!