¡Italia! Bologna

Getting to Bologna was definitely not the easiest task of our trip in Italy. We thought it would be - sit on a train for a few hours, then get off at the Bologna stop, right? WRONG.

View from the train of the Italian country side

We took a long distance Italian train from Rome to Bologna, passing through the Tuscany area and Florence. It was gorgeous and very relaxing after the past few busy days in Rome, or so we thought. The train first stopped in Florence, about 2 hours into the trip, for 10 minutes. More people got on so we ended up having to move a couple cars down, not a big deal. Again, wrong. It ended up being a VERY big deal. 30 minutes later, at the stop in Bologna, we got up when everyone else did and headed back to the car with our luggage, then noticed the doors close. We tried to get the conductor to stop the train, but instead he told us to sit down and just get off at the next stop, it was our only option. Four of us sat down, defeated, and realized that one girl managed to get off the train with her luggage within the 2 minute stop, without us.

40 minutes later, we got off at some random small town in Italy and ran to the train that would take us to Bologna. It turns out that this train was a short distance train, and instead of just another 40 minutes back to Bologna, it would take 2 hours. Total nightmare. To top it all off, when the train came there weren't any seats and people were literally squeezing into the doorway, shoving everyone so they could fit. My luggage almost didn't make it, so I shoved my friends (woops), managed to get everything on, and the train took off. The first hour or so we barely had room to stand with two feet on the floor, and the last 30 minutes we finally got seats. Side note, the weekend we were in Italy was the start of Carnaval, which is basically Europe's Mardi Gras. There were random people on the short distance train that were dressed up or had face paint, and all had been drinking. So at least the train was entertaining! There was one guy dressed up as a bloody cat...

When we FINALLY made it to Bologna, our 5th friend had time to shower, nap, and find a good place to eat, so we spent the evening at this whole in the wall Pizzeria that had the best wine and amazing pasta. The staff felt bad for us and didn't speak a word of English so they ended up bringing us lots of free food and drinks. It was a hectic day but a great night, so all was well in Bologna. We tried to find a place that was showing the Super Bowl that night, but the best we could come up with was our hotel room. Sadly for me, all the advertisements were Italian and I didn't get to live up my advertising life :(

Tiny TV for the Super Bowl :(

Bologna is where Tortellini, Lasagna, and Bolognese sauce were invented, so that is what everyone got at all the meals. The tortellini alla bolognese was to die for!

Tortellini alla Bolognese

The next day, our last day in Italy, was very relaxed. We started the day with lunch, wandered around the University, which is the oldest University in Italy, and did a little shopping. Bologna is a fairly small town, so we got a great feel for the authentic Italian life. Later we had crepes filled with gelato and topped with nutella (cardiac arrest, but NOMZ), and stopped by the hotel to get suggestions for dinner. Clearly, our priorities were straight in Bologna.

University of Bologna

For dinner we went to a restaurant called Bolognese - how original. It was underground and probably one of the fancier places we ate at in Italy. The food was superb and the perfect last dinner to have in the trip. We finished off the night at an Erasmus party to check out the University bar scene. Much different than Madrid or Rome due to the small town, but everyone in the bar was having a great time jamming to American classics.

Bologna is definitely the place to go if you want really good food and a relaxing environment. I can't wait to go back to Italy some day!