If you want to visit Italy for its archeological splendor go to Rome. I f
you want to spend all day inside a museum with other English speakers go to
Florence. But if you’re looking to mingle with some friendly locals,
choose Bologna. Nicknames such as La
Dotta, La Grassa and La Rossa, help to explain some about the
culture of the city.
La Dotta, literally “the learned” relates to the city’s
rich academic tradition. The
University of Bologna founded in 1088, is the oldest in Europe. That's
right 1088 no typo. It’s the same
university that hosted such notables as Dante and Petrarch.
Literary enthusiasts might also be pleased to know that the University
counts Umberto Eco, author of The Name of the Rose as one of its faculty
members. In the field of law and
arts the University of Bologna is the most prestigious in Italy, while its
engineering program is not too shabby either. Apart from academics Bologna
is a very important commercial center, and home to many high-end industries.
Among the industries that call Bologna home is my personal favorite
Ducati, but more on that later.
La Grassa, “the fat” refers to Bologna’s rich culinary
tradition. As the capital of
Romagna, a region considered to be the gastronomic center of Italy, Bologna is
home to many dishes that have found their way around the world.
Things such as lasagna, tortellini, ragù, and mortadella hardly need to
be translated. Where else, as they
are keen to say, can you “eat like a horse and drink like a sponge”?
The city’s
third commonly used nickname, La Rossa, alludes to one of two things.
Guides are quick to tell you it gets its name from the red roofs and
brick architecture, but from the city’s leftist political tendencies the other
meaning is quite apparent. One
rousing rendition of “Bandiera Rossa” or “Bella Ciao” in the main piazza
is sure to put even the most affirmed fascist into the proletarian spirit.
Still you’re probably wondering for the real reason
I went to Bologna, and that of course is for the friendly locals.
Home to the oldest and one of the largest universities in Europe, Bologna
has always been home to a rather bohemian atmosphere; and rightly so considering
over a quarter of its 400,000 inhabitants are university students. While
the face of Italy, and Western Europe in general is becoming increasingly older, Bologna
is somewhat of rarity with its young and vibrant population.
As far as nightlife goes Bologna is without a doubt number one in Italy.
In Italy it is known as la città del gaudente, or "the city of
the pleasure seeker." Its other famous attributes the "three
Ts", which are no less flattering: torre, tette e tortellini.
I'll leave the translation of that up to you. Certainly many of
your less worldly friends have been quick to associate bacchanalian excesses
with a country like Ireland or even Germany, but that’s only because they
haven’t seen the likes of Bologna. When
wine is cheaper than Coca-Cola how can you go wrong?
As the ancients quipped “in vino veritas”, and accordingly I
set out in a little truth seeking mission of my own.
If you have any questions, are interested in going to Bologna, or just want to chat it up in Italian email me at trbailey@uiuc.edu