Bologna

Bologna has been on my mind a lot this past week. Bologna, as in the lovely city in Italy, in the Emila-Romagna region not the deli meat by the same name, which we call baloney. As an aside, if you haven't tried the Italian version, Mortadella, you are missing some of the best bologna there is. Just my 2 cents. So back to the city of Bologna which I last visited in 20008 and covered in my blog, Simpson Italy 08. Bologna is famous for its food, including the ever controversial multiple versions of ragu bolognese, wonderful light lasagna verde, and tortelinni en brodo (in broth). The Bolognesi are passionate about their food and one of the nicknames for the city is "la grassa", the fat, although they are not fat. It is also known for the University of Bologna, one of the oldest in the world and a city of free thought, hence another nickname, "la dotta", the learned. The third nickname for Bologna is "la rossa", the red, for the left leaning politics of the city. During my visit I had the pleasure of sampling many of the outstanding dishes of the area. I also walked the halls of the University, if not the same halls as Dante, then at least the same street, Via Zamboni. Neat, I say. 


There is a two-fold reason for thinking about Bologna. First the recently made and consumed Lamb Ragu. Second, the current book club choice, The Broker, by John Grisham in which a significant portion of the story is based in Bologna. I found the story captivating, probably more so for me due to the locale and the occasional Italian language. It was fast-paced and easy-to-read as is typical with Grisham. The book brought back many memories of my visit.

Time to leave Bologna. Next stop? Who knows, but stay tuned. I am sure there will be another trip or a fond memory somewhere in the near future.


That's all I'm Saying