David and Daryl's Travel Blog, 2015: First Two Days in Bologna

Laura, the Air-bnb owner, met us at our accommodation. She spoke English well and was very friendly and welcoming. She had this wonderful map on the wall in the kitchen to help visitors:

It was very hot when we arrived. This time of the year is typically mid-20s, but we copped mid-30s. But we soldiered on and walked our legs off. Fortunately, the city is full of these wonderful porticos which provided relief from the direct sun.

Someone you know?

Gariboldi (a senior officer during World War II).

We know the city is old, but every time we turned a corner and saw more buildings like these, we were in awe.

It was difficult taking photographs because the sun was very bright and that made the shadows very dark.

This is our approach to Piazza del Nettuno (Neptune Square) ...

... and here's Neptune himself (the one on top of the fountain, in case you're confused)

Piazza del Nettuno leads directly into the huge Piazza Maggiore. This square is usually full of people. But as you can see, it was almost empty because of the intense heat. On the far side of the square (from this view) you can see the ginormous Basilica of San Petronio. It dominates the square. The first stone was laid in 1390.

The police and the army were there for security.

Inside the Basilica, which is the 15th largest church in the world.

The vault reachers 45 metres inside and 51 metres in the facade.

There is a meridian line which was inlaid in the paving of the left aisle in 1655. At midday, a small hole inside this sun dial on the ceiling lets a beam of light hit the meridian line on the floor. It indicates the day of the year and accurately determines the length of the solar year. It was designed by the famous astronomer Cassini, who was teaching at the Bologna University. It was amazingly accurate for its time.

Another side of the Piazza Maggiore

We continued wondering around the area, keeping to the shade whenever possible.

The occasional gelato .....

Here's a new way of stacking take-wary coffee cups:

This shop made us think we were back in Paris

These two medieval towers provide a major landmark. In the Middle Ages, there were over 100 of them. It is believed that the richest families built them for prestige and/or defence.

Many have been demolished and others have simply collapsed. I suspect the one in the foreground here could collapse any day! I'm happy to have seen it before it disappears.