24 October 2015 - Towering over Bologna

We did school this morning even though it is Saturday as we wiped a couple of days of the school week by travelling earlier on and exhausting travel it was, too!  I still feel we are chasing our tails a bit trying to keep on or ahead of schedule for school so the kids can pretty much finish up their academic years before we leave Europe so we can all have a break before touching Australian soil again.  A holiday without school would be excellent.  As we keep telling ourselves, travelling for a year isn't a holiday, it is a lived experience and the two are very different.

The tower within the tower...and this wasn't the narrowest part of the only path up!

 Once we'd had lunch we caught our local train to Centrale and made a bee line for the tower at Cathedral of San Pietro which was open for the afternoon.  Karl sat and listened to the organ music whilst the kids and I made the ascent for a "donation" of 5 Euros each.  We don't mind paying as the money goes on upkeep of the cathedral.  I don't actually know whether we can say we climbed two towers or one at the cathedral as the inner "core" of the tower was built in 10 th century is a slender bell tower, which was damaged by fire, and the 13th century "modern" tower was built around it.  I am not sure how high the old inner tower is but the "modern" is 70 metres high and houses four huge bells.  One of which is almost still ringing in my ears as we were nearly at the top when it was rung!

Looking up inside the inside tower!

Looking into inside tower!

 The route up the tower it narrow, wedged between the two towers, some parts much more narrow than others.  I had to take my day pack off and turn sideways and squeeze past those going in the opposite direction.  Stone walls are ungiving!  Once at the top where the huge bells hang and are tolled, the views very wonderful.  This tower was not on the tourist route but was open today for anyone who happened to be passing!

The roof tops of Bologna

Looking over the Cathedral San Pietro

Check out some of the narrow lanes

The city of towers - there used to be 180 of them!

Worn fresco on an inner wall - no idea of date

I marvel at the arches built hundreds of years ago and still strong.

The highest tower you can see is the Asinelli Tower - our next goal.

No bar, no safety barriers, looking out!

One of four hue bells which are rung half hourly.

From the bell tower, darkened oak still holds firm.

Not too many people, enough room to sit down.

Imagine this one coming down - deafening

Looking warm after our climb up the 70 metres!

We couldn't access this upper loft of the bell tower but I would have loved to read all the old graffiti.

Art work even this high up

I am in awe of those  who built these tower without modern safety equipment or lifting devices.

Taking a rest - this copper dome seemed significant but I do not know what it was for.

Down we go!

Light from inner tower reflecting on outer tower wall lighting our path.

Apart from this advertising at the front of the church, this tower climb, not offered every day, was a chance find...and therefore , no queues!

Doorway to Asinelli Tower

Definitely get the feeling that this is an old building!  the stairs, all wooden, worn and some reinforced were dodgy...wouldn't meet Australian safety standards!

Queuing for the cassa.

Our other goal was to climb the highest tower remaining in Bologna, the Asinelli Tower.  Being the highest tower, and leaning a bit these days, means that it was a prime tourist attraction with a queue to prove it!  Summer would be worse, of course!   The kids and I joined a small queue to ascend the Asinelli tower for 3 Euros each. Absolutely worth every cent of it!
 

These ricketty stairs went up for 97 metres.

Every so often, there was a plaque indicating height - here it was 45 metres, only half way and the big kids were surprisingly anxious!  I figured the tower, although leaning, had been there for some hundreds of years and probably wouldn't choose today to tumble!

Significantly higher than the church tower!

Way down, under the third arch is Karl.

We were so high up!

We felt quite safe up  here

Luke checking out the views!

This is what all the pigeons can see whenever they wish!

We encouraged Luke that this was NOT the spot for Mary Poppins stair tricks!

87 metres.....last measurement we could find!

The Asinelli Tower and Garisenda Tower are 20 metres apart but over the last 800 years or so are gradually leaning towards each other.  If the top had not been toppled from the Garisenda Tower, they would be kissing - apparently!  The Garisenda Tower is now closed as it is too dangerous but the Asinelli Tower didn't feel too safe either!  They were built by wealthy Bolognese families in 12th and 13 th century , along with lots of other towers as a symbol of wealth.

Piazza Maggiore - at first I thought it was a city key, but not sure, some kind of tethering post?, instrument of torture for public shaming?

The old bloke, probably homeless, was dancing to the music, oblivious to onlookers.

 Bologna on a Saturday was full of people and many matching dogs!  The main streets of the old town are closed to traffic and cafes spill onto the road. The atmosphere was joyous and the streets ring with music and people dancing.

The Italy I remember from nearly 1/3 of a century ago when I came for a visit, with my friend, Denise Hall (Webber) after studying Italian at Swinburne University as part of an (unfinished ) Arts Degree, is now so multicultural.  Italy still holds firm to its "Italianess", the cafes, the food, the colour but there are many more obvious non-Italians . (Well to be politically correct, many of non Italian origin who  are Asian, African and Muslim in appearance.)  This can be said for the UK and Europe we have seen to this point.  The world is a smaller place now with easy travel access and people moving to places where they feel life might offer them more choices.  The poverty is obvious in some circumstances but I do recall beggars on the streets of Europe 30 years ago as well.
 

Walking down Via dell'Independenza, buskers every 20 metres or so

There was a slightly larger gaps between musicians when it came to the drummers!

Large clothes and shoes market near to station.

Oh, how I would love to spend up big at this market.  However, our bags are packed to the brim and I am not carrying any more than I already have.  Last moving  day was such hard work. Posting things home is not on our travel budget.

Italy has lovely parks and public spaces

Protesters - possibly on the anniversary of big protests against anti austerity measures.  There were riots last year.

As we headed back to the station, there were big police vans with riot police troops and then we saw the big protest march.  What good timing to be leaving the main part of Bologna.  We stopped off at our Ipermarket on the way home and waited for the next train. Pizza for dinner - what else would we have in Italy on a Saturday night!  We managed to occupy Luke while we watched "The Fault in our Stars" on the big screen here.  It has some scenes of Amsterdam and apart from being a good story, it was great to see "our" Amsterdam on film!

I can't seem to get rid of the vast whiteness at the end of this blog!