Walking to San Luca
Thursday 10th May 2018
We scavenged the fridge for left-overs for breakfast; chopped apples and yoghurt, breadsticks with cream cheese and cherry tomatoes. A weird combination, but it worked quite well! Our hostess had recommended visiting the Sanctuary of San Luca, and early 18th-century Baroque church on a hill overlooking Bologna. The walking route took us through the city centre to the Saragossa gate, one of the gates in the city walls that were demolished in the 19th century. After the gate, a colonnade begins which goes on for 2.3 miles and is the longest in the world! The first part is flat and like most of Bologna’s colonnades is on the front of shops and houses. Then there are steps upwards to a bridge that crosses the road and the colonnade goes uphill on its own as a covered footpath. There are 666 arches in the colonnade, and it is a healthy climb to the church.
At the top is San Luca, a big terracotta coloured church which is a major destination for local pilgrims. Most of the old buildings in Bologna are painted in a shade of yellow or orange, there must have been a very good deal on those colours at the local Homebase. The church its self is not remarkable, but its location is, with wonderful views over the city.
The downward hike was quicker than the upward, and by then it was lunchtime. We stopped at a bistro for pasta and salad and got overcharged. Unfortunately, I don’t know the name of the crappy joint so I can’t slander it adequately in public.
Our next stop was the Palazzo dell’Archinginnasio close to the Basilica, which was the first permanent home of the University. The main attraction is the Anatomy Theatre, complete with a marble slab for dissecting bodies. The room is a reconstruction, the original was bombed in WW2.
The route back to the flat took us through the Mercato di Mezzo, where we felt the need to support the local economy by drinking wine. I had Sangiovese and Julie had Pignoletto, the local fizzy wine which is just as good as Prosecco. I reckon the Prosecco bubble will burst as soon as Walkers start to make Prosecco flavoured crisps.
timharnesstravels 