We got to Bologna about 10:30ish. We headed straight for Piazza Maggiore, where the Basilica di San Petronio is located. On the way, I couldn't help but notice all of the vespa's and scooters lining the streets. Next, we discovered the Cathedral di San Petronio, and stopped inside to check it out. Once we arrived at Piazza Maggiore, we first visited the Palazzo Communale and saw a couple getting married. Then we went upstairs to the art museum and I saw a cool statue of Hercules after killing the Hydra. This curator who worked there started give us a free tour of the Senate Room of Bologna. He then opened up a window on a balcony and let us take some great pictures of Piazza Maggiore and the Basilica di San Petronio.
Next we went down to the piazza and looked at the Fontana de Nettuno, or the Fountain of Neptune. Gotta love a naked god surrounded by women with water spouting out of their breasts. Before we went into the Basilica, we sat on it's steps, ate some lunch, and fed some pigeons. They'll kill each other for a cracker crumb! Inside the Basilica was pretty nice, although alot of churches are starting to look somewhat alike. After the Basilica, we walked along the side of the Basilica to see its unfinished parts. We found the University and took some pictures of the Anatomy Room. My pictures didn't turn out, so I'll describe it to you. It was an all wooden room, with an examination table in the middle of the room, surrounded on all sides by three rows of benches and tables. It was like a regular lecture hall where corpses were examined to show future doctors how the body looks and works. Most of the room was a replication, since it was destroyed by bombing in World War II. We ran into some Notre Damn architect students and talked for a while. Other things we saw worth a mention: Cheisa de Santa Maria Vita, the Due Torri, and the church San Giacomo Maggiore.
We then took a bus to the Ostello (hostel) that we were staying at, which was 6 km away from downtown Bologna. We got a room for all four of us, and I bought an International Youth Hostel card (so I can get discounts in the future). We went back downtown. On the walk, we made a mistake and went down a dirty alley, where we saw a homeless guy standing with his pants almost to his knees as he shot himself up with herion...it was weird because as we walked by he just looked and smiled at us while he still had the needle sticking out of his hip. We ate dinner at the Osteria de'Infidel. The food was OK (penne with pesto sauce), but the jazz music made the dinner worth it. I was starting to get pissy because I was getting tired of my travel companions, since I had originally wanted to travel on my own. But I would learn later on that it does benefit having Jackie with you in larger cities, because she can speak more Italian than most of us. We got some gelato for dessert. I got 2 gusti (2 scoops/flavors) of pistacchio and cream. We then walked back to catch the bus back to the hostel. Thank god Jackie was with us, because we ended up having to get on 2 different buses, since they change routes in the evening. We eventually got back to the hostel, and went to bed.
I had trouble sleeping, so I got up this morning at 7:00 A.M. and was showered and dressed before anyone else was really up. So, I went down to eat the free breakfast (bread, jelly/butter, and coffee). We went to the train station and bought our tickets for later that day: Me, Russ, & Jen to Verona; and Jackie back to Macerata. We then walked about 5 km uphill (more like a fucking mountain) to the Santuario della Madonna di San Luca. The walk was all under a porticoed path that was a steep climb, sometimes with stairs, other times just a constant slope. The church was under restoration, so almost everything was closed, but I got some postcards and took pictures. The view was worth the walk up, and my sweat-soaked shirt eventually dried out. By then, I was getting kinda pissed at my fellow travel companions, (reasons edited out). So, I told them I'd meet them at the train station and I took off. I just put my pack on and started hiking down the road back to Bologna. After a while, I got tired of the sun, and went back under the porticos. Along the way, I found a side door. It was open and unlocked, so like any curious hiker, I opened it. Before me was the beautiful hillsides surrounding Bologna. So as of now, I am sitting in the grass on the side of a hill, in the shade of a tree, writing this. The view is awesome, so of course I took some pics. Now this is what I wanted to do on break. Do some sightseeing and then go hiking in the hillsides. And my only restriction is making my train at 5:35 P.M.