Sensual, sensorial Bologna

A quick visit to Bologna, even on  a rainy weekday, is a chance to enjoy this  compact university city with its  miles of covered sidewalk porticoes  that give shelter from stormy weather. 

Bologna is a 3 hour train ride from home base 

 An umbrella is needed only when crossing intersections and the wide expanse of Piazza Maggiore where  San Petronio Basilica  and Sala Borsa act as  bookends.

Sala Borsa 

Duomo of San Petronio, Bologna 

 For the past  10 months many central streets have been blocked to traffic for a major  renovation paid for by  European Union money. 

The taxi drivers and  shop owners  are furious and tourism in general is  suffering yet a plethora of  tours and cooking classes are offered at the Tourism Office which is making the most of the Expo 2015’s  dedication to Italian food.

shopping with friends 

There are plenty of areas of the city that are not touched by the renovations but do  keep this  in mind before booking a hotel  in the affected areas. We chose  the Porta San Mamolo hotel in a quiet cul de sac and enjoyed  the silence  and restaurants of  this non-touristy  area  a short walk from  Piazza Maggiore.

garden well at Porta San Mamolo hotel 

 Window shopping  and wandering are a joy in Bologna. The window displays  of luxury boutiques  compete with those of the food shops and market stalls. This people-friendly town has  welcoming  public spaces such as Sala Borsa, for wi-fi and a drink as well as cozy bars and  restaurants for a meal or an  aperitivo.

tris di pasta 

Bologna “la Grassa” is rightly known for its high quality food shops bursting  with  excellent produce. A walk through one of the central markets or  one of the norcinerie  is a sensorial delight for whiffs of cured meats, cheeses and tartufo fill the air.

a feast for the eyes, as well as the stomach 

fresh fish, even late in the evening

Other sensorial delights for the eyes are the courtyards and colors of  Bologna’s palazzi  in the core of the old city. 

Wrought iron gates, marble columns, fountains  and  palatial courtyards exist next to  quirky  statues and  graffiti.   

lion doorknocker 

Dopey  window 

graffitto honoring Bolognese singer Lucio Dalla 

If  the wind and rain become  too strong, make  a beeline for the stately rooms  of the Civic Museum on the upper floors of  Palazzo Accorsio-Bologna’s City Hall- for another sensorial experience and refuge from the weather.

Sala Urbana with frescoed coat-of-arms

one of the many galleries  

With  21 rooms full of art works, antique furniture,  a newly restored  heraldic hall  and kind volunteer guides, Palazzo Accorsio is only one of the city’s many excellent museums and exhibition spaces. 

main staircase, Palazzo Accorsio 

red room, Palazzo Accorsio

Sala di Ercole, next to the Farnese chapel,Palazzo Accorsio

looking down on the central courtyard and well 

Palazzo Accorsio courtyard 

entrance to Archiginnasio 

Learn what Bologna was like in the 1700s 

"Travels to Tuscany and Northern Lazio" only  30 copies remain of this book published in 2004 . 
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Antiques Show in Viterbo's Papal Palace

outside the Papal Palace 

The  most  historic  part of Viterbo  will be a  lively place  for the next  10 days thanks to the revived antiques show  being held inside the halls of the 12^th century Papal Palace, where  in 1271 the first conclave (cum clave, with the keys) forced the  cardinals gathered  there to elect a new pope after having stalled for 18 months.

I have been reporting on the Viterbo Antiques Fair  since its inception  35 years ago, so yesterday’s inauguration  was  very much a déjà vu experience . 

article from 1981

reporting on Viterbo show, 1983

an elegant table 

Giulio Curti (BIC Lazio) and wife, Felice Orlandini (Polizia di Stato) & Fulvio

When I covered the first Viterbo Antiques show in 1980, we waited on the steps while dealers  finished  setting up their stands and the red carpet was being unrolled. 

last minute preparations

There was some scurrying also yesterday  before the Mayor  arrived  to cut the  ribbon.

 Mayor Michelini cuts the ribbon,with Giorgia  of Archeoares 

The number of exhibitors (43) is about the same as the first editions of the fair and there has been a generational change with many new  names and younger faces.  

Keeping up with modern times the organizers served finger food and drinks and local reporters  concentrated  on snapping pictures of  politicians, the bishop and local VIPs rather than the works of art.

Villa San Michele organized the drinks reception

The show fills three levels of the Papal Palace and is open to the public on weekday afternoons (from 3 p.m.) and all day on Friday, Saturday and Sundays. 

Thus dealers from out of town (the majority) have a chance to  enjoy the local amenities which include  hot thermal pools, Etruscan sites, Renaissance palaces and gardens.

The entrance ticket is also valid for  the Museo Civico  of Viterbo where you can see  masterpieces by Sebastiano del Piombo  and an exhibit on the  Knights Templars.  

1920s-30s ceramics of Raffaello Pernici

Special half-price  tickets (5 instead of 10 euro) are available to my readers  on Friday morning, March  27^th  at 11 am. 
Meeting place, Papal Palace, Viterbo.

portrait of a 17th century violinist of Cremona

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Art Dèco  clock 

For  more on buying antiques,  styles and stories  check the Antiques section of www.elegantetruria.com  
Rated Number 1  by Google for Antiques in Italy 

Fashion, artisans and historic cafes

Fashionable Roberta De Vito and Fulvio, Piazza dei Priori, Viterbo

Those of us who live in the provinces  still see women wearing  fur coats  for the fashion statement of  small town Italy is very conservative. 

historic palazzo on the Corso, Viterbo

A  stroll  along the Corso in any  provincial town in central Italy includes  meetings with old friends,  admiring vintage cars  and, if its a Sunday, a plethora of people with  packets of pastries to enrich the Sunday lunch. 

vintage FIAT 600 

APE flower seller 

If the town is Viterbo the pastries  will probably come from the newest chic pastry shop Le Cose Buone  or  the newly reopened   Café  Schenardi in an historic palazzo along the Corso.

mini pastries 

Since 1492, the historic building has been operating in different guises: a bank in the 1500s, an inn where Queen Victoria stayed and even  a McDonald’s . UPDATE:  the bar has recently been closed down. (July  2017) 

the historic Schenardi cafe,Viterbo

 The  bar is looking good but  if they want my  custom, they will need to lower the volume of the piped music.

Rosina's bags 

Handmade fashion "artiginato" is very much alive in the province of Viterbo. 

Sala Anselmi, Viterbo 

  This week to celebrate  International Womens’ Day, a group of artisans have set up an exhibit and sale of  their handmade wares in the  Sala Anselmi, in the center of town.

Lina's beautiful  dolls 

I noted  some lovely hand-made dolls and  aprons while the gaudy trinkets and flashy necklaces left me cold. 

 Rosina Presutti  has some good looking bags in waterproof cotton,  velvet, leather and other materials. The pricing is also unique – a  cute ladybug  cotton print tote put me back only 5 euro and her attractive bags are going for 60 euro.

We are fortunate to have many valid artisans working in our area. 

Thanks go to second-generation local blacksmith Angelo Pieracci  who creates, from your design or his, unique balustrades,  bed heads, curtain  rods, door handles, etc. 

This week one of the massive  wrought iron  armchairs, originally made in Florence in the 1970s,  was  brought back to life  by Angelo with a new wrought iron  seat  to replace  the ruined leather.  

wrought iron with a cushion instead of leather seat

 vintage armchair  awaits restoration  

Now the search is on for the  upholsterer who can transform this  1930s  Frau armchair  which has survived three generations of use.   Here is the “before” photo. In a few months  I will publish the

 ”after”  photo  when the ruined leather has been  stripped away and  a new  (velvet ?)  upholstery has been  added making it useful for the next  three  generations. Suggestions for type and color  of covering and upholsterer are welcome.   UPDATE : Paola Mattiacci upholster in  Vetralla has given a new lease on life to the armchair.  

Who can spot the photo that was NOT taken in Viterbo, but in Rome ??

Signs and Colors of Spring

van Gogh scarf 

For all of you who are still in the grip of winter cold  and snowdrifts in northern Europe and USA, here is a bit of local color and Italian sunshine to warm up your day.

  Hopefully these pictures taken around Vetralla and Viterbo in the past couple of days will convince you that spring is just around the corner.

Sunday  market in Piazza  della Rocca with  colorful household goods, historic costumes  and a crowd on the museum’s loggia.

The regular Tuesday market in Vetralla with locally  grown produce.

The sunshine  allows  for  2 or even 3  loads of wash to dry during the day.

For those in the area here are the upcoming  talks and tours  I will be doing  in the next couple of weeks. 

Hope to see you at one of them!

Friday, March   6^th  at the Prefecture   “Tuscia nelle Antiche Carte: curiosità, valori, ladri”  with special visitor Chief Inspector Felice Orlandini  5 p.m.

Thursday, March  19^th at the Museo Civico, Viale R. Capocci (in front of Porta della Verità)  presentation of latest book “Etruria Storie e Segreti”  5 p.m.

Friday, March  27 -Visit to  the Viterbo Antiques Show (we get a discount on tickets)  11 a.m. at the Papal Palace, Viterbo. Train from Rome to Porta Romana station in Viterbo. Meeting place  Papal Palace  11 a.m.

Just in case you missed it, here is my latest article  published today on Italian Notebook  about Rome's newest art library. 

For more information see my website www.elegantetruria.com , blog http://50yearsinitaly.blogspot.it   or Facebook page