I confess! A large meal/dinner after 7pm does not work for me. If I did eat then, I would need to stay active till after 11pm! Okay, that’s not happening.
Instead, for my 7pm time, I discovered “Bottega Botle” so I could try any amount of wine from a dispenser, with available snacks, and a tablet with info about the wine I was drinking. Cool! What’s not to enjoy? I may return!
However, before all of that evening fun, I saw many Basilicas and markets as I wandered the streets of Bologna. Here are some I stopped at as I began to understand why it takes decades to build these magnificent cathedrals! Just hauling a column into place seems a massive undertaking to me!
First, statue of Neptune!Basilica of San Petronio with Meridian Sundial! This is the 6th largest brick church in the world, 22 chapels and 2 oldest working organs besides the sundial!I was there at noon.Palazzo Dell’Archiginnasio, built 1562!Biblioteca deli ArchginnasiaSanta Maria della Vita
Fish markets, meat markets and if you walk the touristy main road you can find all kinds of things!
I stopped for late lunch and with my beer came olives and potato chips, followed by my spaghetti alla carbonara. I am forever a critic and this is still not my best meal. I travel on!
Late in the day I stopped in at Bottega Botle and that was fun. Met other travelers from California and enjoyed various wine and delicious mortadella bologna! Great place to try various wines!
Life for me now has changed as our tour group heads home and I stay on as a solo traveler. My goal is to spend time on the eastern coast of Italy. Now to see the Adriatic Sea from another view!
Note Bologna, Bari, Brindisi
Visiting Trieste, Italy first….
I am only here for 2 nights so I immediately headed toward the Grand Canal. Plenty of cafes along the canal, jellyfish in the water, and musicians playing.
There were many jellyfish!
I stepped into churches: Saint Antonio Taumaturgo and a Serbian Orthodox one. Each beautiful. Then I walked to the huge Piazza Unità d’Italia where a “Maker Faire” was happening. Tons of people at booths checking out puzzles, 3-D printing, robotics and I return here the next day too. So many displays! Really fascinating, but I wanted to walk the Molo Audace, a long pier out into the water. People are walking or sitting and enjoying the simple rock pier. After walking the waterfront and back by side streets and seeing numerous statues, I decided to eat. My pizza with eggplant at Barattalo restaurant was delicious!
The next day I considered going to Miramare Castle. It was built in 1856 -60 for Austrian Archduke Ferdinand Maximilian. I figured it and the gardens would be beautiful. I was too early to catch the Delfino Verde ferry for the 50 minute ride, so I decided to visit other places I had in mind. (BTW… ferry to and bus 6 back was the recommendation to me for Miramare, in case you want to easily get there from Trieste.)
I headed to San Giusto, a healthy uphill hike from the waterfront. I worked my way past a couple of old churches to the Cathedral of San Giusto and attended mass. Interesting listening to the Italian language spoken and sung by a choir. Of course the “peace be with you” handshake was clearly understood as I shook my neighbor’s hands.
Mosaic work was unbelievably beautiful!
Walking down a rocky hill isn’t the easiest. I stopped at some ruins, such as the Arch of Riccardo and the Roman Theater and was glad to be on level ground at the “Maker Faire” again. I loved seeing people of all ages engaged in the activities.
My late lunch was at La Caprese Trattoria and there I had spaghetti with eggplant and clams. I have been drinking small Moretti beers with my meals.
Then hours were spent at the Revotella Palace and Gallery of Modern Art. Baron Pasquale Revoltella, in 1872, left his artwork, books and furniture…. his house to the city! I walked through the modern art museum first and then this historic house! Amazing paintings, sculptures and some info in English, but all easy enough to follow. The house is opulent!
Not your ordinary house!
Can pasta-making be this much fun? I’ve given it a try in Croatia and will again Bologna. Wow, that’s how she makes that shape!?!
This step, then shaped on her finger!
As I was winding down my day, I decided to try an aperitif which is typically a pre-dinner drink. My late lunch was already enough food, but I decided to try an Aperol spritz. If I like it, maybe in the upcoming weeks I’ll enjoy it as a pre-dinner drink … like it is meant to be!
Got to admit, great advertising there!
So the drink has aperol: a blend of bitter orange, rhubarb, cinchona, and gentian with Prosecco and soda water. A fresh orange slice is a garnish. (I researched cinchona – comes from an evergreen tree in South America and the bark contains quinine. Cinchona is used to treat malaria and possibly irregular heartbeats. I see it is used as a pre-dinner drink to increase appetite.) Okay now knowing all that, I can decide if it will continue to be my drink of choice! I’m still wrapping my head around eating dinner after 7pm. So far I like a late lunch. But one also has to eat before 3:30pm as many places close till 7pm.
I walked 10 miles in 2 days and still have more to see plus Miramare Castle. I’ll have to return another time. Off to Bologna… I’ll post again in a couple of days.
Today everyone will be saying, “I can’t believe it is March”. Whereas I’ll be wondering if there isn’t another Olympic event I could be watching right now!
I loved the Olympics!! Two and a half weeks in February with Olympic events to watch, thanks to the extensive TV coverage. So many events, some new to me, such as the ski mountaineering! Wow! It’ll be interesting to see if that activity continues in future winter Olympics. Then there were moments I would turn on the tv and see a curling event. How many curling events are there!?!
My sketch of the Olympic rings in this post is a reminder of the meaning of the interlocking rings: the event is to unify the world. I think it did.
I hope you had an opportunity to watch the winter Olympics. Amazing athletes in a variety of sports and our chance to view them on television for a couple of weeks. I’m going to miss it …
But wait… the Paralympics are happening in Milan and Cortina, Italy now! I can still watch more events! More amazing athletes …
Then I will look forward to the summer Olympics, actually held in October 2026 in Dakar, Senegal and in 4 years the summer and winter Olympics and Paralympics again! Also mid- month it is tennis time for BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells, CA! Hoping the tv coverage is good. I love watching sports!
After our school visit we stopped along the Napo River to visit with one of the 40 Kichwa families. Our hosts showed us their garden where they grow many fruits and vegetables. I learned how to plant yucca once the grown ones are collected for a meal. (Put the yucca stalk into the ground at a 45 degree angle, then cover the stalk with soil.) Some of the plants grown here are for medicinal purposes. The children, in the family we had lunch with, walk a half hour to school each day.
The women showed us how catfish is folded into gigantic green leaves of the bijao plant and put on the fire to cook. We also tried some beetle larvae … head squished off … the insides of the body can be eaten raw, but we chose to let the rest of the body to be grilled first. The first person eating the grilled beetle larvae announced it tastes like bacon. Yes in some ways it did! Our lunch included plantains, yucca and catfish… all eaten with our fingers. A delicious meal with tea.
We had a chance to use a traditional blowgun. The poisoned dart, only lethal to small animals, was more difficult to use than it looked. A couple of people hit the target! We had some discussion about the oil and timber companies deforesting the Amazon. We saw the natural gas flames across the river from where we are staying at an eco-lodge. The Kichwa families are raising chickens and turned to ecotourism as a way to supplement their subsistence economy.
Here are some photos from that family visit:
Catfish pieces onto the leaf, then wrappedWrapped and onto the grillLunch: catfish, yucca and plantain… all eaten with your fingersBeetle larvae still with head on.Larvae grilledHow tea is served.The kitchen Their home
It’s been a couple of months since my travel in Sicily and I miss eating real Italian food! Of course, when I was with my relatives in Rome, I was truly spoiled with absolutely delicious homemade Italian food! While back home in the southwest USA, I started looking for ricotta, buffalo mozzarella, eggplant parmigiana, and pasta made in Italy. Trader’s Joe has parmesan cheese and ricotta, neither of the quality one would find in Italy, but they will suffice. Costco, thanks to a friend pointing this out to me, does sell pasta products from Italy. (I cannot eat wheat products from the USA.) Buffalo mozzarella is available in various stores. But what I was really hoping for was a place to pick-up an Italian meal already made if they did not sell the individual items to make the meal on my own. So I went searching for Italian delicatessens and bakeries in my town, Tucson. Here are 2 places I stopped at and ate lunch:
Village Bakehouse: Great looking pastries, including various croissants. I ordered lunch: chicken caprese on ciabatta and an iced chai. Order at the register, pick up the drink at the other end of the counter, with food delivered to the table. I’m sitting outdoors in the cool shade. The sandwich was tasty, with mozzarella, tender chicken, tomato and pesto all toasted within the ciabatta. Half my drink was gone by the time my sandwich arrived. For a medium drink, lots of ice- no wonder it was half gone by my sandwich’s arrival. Next visit I’ll try a croissant!
Chicken, mozzarella, pesto on ciabatta… tasty!
Viro’s Real Italian Bakery: I actually was looking for green Italian olives. Not finding olives, I ordered and ate a delicious cheese and mushroom calzone! Many other people were here enjoying spaghetti, fish fry, piping hot soup and gelato! I have no room for gelato or any of the pastries today. While in Sicily, I saw their flag and here it was on the wall. Will have to keep this place in mind for future lunch stops.
Calzone with sauceSicilian flag
No doubt I need to continue my search. These places have food I enjoyed eating and when I look for pastries they both had plenty of that to offer. I’m not usually a pastry-eater, but if timed with a good cup of coffee, well then, that can be another story!
My return to bicycling was distressing. It felt like forever ago since I had last been riding my bicycle! Leg muscles were screaming, “what are you doing to us!” I did feel good about my lungs and heart not sending the same message, but any slight uphill was torture on my legs!
How is it I can walk for miles per day, but when sitting on a bicycle seat my leg muscles are feeling like new? Both activities use the same major muscles: glutes and quads. Apparently I am not stressing my leg muscles enough when walking! That may be so true when I am sightseeing and/or birding. No way am I walking fast or pumping my arms, but I am usually wearing a semi-heavy backpack. Hmmm…
Well reality set in with the message: get back on the bike! I’m hoping my leg muscles are happy with it all soon… then I’ll be happy too! Moral of my story: keep moving muscles in a variety of ways through different activities.
Or use my bicycle like this man I saw in Naples, Italy:
Should I carry my binoculars or monocular? No, this trip to Italy is not a birding trip! Maybe carry a decent lens on my camera to get a good photo of the bird I see? No…. Repeat after me, this is not a birding trip!
While touring in Sicily, I heard birds and almost felt naked without my camera and binoculars! But thankfully Merlin Bird ID saved me some frustration. Between the sound and photo ID available on that app, I was able to identify nearby birds while I traveled in Sicily.
A better look at any bird would have been better, but you cannot pack everything into carry-on luggage! Even without binoculars and my usual camera, I did hear/see 26 birds in Sicily … wow! I even had fellow travelers in my tour group hearing birds and being sure I heard them too. What fun!
My favorite bird was an Eurasian blackcap, especially its song. And one bird I caught a quick photo of was a white wagtail!
White wagtailPhoto looks better!Beautiful song from this bird!
I was almost dizzy trying to figure the postal system in Italy! It seems the trick is to buy your postcard, your postage stamp and know which mailbox you are dropping it all into before you leave the vendor.
Poste Italiane- stamps are not available in souvenir shops, and not always available at tabaccherias (local smoke shops). Drop this stamped card only in a red mailbox!
Globe Postal Service (GPS) – more expensive than one above, stamps are available at souvenir shops and some smoke shops, but you MUST drop this stamped card in their mailbox! QR code on the stamp so recipient can confirm receipt.
Friendpost- never found this option; supposedly available.
I used TouchNote app, chose my photo for the card and wrote my message. My order was shipped within 2 days and 6 days delivered from Italy to Arizona, USA. I saw the delivered card. It is sturdy and good quality. Message and photo all clear. Yes, I paid for this service, but it was worth it! My photo, my message, no finding the right stamp and mailbox, and so easy! I’ll use TouchNote for other personal postcard needs… and I think more products are available with this TouchNote app! Check it out! It may be helpful for you when on the road traveling!
While traveling I had a few moments to sketch, so I included some here. Now working my way back to reality: exercise, paying bills, eating balanced meals, spending time with my favorite people, birding and photography. Oh, and making new travel plans! See you on the road!
Mazara area street artMore portions of street art.Marsala, Sicily salt pondsLoved seeing this sign where t-shirts were sold.From a painting I saw.
I will have many fond memories of this trip. Someday I will return!
A guy in a painting at the piano player’s home in Ibla.
Pizza with artichokes, ham and cheeseCappuccino Plenty of wine!Cassatelle with ricottaReginelle/Biscotti reginaMarsala wine from SicilyCrab, small squid, eggplant, bruschetta, and in center, calamari … appetizer plate.Ricotta is whey from goat, sheep or Italian water buffalo milk whey after the production of cheese; therefore, ricotta is not cheese, but whey. This is broken cannoli with ricotta and some pistachio.Fava beans are grown in Modica area. This soup is made with no dairy.Left, baked ricotta. On right, tomato flan; I liked them both!Little squid on stick. Pastry layered with tomato sauce.Risotto Fresh salad!Focaccia with burrata and asparagus Maritozzo al pistacchio- Delicious with creme inside the dough and pistachio creme on top!Sfogliatella- 3 to choose from- lemon, chocolate or pistachio; this type has very crusty outer layerOn left, half a sfogliatella frolla with a cream inside and on right, Baba which has sweetened water with drop of rum in this pastry. We had these on our street food tour.Frittatine- fried dough with macaroni, bechamel sauce and peas. Eat it while it’s hot! Finger food on the street!Fried pizza
Of course there are beers and wine, along with many varieties of pizza and pasta. So many places have finger food or take-away boxes with food. There are vendors providing options that are not Italian food too. Eating your way through Italy is a vacation option!
Best bagel was made by an owner at Beehive hostel in Rome. I ate this upon my arrival there…wow, perfect bagel!My family members in Rome took me out for dinner and I ordered Margherita pizza with mushrooms and eggplant. Delicious! I ate half and took rest as take-away.
Okay, I think I have made my point about the delicious food in Italy. Of course, I shopped for tangerines and tomatoes to add to my diet, otherwise I felt I was on a constant carbo-loading of pizza and pastries! Overall, I loved the olives, salami, lasagna, pizza and pastries. An espresso was only in early morning or more often a cappuccino. I loved the paninis with ham and cheese for breakfast or lunch. The majority of time, while on my own, I ate late large lunch and no dinner. The wine was good, but also the beer. Do not visit Italy without delving into all the food! Mangiare!
PS. I need to find an Italian bakery where I live!!
