Day 39: Bolognese In Bologna And The Perils Of Driving In Florence
We left our little hilltop paradise and headed off to Florence. So many people have told us that Florence is their favourite place in Italy, so I had big hopes for the place.
We took a little lunch detour because I had a need to have bolognese in Bologna and then made our way to Florence. Which, if you've ever tried driving in Florence, was a terrifying and scarring experience.
Okay, so why is driving in Florence such a harrowing thing? Well, the streets in the centre are pretty much for residents only and if you get caught driving in them you will be fined. However, if you're staying in a parking garage, they have a deal with the police where they share your number plate with them so you won't be fined. There are cameras everywhere so you can't really get away with driving in that area – even accidentally.
Even if you're going to a parking garage (they charge an equally terrifying €26 a day), driving on the streets is awful. They are tiny streets and there are tourists everywhere. It's like driving between a thousand badly dressed sheep. It's scary, frustrating and I almost had an anxiety attack.
My take out from this? Don't drive in Florence. Ditch the hire car when you arrive and pick up a new one when you plan to leave.
We had a few hours to spend in Bologna, so we wandered the streets and found ourselves in an alleyway marketplace. It was hectic but the produce looked amazing.
Look at those tomatoes!
Bologna is a beautiful city. While there are a lot of tourists about, it wasn't overly packed like so many other tourist cities. Plus if you just walk a few streets away, you can find yourself on the street alone with only the sound of Justin Beiber playing from someone's apartment and a single pigeon.
From only a few hours here, I liked the vibe of the city and would love to come back here again and spend a bit more time here.
We booked in lunch at a little family run restaurant called Al Sangiovese. Here they make a whole bunch of typical dishes from the area including tagliatelle alla ragu and a lasagne (which I'd been craving for days).
First up, a rustic serving of bolognese. One of my food goals ticked!
And the lasagne. This was a real winner. It's a bit green because they use spinach when making the pasta sheets.
A glass of sangiovese and some pasta makes Sophia a happy lady.
While we were walking to the supermarket, we came across a bride throwing her bouquet.
We then had a healthy dinner on our balcony (chicken salad – I needed some vegetables), a whole bunch of wine (I needed this after the driving ordeal) and called it a night.
