Week of adventures

I thought my next blog post would be about Ravenna, our trip tomorrow, but I really need that to be separate from everything else that went on this weekend. I did not really realize how insanely awesome this week would be until it all started happening.

It all began on Wednesday when we took a touristic stroll around the city with an expert of Bologna medieval history. That afternoon, all 50 of us got on the bus and rode for about 30-45 minutes to the outskirts of the city by the agricultural hills. From our windows we could see vineyards, olive trees and apple orchards until we finally reached our destination at the top of what felt like a very tall mountain. I won't lie and say I felt super safe being in a giant bus on a tiny upward-sloping dirt road.

This trip was for agriturismo, an adventure that involves seeing how wine is made from vine to glass and then getting to taste them!

We were incredibly blessed because we not only got to taste the wine, the program hired a chef to teach us how to make pasta from scratch and then we were fed a delicious authentic Bolognese dinner!

Thursday was a regular school day, but then today we were told that we would have a picnic on a hill. Director Ricci said to wear comfortable shoes with a laugh immediately escaping his lips, so I was sure to wear something comfortable, but never imagined what we would be getting into. We met in Porta San Momolo at 10am and instead of class, hiked up a very steep hill. It took us a while and we all were beginning to feel the effects of 3 weeks of Italian food and little physical activity. Eventually, we reached our destination and the moment we saw the view below, we forgot about our aching feet and sweating foreheads. I finally understood the expression: "a million dollar view."

Bologna is a beautiful city while your walking under ancient portici (arcades) and admiring the many piazzas and statues, but it is also a beautiful city from far away. We spent the next couple of hours admiring the scenery with casual conversation, rolling down the hill and taking tons of pictures. 

Later this evening, a group of us met at Caffè Zamboni for apertitivo for Jessica's 21st birthday. Apertitivo is something Italians enjoy doing in the evenings before dinner. You pay about 8 euros for a drink and gain access to an all-you-can-eat buffet. They had an incredible ensemble of foods that I could not get enough of. With a small glass of amazing Chardonnay, I enjoyed kous kous with tuna, rice with black olives and mushrooms and mini-pizza. For we Americans, apertitivo is dinner -- what a steal, right?

After dinner, we walked toward Piazza Maggiore and Molly spotted a live band on via degli Artieri. It turned out to be a swing band that played fantastic music! The lead singer looked like she was a character from "The Notebook." Then, mid-set, a group of lindy hop and swing dancers got in the center of the piazza and began to dance. The evening had gone from great to unforgettable.

I love Bologna's little surprises.

Tomorrow the adventure continues with a trip to Ravenna. I am extremely excited about seeing some ancient art and visiting my second Italian city, so far! Stay tuned for pictures and accounts from that trip!

Baci ed abbracci! <3