It is late October
and that means my annual visit to the
SAIE building fair in Bologna to catch up on the latest products and maybe discover
something new. Up until a couple of
years ago it was necessary to spend a whole day there just to see the sectors
that I am interested in. Now thanks to the crisis in the Italian building
industry, in an afternoon I covered the whole fair. So I decided that the
morning would be spent rediscovering this beautiful city and then after lunch I
would head out to the fair.
The first
destination on my list of things to see was the “Palazzo dell ‘Archiginnasio”
which was is the site of Europe’s oldest university founded in 1088. The actual
building dates from 1562. The whole building is decorated in almost every
corner with the heraldic crests of ex students and their teachers. There are
more than 6000 of them. The most interesting thing to see in this building is
the Teatro Anatomico where corpses would be dissected during lessons on anatomy.
This room dates from 1645 and the professors desk high above the table is
flanked by two rather gruesome skinned men. If one is in Bologna this is a place that must
be visited. For more on this place: http://www.archiginnasio.it/english/html/palace.htm
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| Palazzo del'Archiginnasio, Bologna. |
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| Palazzo del'Archiginnasio, Bologna. |
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| Palazzo del'Archiginnasio, Bologna. |
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| Palazzo del'Archiginnasio, Bologna. |
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| Palazzo del'Archiginnasio, Bologna. |
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| Palazzo del'Archiginnasio, Bologna. |
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| Palazzo del'Archiginnasio, Bologna. |
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| Palazzo del'Archiginnasio, Bologna. |
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| Palazzo del'Archiginnasio, Bologna. |
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| Palazzo del'Archiginnasio, Bologna. |
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| Palazzo del'Archiginnasio, Bologna. |
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| Palazzo del'Archiginnasio, Bologna. |
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| Palazzo del'Archiginnasio, Bologna. |
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| Palazzo del'Archiginnasio, Bologna. |
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| Palazzo del'Archiginnasio, Bologna. |
Nearby is the
market area of Bologna with some impressive food shops, it is nice to stroll
through the bustle of its narrow streets.
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| L'antico mercato del Quadrilatero, Bologna |
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| L'antico mercato del Quadrilatero, Bologna |
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| L'antico mercato del Quadrilatero, Bologna |
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| L'antico mercato del Quadrilatero, Bologna |
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| L'antico mercato del Quadrilatero, Bologna |
The main
characteristic of Bologna is its porticoed streets, that protect passersby from
the hot sun in summer and the wet in winter. It is possible to walk from the
centre to the city walls with almost always a portico protecting you from the
elements. I spent some time wandering
about the backwaters of the city in characteristic streets such as Via
Saragozza.
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| Bologna |
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| Bologna |
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| Bologna |
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| Bologna |
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| Bologna |
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| Bologna |
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| Bologna |
Piazza Maggiore is
the heart of Bologna with the massive Palazzo D’Accursio and the city Cathedral
San Petronio. We also find the statue of Neptune here, one of the symbols of
the city.
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| Palazzo D’Accursio, Bologna |
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| Palazzo D’Accursio,Bologna |
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| Bologna |
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| Bologna |
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| Bologna |
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| Bologna |
One of the most fascinating
places to visit is the religious complex of Santo Stefano also known as the “Seven
Churches” which dates from the fifth century. The columns from the original
church can still be seen enclosed in the circular structure that dates from the
twelfth century. Attached is another eleventh century church with recycled
Roman stone columns. The rest is a maze
of chapels and a large chorister. Particularly moving is the chapel dedicated
to the pilots of the air force who died in service that has it walls covered in
photographs of the fallen.
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| Piazza Santo Stefano, Bologna |
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| Piazza Santo Stefano, Bologna |
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| Complesso Santo Stefano, Bologna |
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| Complesso Santo Stefano, Bologna |
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| Complesso Santo Stefano, Bologna |
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| Complesso Santo Stefano, Bologna |
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| Complesso Santo Stefano, Bologna |
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| Complesso Santo Stefano, Bologna |
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| Complesso Santo Stefano, Bologna |
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| Complesso Santo Stefano, Bologna |
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| Complesso Santo Stefano, Bologna |
It was now time for lunch so I headed to the University
area of the city to find somewhere cheap to eat.This is an anarchic
part of the city with the mix of youth culture and ancient palaces.
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| Via Zamboni, Bologna |
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| Via Zamboni, Bologna |
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| Via Zamboni, Bologna |
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| Via Zamboni, Bologna |
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| Via Zamboni, Bologna |
Now it was time thanks
to our distant masters in Brussels and Berlin to examine the anatomy of the corpse
that is Italian building industry at SAIE.
