These are just a few of the companies that are based here in Bologna. In fact, Bologna is not only known for it's world famous companies, it is also known for its intellect and cuisine. This is the home of Mortadella, Bolognese sauce, Lasagna, Tortelinni, and Tagliatelli. In addition, Bologna is in the Po River valley, which many of my Tutta Bella friends and family know is the home of Grana Padano. It is also the home of the Western World's oldest University (founded in 1088). However, the best feature of Bologna is its use of Porticos.
A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls. I know that Bologna has been around for several Millennia, but why can’t Seattle have these incredibly smart structures? Not only do they protect you from the elements, they encourage the masses to stroll and enjoy the city. The porticos front cafes, libraries, apartments, churches, shops…you name it. Ladies take note: the shopping in Bologna is to die for - that’s for you Tarah. I digress…after strolling, we made our way to the Piazza Nettuno which is simply breathtaking. The statue of Neptune, with the Sirens each representing the oceans of the world is a sight to behold. Next to this plaza we stumbled into a café that served Attibassi espresso - way cool! Sipping espresso in this plaza was straight out of a movie.
Afterwards, Joe, Jeff, Joyce, and myself wandered into a little portico covered cafe that was broadcasting the Italy vs. New Zealand World Cup match. We sat to watch the second half and enjoyed some Nastro Azzurro birra. The old world sign above us read "BUCA/S. PETRONIO.“ Not sure if that was the address, the block, or some old world sign, but it looked cool and sounded sexy when you said the words, so we knew we were in the right place. Our main sights, beside the 1-1 tie of the match, were random dogs wandering around, people drinking and smoking, and the occasional cheer or jeer. After the match was over, we walked around some more and met up with Karen. We decided to have dinner at a restorante named "Diana." If the courses were any indication of meals to come...WE ARE IN DEEP TROUBLE. As Joyce so aptly stated, "we are going to have to ROLL ourselves out of here." Watching the staff and eating the fine cuisine was a real pleasure. On the way back to the hotel we had a Caffe Corretto - "Coffee Corrected" for those who do not know...and by corrected, I mean with liquor added to a shot of espresso. This is not only the best way to top off a great meal, it makes for an interesting walk home. So far, Bologna has been a real eye opener and definitely a training center for us before we head south to Naples. Our bellies are full, our minds are electric, our feet are a little sore, yet our hearts are mui contento. Ciao for now...
Today we visited Parma - it is about an hour outside of Bologna and very beautiful (hell, what isn’t beautiful in Italy?). For those of you who do not know, Parma is the home of Prosciutto di Parma and Parmigiano Reggiano. We use both of these wonderful foods at Tutta Bella. In fact we visited the actual Salumificio and Caseificio that makes these products that we import to Seattle. The employees that we met and spoke with were very shocked that we as an “American Restaurant” would take the time to visit the source of some of our ingredients. It was hard for them to comprehend, but they were very gracious and appreciative. Carlo at La Perla (the Salumificio) was a true Italian character.
Our guide for the day was Elena who works for Academia Barilla - they help source food for Merlino Foods (one of our importers in Seattle). I will definitely post a blog about Carlo and Elena as they both were unique and fabulous in their own ways. After spending most of the day in Parma, we headed back to Bologna via the Train - fast, comfortable, and affordable. Buon Appetito!
These are just a few of the companies that are based here in Bologna. In fact, Bologna is not only known for it's world famous companies, it is also known for its intellect and cuisine. This is the home of Mortadella, Bolognese sauce, Lasagna, Tortelinni, and Tagliatelli. In addition, Bologna is in the Po River valley, which many of my Tutta Bella friends and family know is the home of Grana Padano. It is also the home of the Western World's oldest University (founded in 1088). However, the best feature of Bologna is its use of Porticos.
A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls. I know that Bologna has been around for several Millennia, but why can’t Seattle have these incredibly smart structures? Not only do they protect you from the elements, they encourage the masses to stroll and enjoy the city. The porticos front cafes, libraries, apartments, churches, shops…you name it. Ladies take note: the shopping in Bologna is to die for - that’s for you Tarah. I digress…after strolling, we made our way to the Piazza Nettuno which is simply breathtaking. The statue of Neptune, with the Sirens each representing the oceans of the world is a sight to behold. Next to this plaza we stumbled into a café that served Attibassi espresso - way cool! Sipping espresso in this plaza was straight out of a movie.
Afterwards, Joe, Jeff, Joyce, and myself wandered into a little portico covered cafe that was broadcasting the Italy vs. New Zealand World Cup match. We sat to watch the second half and enjoyed some Nastro Azzurro birra. The old world sign above us read "BUCA/S. PETRONIO.“ Not sure if that was the address, the block, or some old world sign, but it looked cool and sounded sexy when you said the words, so we knew we were in the right place. Our main sights, beside the 1-1 tie of the match, were random dogs wandering around, people drinking and smoking, and the occasional cheer or jeer. After the match was over, we walked around some more and met up with Karen. We decided to have dinner at a restorante named "Diana." If the courses were any indication of meals to come...WE ARE IN DEEP TROUBLE. As Joyce so aptly stated, "we are going to have to ROLL ourselves out of here." Watching the staff and eating the fine cuisine was a real pleasure. On the way back to the hotel we had a Caffe Corretto - "Coffee Corrected" for those who do not know...and by corrected, I mean with liquor added to a shot of espresso. This is not only the best way to top off a great meal, it makes for an interesting walk home. So far, Bologna has been a real eye opener and definitely a training center for us before we head south to Naples. Our bellies are full, our minds are electric, our feet are a little sore, yet our hearts are mui contento. Ciao for now...
Does 36+ hours count as Day 1? Not sure, maybe I am a little delirious or maybe I am just dizzy with excitement, but all I know is that Italy so far has been far beyond my expectations. After 3 airplanes and 18+ hours of travel, we arrived in Bologna at about 12:00pm local time. First flight was from Seattle to Philadelphia on an Airbus 320. Not too impressed with US Airways - sorry Jason. I mean the plane itself was safe and smooth, but the creature comforts..wait, there were no creature comforts. Thanks to my lovely wife for packing me some snacks. Flight number two was from Philadelphia to Brussels on a Boeing 757. Again, smooth and safe, but nothing special. Both flights were packed - I think there were some small bambinos in the overhead bins. There was even a guy who got so uncomfortable that he raised his shirt up over his head and started to apply deodorant - maybe he was sweaty with nerves or maybe he was just trying to gross out Karen Stutesman - I'll go with the latter. The third leg was from Brussels to Bologna on an AVRO RJ85. This plane was much smaller, yet it was much more comfortable. Maybe because the flight only had about 30 passengers or maybe it was because I drank two beers. Again, I'll defer to the latter. I got a great picture of Joyce Morinaka sprawled out napping. Anyway, landing in Bologna was a treat. It absolutely felt like we stepped off the plane in Seattle. 50 degrees, rainy, and people waiting in lines - sound familiar? As for baggage, Karen and Joyce had their two bags arrive with us - "Tutto va bene" we all said! 
