Northern Italy Trip

Two weeks ago we travelled to Northern Italy with our program for five days, where we spent some time in small Italian Medieval and Renaissance cities (namely, Ferrara, Mantova, Ravenna, Padova, Vicenza, and Bologna). Here are some highlights of the week!

Our home base was Ferrara, a wonderful small city draped in brick and packed with cyclists navigating its small, medieval roads. Everyone rides bikes in Ferrara, from young school kids on their way to class to elderly ladies going to the market. We enjoyed visiting its medieval fortress and palaces. We were also fortunate enough to catch a temporary exhibit on the Impressionist artist Matisse.

Cathedral Museum

Ferrara Cathedral 

D'Este Castle

One of our favorite smaller Northern towns was Padova (Padua), and by looking at the vibrant and colorfully painted buildings we could see its resemblance to Venice. We toured this charismatic city filled with lively markets and glorious churches, two of which being the Scrovegni chapel and "Il Santo," the church dedicated to St. Anthony and holding some of his relics. Giotto's Scrovegni Chapel was absolutely indescribable. Before we were even allowed into the chapel, we had to sit in a room that dehumidified and de-dusted us so as to uphold the preservation of the frescoes. 

Getting ready to see the Scrovegni Chapel 

Markets!

Il Santo

A lovely park in Padova.

Unfortunately we were both sick throughout out the week and had to miss out on the day we were supposed to visit Ravenna, a small town with amazing Byzantine churches. 

The highlight of our week was definitely the food capital of Italy, Bologna. Bologna, known also for its infamous brickwork, the oldest college in Italy, and, most surprisingly, for its communist ties, was our last day in Northern Italy. We were welcomed on a cool and rainy day. After walking around the main square, Piazza Maggiore, we took a tour of the city visiting the university quarter, the two towers, the Duomo, and the Chiesa di San Domenico. We even spotted an Italian celebrity as he exited a church; we have no idea who he was, but we were told he was famous! We of course made time for the main event of the day: lunch! We had to try the sauce the Bolognese are famous for: their ragu (a tomato-based meat sauce). We tried a lasagna di Bologna and tagliatelle di ragu bolognese. As one of our Italian professors says, it is never "bolognese" sauce, but rather "ragu bolognese" (bolognese merely describes whose ragu it is).  It was the best ragu we have ever tasted. For a sauce that is so meaty, you would expect it to be heavy, but it was surprisingly savory yet light and satisfying. 

Piazza Maggiore

The two towers

It's time to eat!

Many of these small Northern cities exuded a simpler lifestyle, one where stores close during the lunch hours of 12-2 so families can eat lunch together, and where everyone gathers in the piazzas with their families and dogs just to say hello to friends and neighbors. While Bologna didn't match this vibe because it is a bigger city, it still felt very much like a college town, full of youth but also drenched in tradition and history. After both school trips, first to the South and then to the North, it would be hard to decide which was better. While we had more free time in Southern Italy and weren't sick there like in the North, the wonderful Medieval and Renaissance charm to the North is hard to beat. The verdict: both! Neither can compare to the other, and both have its own beautiful qualities and identities that stand well on their own.