TRAVEL AND LIFESTYLE DIARIES

While waiting for my plane in Bologna back to Amsterdam... The airport isn't really that great. I arrived a bit early because I had to return the rental car. So I have exactly an hour to bum around in the airport. La Vecchia Trattoria  slash Italian gourmet souvenir shop is the only thing interesting and worthwhile dining at in the airport. My flight is scheduled late in the afternoon and it wouldn't be bad to have a late real Italian snack (well early dinner for me already) before boarding my flight. I am flying with KLM and they usually offer a cheese or chicken sandwich for their European flights, which I am not very keen on eating though. In general, I do not like sandwiches. Because I prefer to eat bread as a side and not as a main dish. The menu offered some relief when I saw a charcuterie mix. I initially asked if I can order half but they insist that it is only available as it is. The charcuterie mix turned out to be some Parma ham and salami (forgot whic...

If there was one thing that I have wanted to do in Bologna that I wasn’t able to, then it would have been climbing the Asinelli Tower, one of the famous Two Towers of Bologna. Palazzo della Mercanzia, the s eat of the Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Agriculture and Crafts in Bologna. A beautiful government office building don't you think? I basically did not have a lot of time, which helaas, is always the pain with enjoying this travelling lifestyle and hobby when you are working full-time. If I had to go up the almost 100-metre height tower, for sure it will take me some time, and there were other things in my agenda that I would like to do, such as chilling out at Piazza Maggiore   for example, well among other things. I was also not in the mood. Well scratch that. I was lazy. Pure lazy haha! It can happen, and it did during my time in Bologna. If it makes salvaging my reputation any better, I did climb up the tower in Modena. So let us just say that my laziness was an i...

I have done quite an extensive research exercise on where to eat in Bologna, and a feedback that keeps popping up everywhere I click is this – It does not matter where you will eat in the city, it will be good! Now that says enough of Bologna, the gastronomic capital of Italy =) But I had to narrow down my search because I cannot just eat anywhere. I prefer some structure to my travels and meals. So that means going down to the details such as the design and ambiance of the restaurant. I have a soft spot for places with a great view, but it looks like the serious trattorias in Bologna do not really have sweeping views of the city. Most of them are located inside a building and decorated the traditional Italian-Bolognese way. Another thing I need to take into consideration is the location. I didn’t want a restaurant out of the way, so I further narrowed down my search to within the perimeter of the old town and approximately 15-20 minutes’ walk from the parking at Piazza dell 8 Ag...