La dolce vita

Modena is an overwhelmingly pleasant city. Not as touristy even as Bologna (or Florence for that matter, where we are right now) and not as bustling as Ferrara, it leaves you with an overwhelming feeling of la dolce vita. If you watched the second season of Master of None, you might already be tempted to move here, and I can confirm, it's the kind of place that has you lingering outside real estate offices thinking "why not?". You don't seem to need to move faster than an amble, and there are plenty of pleasant places to window shop or stop for a drink, gelato or meal.

Modena Duomo. I loved all the beautiful Romanesque carvings

Alley next to the Duomo

Some wild grape-eating creature

Beautiful chapel inside

A lion caught a knight!

Very dangerous, these lions!

Squished by the weight of his column

Modena's central market

For lunch, we found this delightfully retro place that seemed to be frozen in the sixties/seventies (the Oreste). The gentleman in the picture, the owner (?) informed us at the beginning of the meal that there were no waiters today due to an unspecified problem, so he served everyone himself using a little tray on wheels. Service therefore proceeded at a glacial pace, but the food was delicious and the ambience was a lot of fun - you can just see the old record-playing jukebox on the left. The next table to us was made up of an odd trio of an older guy in a suit, looking very Mafia don, who kept stepping out to take calls on his cellphone, and two much younger guys, one of which looked kind of like an 80s greaser and the other who was dressed in a tracksuit, baseball cap, and mirrored sunglasses indoors. It was fun to concoct outlandish stories about what the made man and his goons were up to today.

After lunch, I treated my Bolognese friend to some gelato

Modena has some porticos too

Synagogue, with soldiers

So cathedral, food, more food, walking around and handbag shopping - that was it for Modena, and very pleasant it was too. When we move there, I promise you can all visit.

Bologna la Grassa

On our second day in Bologna (our only full day really), we didn't have much of a plan but ended up doing most of the things I did already on my first trip to Bologna. I suppose there isn't all that much to see. But it was enjoyable again the second time, so no complaints from me. The first time was in winter, complete with snow. This time, it rained, so it wasn't so different really. This once again proved the value of Bologna's many covered porticos, as well as the importance for sitting down for a long and ample meal.

First stop was the Anatomical Theatre, once part of the University of Bologna, the world's oldest university. It's compact and somehow cosy, due to the all-wood panelling, despite the grotesque depictions of flayed bodies and the marble slab in the middle to remind you of its original purpose of displaying dissections.

In the Anatomical Theatre

The "Skinless" statues by Ercole Lelli

Apollo hovering above the dissection table

The corridors are decorated with thousands of coats-of-arms and memorials to teachers and students

The "Stabat Mater" reading room

Jules in one of the famous porticoes

In the middle of town, we stumbled across a "ragu fest", dedicated to Bologna's famous culinary traditions. It actually wasn't the most exciting of festivals (not enough free samples!) but it was fun to walk around for a little, and it felt like another little serendipitous moment of honeymoon fun.

Ragu fest

Did Sophia Loren really star in a paean to Bologna's favourite sausage?

New friend

A slightly sulky lunch of tortellini in brodo, while it poured outside. The rowdy Italian family behind us were being very rowdy and Italian

The sun came out while we were lunching, and we popped into Santo Stefano, or the seven churches, another repeat from my previous visit. Dating back perhaps as far as the 5th century, these preserve a special atmosphere even though they were more crowded than on my winter trip.

In front of the ancient Church of the Holy Sepulchre

Animal attacks

Altar inside the Holy Sepulchre

So we actually accomplished quite a bit in Bologna, while seeming not really to do anything at all. One thing we definitely did do was eat. A lot. Platters of sliced meat and cheese, tortellini, tortelloni, ravioli, ragu bolognese.... even between the two of us, there was a lot going on. Hence why they call Bologna "La Grassa", or "the fat"!

Making friends with our rival tower Asinelli

Piazza Maggiore by night

A perfect day part two

After our fabulous lunch with vinegar and wine tasting, we headed back to Bologna where Jules and I had a special treat lined up. A honeymoon is a perfect excuse to be a bit indulgent, and we had arranged a once in a lifetime experience - staying in the Torre Prendiparte, a 60 metre-high tower built in the 12th century. Renting the tower means you get the whole place to yourself for the night - although there are 12 storeys, there's only one bedroom, so it's perfect for playing princess in the tower.

Bologna still has its fair share of towers, but in the Middle Ages there were even more, as noble families vied with each other to build the tallest and most impressive structures. At some point, the city decided enough was enough and restricted tower building to the height of 60 metres, and the Prendiparte tower was reduced to that height, and other towers demolished over the years. We enjoyed walking through the streets mocking other inferior towers (although the 97 metre high Asinelli tower can still look down on "our" tower).

The first few floors are habitable, with a living room, bedroom, kitchen and dining room each on their own floor, decorated in the nineteenth century. As you go higher, you reach the former jail, used in the 18th century and covered with historic graffiti, and then you come to the mostly empty upper floors, still with their medieval floors, before popping out on the roof terrace.

Bedroom

Jail dining room

Living room

Kitchen

Jail graffiti

Someone with an unfortunate case of blue balls

Jules in the jail

I really wasn't prepared for what an amazing view there is up there, a welcome reward for the gruelling 60 metre ascent. It's something else to have it all to yourself, with no other tourists around, and because it's private, there's no annoying ropes or grills stopping you approaching the edge and getting the best views.

The tower from outside

Some sort of tower warrior thing happening

Tower aperitif with our rosé Lambrusco

After dinner (yummy, copious) I headed back up alone to enjoy the night views. It was a magical moment - peaceful, but with the street sounds drifting up to my perch, particularly a concert going on somewhere nearby.

The rival towers, symbols of the city

 So, was it worth the hefty price tag? One night is enough for sure, but I would say yes. It was a special experience having the place to ourselves, and I'm unlikely to sleep in my own private medieval tower again in the near future.