Italy

Hard as it is to accept, our trip is really coming to an end. We’ve seen amazing sites on two separate land masses, have spoken a foreign tongue, have walked until our feet are swollen, have seen an active volcano, amazing antiquities, beautiful people, and churches galore. For those gentlemen who may be wondering, the Italian…

The rooftop of the Hotel San Donato is the perfect place to sketch — and to appreciate the ancient towers, churches, red tiles rooftops, and iron crosses that stretch out in waves. We don’t have much time left in this beautiful city, so we need to make the most of our day. Taken in toto,…

We know it’s true that a library holds entire worlds, but few libraries hold an actual ancient civilization under the floorboards. Visit the Instituzione Biblioteche del Comune di Bologna, and you will definitely want to look in the basement. The main floor of the library is constructed of thick plexiglas tiles, through which you will get…

Rick Steve’s is totally wrong. Bologna is very much worth a visit, and very much worth an extended stay. First off, breakfast at the Hotel San Donato is great. You can even make yourself a caprese salad. Or, choose yogurt and muesli, hard-boiled eggs, pastries, scrambled eggs, various meats, fresh fruit, a slice of tart,…

As the detailed booklet we bought for five Euros tells us, “it was probably a pure, rich spring that began the wonderful history of Santo Stefano about 2,000 yeas ago.” About a five-block walk from the Hotel San Donato in Bologna’s central historic district, Santo Stefano is really a cluster of churches that are all…