Part 3 of Bologna

I think I have the problem figured out....

I couldn't get my Bologna report to post. I think the reason is that the video of the meridian line was too long. So this is the 3rd of 3 posts about our trip to Bologna. It will make the most sense if you scroll down 3 posts, read that one, then read up.

The church is probably best known, however, for "La Meridiana," the astronomical clock. A hole in the ceiling allows light to come in twice a year, on the equinoxes, and it lights a meridian line along the floor. It's quite fascinating and I encourage you to read the link provided. Perhaps because of the mathematical/scientific implication of the meridian, in recent years the church has put Foucault's Pendulum in one of the side chapels, thus further demonstrating the rotation of the Earth.

One of the interesting facts Cetta told us was about the statue of Neptune in the square. Lots of Italian cities have Neptune. This picture is not very detailed, but Maserati actually based their logo on the trident of this particular Neptune. The statue caused a little controversy a few hundred years ago due to his nudity. Some wanted to put bronze underwear on him. Unmentioned by any of the links provided is the fact that, from this particular angle, the statue's left hand actually appears to be his "maleness," making him look quite well endowed indeed.

We made an afternoon trip up the hill to San Luca, the church that sits on a hill above Bologna. The city has the longest continuous portico in the world (over 5 miles, I believe), and you can walk up to San Luca from the center of town. A lot of students do it after a successful exam score. We hadn't taken a test so we drove up. In any event, it was a cloudy day so panorama shots weren't very good. Here's a shot of us Cetta took, including another cousin, Maria Nina, who we met up with at the church.


After we came down the hill, we went to visit my aunt and uncle, Cetta's parents. Zio Nini is a retired head of the police.

In Italy, there are two police forces: "polizia," the locals, and carabinieri, the military police. My uncle was the latter, and achieved quite a high post. With only a fifth grade formal education, he surpassed most of the members of his class and finished 13th of 180. He is now a Knight of the Order of Merit of the Republic. He has certificates from three different heads of state on his wall. His question to me was, "do you know who I used to be?" I do, and he had quite an impressive career. He is largely responsible for the fact that so many members of my family are in Bologna rather than Sicily - he personally found them work and got them relocated.

He is married to my Zia Maria - my mom's younger sister. She and my mom are two peas in a pod. After having breakfast at Cetta's, we went to their house. My aunt asked what I wanted and I told her nothing, that we had already had breakfast. She asked again and again until I said I'd have coffee. Zio and Zia are in their 80s and have had some health problems, so they don't get out as much as they used to. On our first visit to Italy in 1995, Nicole was with my uncle constantly, sitting in his lap, holding his hand, etc.

I absolutely had to include this picture, even if you can't see the details. I'll explain. I took this picture just outside the Bologna train station. The sign says "Do not park bicycles here."

Jack walked us back to the train station, where we bought tickets to come back on the 3:29 p.m. train. Most trains really do run on time, but it happens ours was running about 40 minuted behind. We had lots of time to sit in the train station. The waiting room has a memorial to the dozens of victims of a 1980 terrorist bombing at the station, complete with a piece of wall and floor that still show the damage.

Kim and Jack just saw this side road and thought it looked characteristic, so I took a picture - nothing more to say about it, really.