I'm "Abundant", not "Fat"

L'appetito vien mangiando.
Appetite comes with eating.

Today we wandered Bologna's old marketplace with Carmelita, who shared her insights about all things Bolognese. One of the first things she admonished is not to call Bologna "fat". While nicknamed "La Grassa", she noted that the adjective means "abundant" due to all the richness of its produce. She also lectured us to avoid GMO tomatoes, or as she put it: "tomatoes wearing lipstick".

I would, however, be fat if I lived down the street from this artisanal chocolate factory. The shop closes from June through October because good chocolate cannot be made in the heat.

The last stop on our tour was a wine shop serving meat and cheese where Carmelita introduced us to "Salami Rossa", a delicious sister to Parma ham.

Following our food tour we ventured up to the Sanctuary of Madonna di San Luca (so called because there is a portrait of Mary in the church said to have been painted by St. Luke). While other more athletic souls hiked up the hill, we took the tourist train.

But we got our exercise climbing up to the viewpoint on the church roof. The staircase was a hair-raising experience and my legs were still jelly hours later.

But the view over to the Apennines and Tuscany was stupendous.

Returning to the city we took in Bologna's other side: "La Dotta" (The Learned). The Palazzo dell'Archiginnasio is the campus of the first university of law in the western world. The building includes the Anatomical Theatre where human dissections were carried out under the keen eyes of students seated on wooden benches overlooking the surgical table.

6000 coats of arms of professors and their students cover all surfaces.

Bologna is fascinating in all her facets.