The train from Bologna to Ravenna took me through more farms-including solar farms, acres of shiny, solar collectors capturing the sun's abundant energy-and past more vineyards. Small factories sprung up here and there on the edges of the small towns we occasionally stopped at. But the majority of the passing landscape was filled with orchards; acres and acres of well manicured and just blossoming plum and apple trees punctuated occasionally by a pillar of white smoke emanating from the burning of the recently pruned branches, quilts of pink and white under the bright blue sky. You would be seeing pictures of this if I had not forgotten my camera at the hotel.
I am sitting at another charming sidewalk cafe on another picturesque street (you'll just have to take my word for it) sipping a glass of red wine having just devoured a plate of lasagne, Over my right shoulder you could see, if you were here, the octagonal church of San Vitale where I just saw the most beautiful 8th century mosaics. I toured Ravenna's churches backward and I am glad I did, saving the best for last. This by no means suggests the others are not impressive, they are, but San Vitale's are the most stunning. Google their images and you will see a pale comparison of the visions in glass and stone I have just witnessed.
An accidental sighting--just prior to entering San Vitale, I heard a small dog barking ferociously. I investigated and watched as an auburn colored dachshund barked demandingly at her pet rock. She then nudged it forward, chased it and barked at it again. Occasionally she would pick it up, cross the small patch of English daisies and began the process all over again. She had me mesmerized for about 20 minutes. Her owner could only shrug-I completely understood.
Before visiting Ravenna, I spent a day in Ferrara wandering around its medieval streets, occasionally running into a castle or small groups of people singing a congratulatory song to someone wearing a large laurel wreath on his or her head. This, apparently, is how they celebrate university graduation. Hmmm....I wonder if I'd look good in laurel. The town was actually quite lovely but I must confess I was on art overload at this point. I wandered and photographed mostly because I felt I had to so I really have no information for you. I visited no museums and paid little notice to the descriptions of the paintings of the two churches I managed to drag myself into. I couldn't tell you what I had for dinner only that it was a local specialty and that it was good.
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| D'Este Castle |
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| Castle with moat |
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| Cannon balls! |
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| Dottore, dottore...congratulations to the graduate! |
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| Cathedral Facade |
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| charming back streets |
I didn't spend much time in Bologna itself but I was able to take a few pictures there. Again, suffering from visual overload and just plain tired at this point. One funny thing-I am very glad that not all the trains run on time. I arrived in Bologna from Ferrara and started to head off to my hotel. I realized just as I was about to cross the street in front of the station that I left a bag on the train-mostly dirty socks and underwear but also clean ones, tooth bush, pills, razor, etc.. Great, I thought, I'm going to have to go shopping. I went back to the station and to customer service to see what I could do about getting my bag returned. As luck would have it, the train's departure was delayed 45 minutes and it was still on the platform.
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