Bologna Centrale – Venezia Mestre – Venezia Santa Lucia – Venezia Mestre

I was awake earlier than expected, given the very late night I had. I had some work to do and a few calls to make but by mid-morning I was free, which meant there was time for a little exploring. I’ve passed through Bologna by train several times, stayed and been to a concert here, but never visited the historic city centre.

I checked out and left my bags with reception. I had a few hours, certainly enough time to get a feel for the place before my onward train.

My route to the centre was down a quite major road. The ruins of Castello di Galliera were the first thing I saw. The castle was repeatedly damaged and eventually destroyed in the 16th century by local people who saw it as a sign of the papal government.

The road itself is closed off at both ends, turning it into a pedestrian walkway. The square at the end was certainly impressive.

One thing I knew about Bologna before arriving was that it had a number of impressive towers, the most famous of which was fenced off as it was leaning at a somewhat disturbing angle.

It’s also of course a city famous for its food. Everywhere I went there were great stalls, markets and shops with a huge range of delicious looking dishes. More than once I ended up in food courts with cafes all around. I resisted the various temptations and carried on exploring.

It was around now that my friend Gilly got in touch having finished the work that she had been doing. There wasn’t time to meet up again as she lives a little way out of the city, but she gave me a few pointers of things to see with my remaining time.

This unusually shaped piazza was one of Gilly’s suggestions. The perspective is not a photographic distortion, it really is this shape. The group of buildings at the end is a set of churches which seem to grow out of each other.

I was drawn to the Biblioteca Comunale dell’Archiginnasio by the sheer number of people entering and leaving the narrow entrance. Inside I could see what it was that attracted their attention. The place is astonishingly decorated. It was once the main building of the ancient University of Bologna and is now an internationally important library. Part of the site was closed to visitors but just seeing the public spaces was quite amazing.

By now I was ready for something to eat. I certainly wasn’t short of options. I eventually settled on something that was a local speciality, a Bolognese bread with roast pork, artichoke cream and pecorino. I wasn’t expecting something large enough to feed two or three people, but it was so delicious I did eat more than I should before admitting defeat. This also meant that I didn’t have space for the ice cream I’d spotted earlier, though maybe that would be better saved for a sunny day.

I took a different route back to the hotel, emerging high above the street I’d first walked down, and descending some very impressive stairs by the ruined castle.

I collected my bag and made my way to the station, just a couple of minutes away. It was a really busy regional service, entirely second class seating and despite arriving in good time I ended up on an inside seat.

There isn’t really a lot to say about the journey. The morning had been intermittently slightly drizzly and there was enough rain around to make the photos out of the windows slightly too blurred to be worth adding here.

We arrived on time into Mestre, after a near two-hour journey. I quickly checked into the hotel, dropped my bags and went back to the station for the short journey into Venice. As I left the hotel I noticed this very odd tram which has road wheels but is guided by a track, rather like a full-sized Scalextric!

One way across the lagoon I saw work going on from a boat and wondered whether in future generations this small outcrop would have buildings on it, as the rest of the Venetian lagoon seems to have done.

Given that arrival into Santa Lucia marks the conclusion of some of the most iconic rail journeys in the world, I think I’d expected more from the station. Italy has so many remarkable stations with Milano Centrale being the finest of all, of course, but this really is nothing special. It’s just a busy arrival and dispersal point. That said, when you step outside and catch a first glimpse of the Grand Canal it is undoubtedly a special moment.

I’ve visited Venice just once before, 23 years ago, and have talked of returning many times, but was very determined to take the opportunity to do it this year – indeed this was third time lucky finally making it to the city after failed attempts for various reasons in November and February.

My sister’s son is a student here this year and he had agreed to meet me and show me “his” city. We headed away from the tourists and into “real” Venice, where locals were buying fruit and veg off a boat!

Michael took me to see a gondola boatyard, which was a very impressive place. Out of the water you realise that they are actually quite large craft.

The view across the water towards Guidecca as we emerged from a side canal near to Zattere, was chaotic. Something I clearly remember from my previous visit was astonishment that there weren’t more collisions, but some unwritten, or at least unclear, rule seems to keep everyone just about apart. I have stood and watched, and there is no obvious protocol, just a lot of experienced pilots with quick reactions – and big engines!

Michael took me back to the Grand Canal and an excellent viewpoint that was much less busy than some of the better known spots. I enjoyed standing on Ponte dell’Accademia watching the vaporetti being expertly tied off in a couple of seconds as they stopped nearby. Having handled a large heavy boat myself in recent year I can really appreciate the importance of getting this exactly right first time.

We’d agreed that this would not be a late night, given my very late finish last night so headed to a restaurant that Michael knows well. His command of the Italian language is so impressive, and he’s become well acquainted with the local specialities, so it would have been a shame not to try them out. I decided (after the second one) that the drink was a bit too sweet for me, but fortunately Italy is not short of alternatives. The ravioli was quite excellent though.

We wandered towards Michael’s university, which is partly based in old warehouse buildings. It was a surprise to me to find new accommodation blocks and cars in this area, we really could have been in any campus university once you were out of sight of the canals.

I said goodnight to Michael and made my own way back to the station. This is a lovely city when it’s quiet. The green laser in the sky is an art installation as part of the Bienalle, which started this week. It’s projected from a small island near to Lido and is interesting not only visually but because it is a fixed point which lets you orientate yourself in the maze of canals and walkways. More than once on my way back to the station I found it in a different part of the sky to where I was expecting it to be.

The Bienalle, incidentally, explains why my hotel was the most expensive room I’ve ever stayed in, even though I was on the mainland. I really should have checked the dates! It is lovely to finally be here though.