Bologna, Italy - Medieval City and Modern Home

I mentioned earlier that my anniversary was in May.  I

am thinking that I need to make this a yearly trip 

to celebrate our anniversary -

a late spring trip to Europe - it is fun to dream!

We loved every minute in Paris and crammed in everything

we could but now it was time to head to Bologna to visit

Tonya and have some cooking classes.

Click here to learn more about Tonya, my husband's cousin,

who grew up in Seattle and studied design, then went to

NYC and studied and became DKNY's design director

before she was lured away by the Italian company Furla. 

She now lives there in Bologna

and is a freelance high end shoe and

purse designer

Bologna is a medieval city and is known for its covered porticos

or walkways.  They have 23 miles of covered porticos.

  You can

literally traverse the whole city and never be uncovered except

crossing the streets in the old part of Bologna.  Each building

has it's own style of portico and columns vary from wooden

beam ones as pictured in the center of the collage

(a very old medieval building)

to square stone columns, corinthian columns, etc. 

 It is such

an architectural treat to see them. As one building ends

and another starts their columns may differ even though the

buildings touch.

Some of the details under the porticos are just magnificent.

Here you are walking outside and as you look up it is

absolutely palatial.

I have to show you  a couple of

my favorites.  This one is hand painted.  

Oh, how I would love ceilings

 like this, and aren't those

groin vaults magnificent?

This one is raised plaster fresco and was so unusual

and simply elegant.

I have to admit to you here and now that in another life

I would have become an architect.  I just marvel at beautiful

architecture and would rather look at architecture than 

paintings any day.  I am fascinated with detail and workmanship.

Bologna as in most of Italy has the most fascinating grand doors

and knockers and handles.

Inside many of these magnificent and huge doors you find

incredible gardens .

During the day many of

the doors are open and you can peek in.

A lot of them have been turned into parking but there are

still many many gardens and an aerial view of the city 

shows the gardens.  Tonya said there is a day when many of

the city's gardens are open for tour.  Wouldn't I love to be 

there for that.

                                              The balconies are fascinating too, - rustic...

 quaint and charming....

impressive...

and magnificent. 

 Don't you love the pink detail around the windows?

  I just adore how they create small gardens on their balconies.

I just had to throw this one in from Paris.  This is the

Hotel Plaza Athenee.  What gorgeously planted balconies

it has.  I can just picture the room maids coming out to

water these plants daily.

After our city tour we headed home to Tonya's place to

start our cooking classes.

When we visited in 2007 they had just purchased

two condos in this old traditional building and had

torn down everything to the brick walls.

Now they have created a wonderful four bedroom and four bathroom

home in that space.

Tonya has invited a couple of her friends, Victoria

and Antonella to come and teach us traditional

Bolognese cooking right here.

Here is a closeup of the fridge and freezer

combination which is unheard of in Italy.

A four bedroom home is huge too.  

This is a peek down the hall into the living room.

They have placed low lying leather chaise lounges in

front of the modern fireplace.  She is still finishing

the fireplace.  

Notice the traditional herring bone pattern the wood

floor has been laid in.  It has been stained dark and

then they oil it once a year.  It was so beautiful and

wonderful to walk on.

I also loved the low level lights that accent 

the flooring.

This is the television viewing area of the living room

just adjacent to the fireplace area.

Here is a peek at my tablescape for Thursday.

She found this massive wood table in Bali and

had it shipped to Bologna.  Much of her art

and decor has touches of her trips to the Far East.

They have three balconies leading outside

and one has a nice sized sitting area.

The four baths are stone, floor to ceiling.

Each one was different and so elegant.

This was our shower and had two rain heads

and a hand held shower.

It also had blue lights that you could turn on -

really fun mood lights.

This was the sink in another bath.

It is so fun to experience architecture that

is centuries old and brand new at the same time.

Next I will share with you our first 

cooking class in Bologna.

I will be posting this with 

Feathered Nest Friday

Seasonal Sunday