Reportage Speciale: Gibbs Va a Scuola

The third in a three-part series on our man of few words, Gibbs.  In this special report we will learn what Gibbs thinks of having gone back to school this year.

A little background info for you: In October we discovered my study visa wasn't enough to get us both a permesso di soggiorno and Gibbs' original idea of getting a digital nomad visa wasn't workable either.  Gibbs chose to head home for about 5-6 weeks and request a study visa, like mine. This requires that you study Italian (or another subject in an Italian University program) full-time, which is 20 hours a week.  

If you know Gibbs, you know that he loves learning, but that he does not love going to school.  Going to Italian school at ARCA, however, turned out to be a positive experience for him.

Here are a few pictures of Gibbs learning to play Briscola, and Italian card game that our teacher, Sara, said is probably more valuable for connecting with Italians than mastering the congiuntivo (a piece of Italian grammar that is notoriously tricky for English speakers)

Last night we were out with friends from school celebrating our year.  We each shared a little about our first impressions of school and favorite memories.  Gibbs shared the following in Italian.  I will do my best to translate what he said:

I didn't really want to go to school.  It's not really my thing.  But I'm glad I did.  My Italian improved a lot and I learned so much about Italian culture and history.

One of our friends pointed out that he hadn't mentioned the people.  Gibbs said,  That's because for me that's a different thing.  The people, they're even more important.

Reportage Speciale: Gibbs Ammira l'Arte di Strada

The second in a three-part series on our man of few words, Gibbs.  In this special report we will learn what kind of art Gibbs has been appreciating in Bologna.

A little over a month ago on my last day of teaching at Liceo Copernico, I came home to find Gibbs waiting for me.  He told me we had important homework for class: to document some street art in Bologna.  And then he asked, "If you had to pick three things to photograph and share, what would they be?"  I replied, "I'm not sure, but I'd definitely add Don't happy, be worry."  He said that had been his first thought, too.  This piece caught our attention very early on in our stay.  It's across the street and we see it whenever we walk home from one of our favorite grocery stores.

We took off on our homework mission.  Gibbs wanted to share the gist of the article they read with Annalisa in class while I was teaching.  He also wanted me to see that he had discovered some interesting graffiti and other pieces by the Don't happy, be worry artist (learn more about them here)

We proceeded to snake our way through the streets of Bologna, run into a colleague from Coperinco, and snap more than three photos each to share in class.  Here are a few of them.

When I asked Gibbs what he would like you all to know about street art in Bologna, he shared these three gems:

1. If you slow down and pay attention, there is some pretty interesting stuff happening (running themes, cultural references, artists with a body of work to share, history, social critique...)
2. Some of what is one the walls of Bologna is just tagging or bathroom wall scribbles
3. The murals that some shop owners commission for their roll-down security shutters are pretty cool, and they appear to work well to discourage vandalism

Reportage Speciale: Gibbs Legge in Italiano Ogni Giorno

The first in a three-part series on our man of few words, Gibbs.  In this special report we will learn what he's been reading.

Gibbs reads every day here in his apartment in via Marconi, Bologna.  In the morning, he reads the news.  Sources close to Gibbs report that he reads NPR and MPR news in English and Il Post in Italian.  He has been observed sharing about the day's news first thing in the morning, giving summaries in Italian.

In the evening and occasionally all day on a holiday or weekend, Gibbs reads books. He started with some familiar translations from English into Italian, and has moved on to reading local Bolognese author Filippo Venturi who has written a series of gialli, or mystery novels.  The move into local fiction is reportedly the result of a recommendation from friend and classmate, Blake.  

While Gibbs reads his gialli, he can been seen with a thick hardcover Italian dictionary and book of Sinonimi e Contrari (thesaurus) nearby, which he consults regularly.  

Gibbs was recently overheard marvelling that in just the first few pages of his latest novel, he encountered three Italian idiomatic expressions he had learned only that week.  He also reportedly loves catching the local author using poetic license when describing Bolognese sites.  This can sound like, "There's no way that street was empty on the day Venturi describes, there's a pop-up market there for the Madonna of San Luca that week of the year, impossible!"

Filippo Venturi isn't just a local writer, he's also a local restaurateur (as is the protagonist of his mystery series).  Sources close to Gibbs say to keep an eye out for photos on social media of dining at La Montanara coming soon.

Habemus Papam!

It's news all over the world and we've had an interesting view of it all from Bologna.  It started on April 21 when we were in Piazza Nettuno for the 80th anniversary celebration of the Liberation of Bologna from the Nazi-Fascists.  The organizers paused the ceremony to hold a moment of silence for Papa Francesco.  We were all amazed, he had just celebrated Easter mass the day before.  See a video below of that ceremony.  What is pictured is not the moment of silence, but rather a bugle solo to recognize the lives lost.  

Next came a declaration from Georgia Meloni's administration that there would be a (totally unprecedented) 5-day national mourning period for Papa Francesco and that all acknowledgements of Italy's Liberation Day (a national holiday celebrated on April 25th) should be done in a sober manner.  Conveniently, Meloni planned a trip out of the country on that day.

On Saturday, April 26th we could hear a church service wafting in on the breeze from the balcony.  It suddenly occurred to me that this might not be a regular service.  I turned on the TV and realized that there were enough people watching the pope's funeral live that it was effectively being simulcast to the nation.

My favorite part of this time, however, was the learning we did in our Italian class.  From studying about the rules of the conclave (above), to reviewing quotes from Papa Francesco and choosing our favorites, to reading online about the top likely candidates (including Bologna's very own 'prete della strada' Cardinale Zuppi, pictured in the middle of the top row here, right), it's been exciting to dig in.

One more Italian lesson we had in this series was on idiomatic expressions with pope references (see our worksheet for helpful images).  If you're looking to add some to your lexicon, here are some to try:

1. Habemus papam! literally, We have a pope! 
   It's used to announce a milestone, usually something pretty common, but that takes some effort, like when a family member graduates from university.  My favorite example of this was when our instructor's Dad and sister came home from her driver's license test, this is how he announced she had passed.
   
   
2. Chi ha fatto trenta puo fare trentuno literally, Who has done thirty can do thirty one. 
   According to our text, it comes from Papa Leone X in 1517 who needed to gather church leaders to nominate cardinals and realized, at the last minute, that he had forgotten to add one.  He added the leader and coined the phrase.  Now it's used to encourage someone make just a little more effort in the final stretch.
   
   
3. Entrare papa in conclave e uscirne vescovo literaly, Going in a pope to the conclave and coming out a bishop. 
   It's meant to remind people that high expectations at the beginning don't always mean a big result.  Could be used to remind someone that despite being a favorite for a promotion, it's not theirs yet.
   
   
4. Ad ogni morte di papa literally, In each pope's death. 
   This is like the English 'once in a blue moon' and should be used for the most banal things that you rarely do: clean out the fridge, go after the cobwebs on the ceiling, etc.
   
   
5. Stare come un papa literally, Stay like a pope.
   Used for describing comfy situations.  Did you see Sara's new apartment?  It's got two bathrooms, a balcony with an amazing view, and there's lots of green space nearby, sta come un papa!

I Got a Temporary Part-Time Job! But First... Part 2: Privilege & Racism in Italian Bureaucracy

Ok, this is Part 2, so first, a quick recap:

I have already done 12 things to get ready to accept a lovely position at a local high school teaching English once a week after school to prepare 17-18 year-olds to pass the Cambridge English B2 exam.  I still don't have the electronic ID card I need (la CIE) to be hired and the position starts in two and a half weeks.  It's supposed to take 10 business days to get la CIE but first I have to get the physical card proving that I have my permesso di soggiorno so that I can establish residency in Bologna so I can start the application for the CIE.  I'm sweating because I know that means there are at least 3 steps for which I am completely subject to the whims of Italian Bureaucracy.

Here is a photo of the Italian State Police headquarters for Immigration in Bologna (la Questura per Immigrazione).  A sight that brings shivers to permesso seekers from all over.  You don't know when you enter if you will be successful with your task, you don't know how many times you will have to return, and on a really bad day you might get yelled at or completely ignored.  An American student posted a video on instagram of her visit and said, "It went great!  I didn't even cry!"

OK, I'm going to jump ahead to the spoilers.  I was successful.  I got my permesso di soggiorno card, and I was able to apply for la residenza and the CIE on the same day and get a temporary paper CIE that worked fine for entering my hours.

My class started January 21st.  I was able to get everything taken care of on January 15th- after spending about 10 days where I woke up early to go to the Questura and the Comune several times each.  I stood in various lines, asked for help, did everything they told me, got yelled at and mocked, but more than that I met people who were not so lucky.  

On one of those extra attempts at the Questura to retrieve my permesso di soggiorno I met a woman from Cuba who had been living legally in Italy for 13 years and had been trying, without success, to get her permesso di soggiorno that comes with being the mom of an Italian baby.  Her baby is now three.  She told me that the Questura messed something up on her paperwork and that she comes back occasionally to see if they can fix it.  Her Italian was perfect, she followed all the rules, she was just asking them to review the documents to iron out any wrinkles so she could get on with her life.  After three years, she said, she really doubted that they would ever admit to and fix their mistake.  She wished me luck with my permesso.

I met an African man that same morning.  We commiserated a little about the long waits and the lack of transparency in the process.  He shared that he had applied for his permesso in November and was still waiting for his card.  He said his legal employment was in jeopardy if he didn't get the plastic card soon.  I said, "Me, too!  I applied in November and I'm still waiting."  He asked "November 2023?"  He had been following the rules and waiting patiently and checking in in person for a year and two months.  My new acquaintances from Cuba and Brazil and I watched as he was called in to share his receipt so someone could look up his permesso progress and we were there again when he got the bad news that there was no news.  He left with a look of frustration and disappointment.

In this story, my privileges were many: my skin color, my US passport and my middle-class life where being in Italy, not to mention working here, were a choice, a bonus.  Based on what I saw and heard, I believe the Italian systems for immigration are not currently set up to treat everyone fairly.  Your chances of doing everything by the book and succeeding are less if your skin is dark and you have a passport from somewhere South of Florida or Ragusa.  And that's a kind of racism.

I'm writing this a little over 4 months after the fact.  Coming up next weekend there will be a referendum in Italy on 4 issues related to worker's rights and one related to citizenship- the referendum question number 5 something like this 'should Italy return the number of years of wait time for legal residents to request citizenship back to 5, from the current 10'  The Meloni government has suggested everyone just sit this referendum out.  I hope 50%+1 of Italians (the quorum) vote that the majority of them say Sì! 

 

I Got a Temporary Part-Time Job! But First... Part 1: Advanced Italian Bureaucracy for Foreigners

I have not added many posts in 2 months.  This is in great part due to an exciting new development.  I was offered a lovely, very part-time and temporary English teaching position at the High School where I did my volunteering this Fall.  Whereas my position is compelling, getting through the bureaucratic hurdles to start it was draining.

First, the fun part!  I am an esperta madrelingua for a Cambridge English B2 Test-Prep course after school from Jan-May this year.  I have 22 delightful students once a week for two hours on Tuesday afternoons.  I work with lovely colleagues at Liceo Copernico, I get to learn lots, and make a contribution I really enjoy- it's a joy in every sense!  

There's an interesting context to the position, too- it is a project of the PNRR, Piano Nazionale di Ripresa e Resilienza.  The plan is co-sponsored by the European Union, and plays out on several fronts: Innovation, Green Revolution, Infrastructure & Sustainable Transit, Education & Research, Inclusion & Cohesion, Health, and Energy (non fossil fuel, non Russian).  It's inspiring to think my weekly classes are part of a future- and sustainability-oriented multinational collaboration.  

I will share more about my classes in the coming weeks.  But for now, the less-fun part.  I was invited to apply for the position about a week before Christmas.  Here's a quick tally of the things I (initially) had to do in order to start the position on time:

• Verify that I can, in fact, work in Italy before I receive the physical, plastic card for my permesso di soggiorno (applied for the first week of November, not yet ready 6 weeks later)- All official Italian websites agreed, I can!  Luckily I also had my codice fiscale (like our American Social Security number) from 2008.
• Complete application, including a survey of my experience for the point-based selection process
• Quick, write a resume in the European format in Italian (see first page below)
• Ask my teacher, Corinna, to proofread my resume- Grazie, Corinna!
• Go to the high school and officially upload my application materials.

Whew!  All done before the Dec 23rd deadline.  I was feeling pretty good.  This is the land of bureaucracy, so I saved a little room in my heart for possible additional steps.  It's a good thing I did, because I found out on Dec 30 that there's an electronic ID card I need for the online time-tracking system for a position that accesses EU funds.  I just needed to get that.  

Here's the next quick tally of the things I needed to do to get my electronic ID, part 1:

• Go online to get an appointment to get the electronic ID at the Comune (City Hall, main local government office, located in Piazza Maggiore)
• Swear a little, because the soonest appointment available was for almost two weeks later
• Go to the Piazza Maggiore Comune office first thing in the morning anyway, and ask if I could be helped in advance of my appointment time given that this is for a project of the PNRR.  The answer was Si
• Find out that before I can get an electronic ID, I need to get la residenza in Bologna.  "No problem," said the woman helping me, "you just need to go to another office a couple of km away, they're open right now, see you later."
• Go to the via dello Scalo Comune office, chat with someone who said "We're closed right now, but you can come back tomorrow first thing and one of us can help you."  I asked him to preview my documents, just to be sure I had everything in order.  He did, and said, "You're all set!"
• Go back to the via dello Scalo Comune office, and hear from a colleague of the person who spoke to me less than 24 hours prior that I can under no circumstances get La Residenza and therefore not the electronic ID without first getting the physical, plastic card for my permesso di soggiorno.  I tried quoting from the website and the colleague who had helped me the day before.  No luck.
• Go to the Questura per immigrazione (State Police Headquarters for Immigration) to see if I can speed up the permesso di soggiorno.

See you soon for Part 2: Privilege & Racism in Italian Bureaucracy

La Pinacoteca Nazionale- Letter to Opal

Read on for a letter from me to Opal about a recent visit I made with friends Lucia & Cinzia to the Pinacoteca Nazionale:

Hi, Opal,

How are you?  I hope school is going well and that you had fun with Jo when you got home.

I'm so glad you and your parents came to visit us in Italy.  I've told lots of friends about what an interested traveler you were and how you used the Pimpa book to explore Bologna and learn a lot.  We're telling our next visitors they should read the Pimpa book, too, and maybe they will have as good of a time as you did here.  Do you have any other suggestions for visitors?

I couldn't help but think of you on Friday when I went to the Pinacoteca Nazionale here in Bologna with some friends.  The Pinacoteca is a museum where there are lots of paintings.  I saw some things there I want to share with you.

Do you remember how we taught you to look for the Due Torri on signs in Bologna?  Well, I discovered lots of them along with other references to Bologna in the drawings and paintings in the Pinacoteca.

My friends told me about the history of painting in the 1500's and 1600's (that's 400-500 years ago!).  They said that the many paintings were used in churches to help people feel a close a connection to the stories in the bible and the stories of the lives of the saints.  They wanted people to feel like the stories weren't just about far away people, but people like them, living where they live.  They painted the stories and put hints in the paintings that the scenes were taking place there, in the walled city, under the portici, or near the two towers.

I learned something else, too.  I always thought the really crooked tower, the shorter one called the Garisenda, started tipping recently.  That's not the case.  My friend said it started tipping while they were building it.  In fact, it was supposed to be much taller, but when it started to lean a little during construction in 1109 AD they decided to leave it short.  

I pasted a few photos below of some of the paintings I saw with signs of Bologna in them.  Can you find the Due Torri in each one?  Are there other signs you notice?  You might even be able to see how crooked the Garisenda tower was hundreds of years ago.

Hugs to you, Opal, I love you!

Granny Bean

What does our Family Camp have to do with the Civil Rights Movement in the US?

I love our Italian school, ARCA.  I posted in December about a great week of class where we each shared about something we had some expertise in.  For all of us it was some kind of cultural phenomenon, from Opera, to wine-making, to Thai buddhism practices.  

For my presentation, I shared about the Folk School movement, from its origins in the 1830's in Denmark, to the family camp we attend today in Tyler, MN.  I was pretty proud of myself for being able to talk about this in Italian.  Doing research to be sure I wasn't misrepresenting anything reminded me of the incredible value of the Folk School approach to community and learning; it's the kind of engagement with each other the world needs LOTS more of these days.  The best way, I think, to grow a thing is to practice it.  It helps, too, to understand how it came to be and the ways it has touched the world.

The following is a summary of my research and presentation, translated for you into English.  I offer this as a starting place for more community research and remembering:

Every summer, I go with my family to an historic place in our region.  It's called Danebod Folk School and there we practice some of our cultural values.

The Folk school movement started in the 1830's in Denmark.  It represented a refusal of traditional classics instruction, based on Greek and Roman studies, which, according to the movement's founder NSF Grundtvig, created a gap between school and real life.  Instead, Grundtvig wanted to bring dignity to countryside farm living, the life of most of Denmark's population.  According to him, having a national culture and a passion for learning were fundamental for the transition to a successful democracy.  Creating Folk schools would serve as the foundation to develop a peaceful and just society.

At its roots, the Folk school holds central the importance of human identity, which is made up of individual identity, cultural identity, and democratic or community identity.  The movement to create schools according to these ideals between 1850 and 1870 held a vision of creating a space in which farmers could transform their society, their community, and themselves.  It was a decentralized movement, guided by the farmers themselves.  My great-grandfather participated in developing one of the first Folk schools in Stovring (pictured, left).

Here are some of the foundational ideas of Folk schools:

• Instruction should take into account the nature and needs of the people learning
• Students need time to develop emotions and appreciation before memorizing facts and developing skills
• Oral culture is central
• The fullness of the individual is realized in the context of community
• The objective of education is to respond to the challenges and needs of the people
• Education involves the heart (or spirit), mind, and body
• The point of education is not memorizing facts, but awakening to full living
• Schools should be free from control of the state and shouldn't have tests, grades, or certifications
  

Four key lessons of the Folk schools are: 1) Real education starts with a personal sense of purpose, and all can acquire the skills and knowledge to achieve their purpose.  2)Folkelighed- a kind of patriotism that values identity and culture and at the same time recognizes and appreciates those of other cultures.  3)Learning is for all of life and lifelong.  4) The impetus for schools should be local, decentralized, and of the people it serves.

Folk schools came to the US with Danish immigrants in the late 1800's and early 1900's.  In 1888 the Danebod Folk School was built in Tyler, MN.  Another American example of the movement is the Highlander Folk School (see reference links below), founded in 1932 in Tennessee and aimed, initially, at responding to the needs of the local people of the Appalachian hills.  The founders were seeking an alternative to American schools of the time that offered a one-size-fits-all curriculum for students.  They wanted a more motivating and emancipating form of learning.  Not long after its founding, the school served as an incubation space for the American Civil Rights Movement, including leaders like Rosa Parks (pictured above at the Highlander School), the Reverend Ralph Abernathy, the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr, and the mother of the Civil Rights Movement, Septima Clark (follow the link to learn more if you don't know her, also see photo right).

Here's a photo of my chicken scratchings in Italian :)

References:

https://www.folkschoolalliance.org/a-brief-history-of-folk-schools

https://tnmuseum.org/junior-curators/posts/highlander-folk-school

https://snccdigital.org/inside-sncc/alliances-relationships/highlander/

https://www.rebildporten.com/tourist/planlaeg-din-tur/stovring-museum-gdk1095290

https://danebodfamilycamp.org/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Septima_Poinsette_Clark

Three Joys in Reggio Calabria

We just spent a week in Reggio Calabria with Katy, Jack, and Opal.  We chose the location because Jack has two greatgrandparents from that region, and we hoped to do a little sleuthing into the family roots.  Our group was hit by a nasty cold that taxed us each, so we didn't have the brandwidth to get out and about very far.  We were able to enjoy the sunny weather and many things in easy walking distance from our apartment.  Here are three joys that came up on some of our 'top 3' lists from Reggio.

The History:

Reggio Calabria was part of Magna Grecia, or an extension of Greece, in the 8th century BC, so Reggio was Greek before it was Roman, and way before it was Italian.  There are hints of this heritage all over the city, from original Hellenic walls visible by the sea, to the references to Posideon instead of Neptune, to the amazing Magna Grecia museum and the two Bronzi di Riace. 

We spent a morning at the Magna Grecia museum and discovered that our apartment, about a 10-minute walk up the hill from the Lungomare Falcomatà, the beachfront walkway, was in the original Greek settlment, visible here with an orange dot.

We also enjoyed meeting the two Bronzi di Riace, incredible bronze statues from about 450 BC that were discovered in the sea near Reggio in 1972.  They were carefully restored and are kept in a climate-controlled room that requires visitors to spend time in a kind of air lock before entering.  They are referred to as A and B, but with Opal's help we renamed them Alberto e Berto (silly...).  We saw Alberto e Berto all over Reggio, including featured in paintings in a coffee shop wearing what looked like 70's tennis outfits.  You can tell them apart because Alberto  is wearing a headband and has two eyes.  Berto has a helmet and only one eye.

Our Neighborhood:

Our apartment in Reggio had an amazing view of sky and green trees, and the mountains of Sicily (hard to see on photo, look in the middle right).  The apartment was part of a little gated community of condos called Parco Fiamma.  From different spots on the grounds, we could see even more Sicilian mountains and the Straight of Messina.

Our neighborhood had plently of small businesses, including a grocery store, coffee shop, bulk coffee supplier, pharmacy, and bakery that had two kitchens- one for gluten-free baking, and one for gluten-full.  We were greeted warmly and offered samples and treats in a couple of the small shops.  This gift is a bag of chocolate-covered coffee beans we received the first morning.  Opal tried but did not love them. 

We also met a sculptor who was out working in his driveway nearly every day.  He asked us into his studio and shared about his work.  He said good morning everytime he saw us heading into town.  A different kind of neighborhood art is visible at the end of this entry: the beautifully festive Fiat 500 di Natale.  I hope the video works so you can enjoy the whole experience.

The Food:

Here you can see a photo of Jack and Gibbs and their delight over their pizzas from Fratelli la Bufala.  We also enjoyed other southern Italian specialties, including 'Nduja (a spicy, spreadable pork salami made with calabrian chiles), Arancini (deep fried stuffed rice balls), and crespelle (fried savory beignets stuffed with anchovies and enjoyed during winter holidays in and around Reggio).

The crespelle we tried were from my new favorite bakery with gluten-free options, senza e con.  It was just steps from our apartment and offered baked goods made in two kitchens, one with, and one without gluten.  This was one example of many in what turned out to be the easiest gluten- and dairy-free eating experience in a city I have ever had.  

One of the bakers at senza e con offered me a crespelle on Dec 30, and told me about the local tradition to eat them for Capodanno, but she warned me to come back early if I wanted some.  We got there on the 31st just in time.  We had to take a number and wait outside about 5 minutes, but when we left the sidewalk was crowded.  We enjoyed our warm crespelle on the terrace in the sunshine, they didn't even make it into the house.

Ecco la Fiat 500 di Natale:

Parking in Reggio Calabria

We just got back from spending a week in Reggio Calabria, on the southern tip of the boot of Italy.  I have two entries to share, here's the first one.

Read on to see the Top Five Parking Jobs we encountered in Reggio Calabria: 

We ran into an alarming number of crazy parking jobs in Reggio Calabria.  My rules for taking these shots were: 1) no photo if there was a person in the car, and 2) no photo if they left the hazard lights on.  All of these parking jobs came with zero owners nearby.

Match the photos with the parking infractions below.  I invite you to post your answers in the comments section for the Blog or on FB or Instagram

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

A. Parking on the sidewalk is not a parking spot

B. Just because someone else parked in the middle of the street doesn't mean you can do the same

C. It was nice of you to refrain from parking other people in, but parking in the middle of the street is still not a parking spot

D. Parking half in the street and half on the sidewalk is not a parking spot either

E. A two-fer: Still no parking on the sidewalk, nor on the sidewalk and in the yellow 'don't park here' lines

Opal and Pimpa go to Bologna!

See below for the story of how Opal visited Bologna and sparked her curiosity about the history of this incredible town.

Gibbs was lucky enough to get to be with Opal in Minnesota for her 7th birthday in November.  We found what seemed like a fun gift in the Libreria Coop Ambasciatori; a children's book in English (there's an Italian version, too) designed to help children discover the city with the help of a beloved Italian children's cartoon character, Pimpa.  Gibbs and Opal read through the book in Minneapolis, then Opal brought it with her to Bologna as an interactive guide.

Here's Opal greeting Nettuno for the first time.  We said Ciao to him nearly every day Katy, Jack and Opal were here.  In the background you can see the top of the Palazzo Re Enzo, named for the son of Emperor Fredrick II, Enzo the King of Sardinia, who was captured by the Guelphs in Bologna in 1249.  He was kept prisoner in this palace for nearly 23 years until his death in 1272.

Opal was fascinated by the Story of Re Enzo in the Pimpa book, and had lots of questions, like: Did he ever try to escape?  and What did he do all that time?  Here's a photo of Gibbs and Opal doing some follow up research.  You can follow in their footsteps and read a little more here. (Note: Opal's photographic likeness will be available online if she so chooses sometime in the future)

Opal delighted us daily with requests to visit places on her Pimpa list, and even drew maps for us showing us where we would go.  Here's a couple of photos of Opal putting stickers in her book as she completed the visit to the Sette Chiese di Santo Stefano, as well as a photo from inside a cortile di Santo Stefano.

Another bonus Opal found in the Pimpa va a Bologna book was traditional Bolognese recipes.  Here's a photo of Opal and Papa Gibbs using a recipe from the book to make pasta.  We used our pasta to make Tortelloni di Zucca which was part of our Italian-Polish Vigilia meal on Dec 24th.  I think they made a pretty tasty replacement for the usual Polish Pierogi.

Our last day in Bologna was Christmas day.  Opal was anxious to visit all the sights in her book and there was still one on the list, the longest human made arcade in the world, the Portici di San Luca. The portici lead from the historic walled city to a hill with a view of the Apeninne Mountains where the Santuario della Maddona di San Luca sits.  It didn't seem likely that we'd have the three hours we needed to get our there and do the hike on a holiday, but three things were working in our favor: great weather, a robust public transit system that had busses running every 15-20 minutes even on Christmas day, and a cook-time of our Zampone that was exactly 3 hours.  Gibbs had a cold, so he volunteered to babysit the cooking Zampone while the rest of us headed out.  Here's a view from the top of the 600+ portici headed back down the hill.  I think if you asked Opal, she'd say she was very proud to complete all the visits and activities in the book, but that the walk UP the portici was a long one. 

If you come to visit us, you might want to start your trip plans with Pimpa!

Italian Christmas lasts from Nov 2nd through Jan 6

Read on for holiday highlights and sights from around Bologna.

Italians don't celebrate Thanksgiving, but they do recognize All Saints Day on November 1st. We started to see signs of the Christmas season first thing on November 2nd.  Here are a few highlights of the holidays, Bolognese-style.

1. Portici decorated for Christmas:  

Here are three I walk under or past on my way to school on swimming days

2. Nettuno gets a Christmas Tree: 

This year's tree came from a part of the region on the border with Tuscany, it was at the end of its life and needed to come down.  It got a very fancy last hurrah!  Christmas trees and a red and white Santa who brings presents on Christmas are all post World War II American imports.

3. Presepi: 

This tradition dates back about 800 years.  Churches and some community organizations and businesses set up Nativity scenes.  Some are personalized for the group setting them up (see the San Luca one below features itself on the hill to the left).

4. Lights all over town: 

Each neighborhood of the historic center in Bologna had it's own special set of lights.  The second one shown here is from our back yard, on via Riva di Reno.

5. The Mercatini di Santa Lucia: 

You can come feel come Christmas spirit here, under the portici of the chiesa Santa Lucia.  This year we picked up brightly colored sicilian marzipan fruits, tasty fritelle di castagne, pancake-shaped chestnut flour fritters (naturally gluten and dairy free!), and local lambswool socks.  This is also a great place to get pieces for your personal Presepio, figurines come in all sizes.  16 years ago, we got ourselves a dormiglione, or sleeping shepherd.

Other various Holiday decor: 

Majani Chocolate, Gamberini Pastries (photo credit Opal Vishneski), and the Holiday lights show from the Commune, with a message for all projected onto the Basilico di San Petronio