Even though the bulk of my Italy trip revolved around eating glorious handmade pasta and sipping on Sangiovese, I had to walk off all this deliciousness somehow, right? If you’ve ever read some of my Boho Guides, you know that I’m a huge fan of bike fashion so of course I had to snap a few photos of the chic bikes I spotted in Italy. A few of my favorites, along with some city shots, are below.
Bologna
Bologna was the first stop on my week-long Italian adventure. The city is known for it’s creative food scene and for a slew of top-tier universities. It’s easy to walk around the city center and several of the streets are pedestrian-only. From Hotel Commercianti Art Hotel, all the main attractions were within five minutes walking distance and the train station was a slightly longer stroll at 20 minutes but nothing a city-slicker can’t handle. In fact, it’s quite easy to take a day trip from Bologna to several other northern Italian cities like Modena and Ravenna.
I snapped this next photo right in front of our interactive pasta-making class with Il Salotto Di Penelope. Their little joint is just off a main road and the change from bustling Bologna to the quietly nestled kitchen is a welcome one. Laundry lines strung from window to window above my head and pretty bikes rested quietly against colorful house walls. Our cooking class lasted about three hours so it was really refreshing to actually feel like I’m in someone’s home rather than a commercial building.
Terra di Brisighella
Next up was an afternoon visit to the small town of Brisighella where our group went to CAB for a DOGG Olive Oil Tasting. I loved seeing the old yet vibrant homes and buildings clustered close together on the main drag. Even better, was sampling different types of local olive oil. Terra di Brisighella is a vine-growers association that dates back to 1962. Today, there are 300 olive oil towers in total and about 70,000 olive trees. Even though I wish these bottles were more accessible outside of Italy, I appreciate getting to taste the “real” thing in the place where it’s made.
Ravenna
I went a little camera crazy in Ravenna but can you really blame me? There were so many secret side streets and quirky bikes just waiting for me to snap a photo. Just for a little history lesson, Ravenna was once the capital city of the Western Roman Empire (from 402 until 476). If you make it to the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy, Ravenna is a must, even if only for a day. Much like Bologna is a hub for foodies, Ravenna is the same for art connoisseurs. There are many shops that double as schools where you can learn how to make a mosaic, for example.
Copyright © 2015 by Bohemian Trails. This article was written by Megan Eileen McDonough and originally published on bohemiantrails.com.
Megan Eileen McDonough
Megan Eileen McDonough is a New York City-based freelance writer the founder of Bohemian Trails, a blog covering global lifestyle trends for the savvy and stylish traveler. Her cultural escapades have taken her to Europe, Latin America, Asia, the Middle East and across the United States. Megan’s work has appeared on Lonely Planet, Fodor’s, US Airways and USA Today among others.
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