Getting here required two planes, a bus and one train, all on time, but it was a long day. This afternoon I met a friend from Nashville at the train station, or tried to: as it turns out, there is a second and even larger station below the main station. We ended up meeting at the only taxi stand in front of the station.
I visited some familiar places earlier in the day, starting at San Francesco, an enormous basilica completed in the 13th century. In front of the basilica are elevated tombs of 13th century scholars known as “the glossatori.” Much of today was spent in a long leisurely lunch. It is a treat simply to be back in Italy. The Archiginnasio is part of the University of Bologna, one of Europe’s first universities.
Life size tableaux of New Testament scenes are a common sight in Bologna. Some of the tableaux are amazingly expressive. I saw two today, in the cathedral and the basilica of San Petronio.
