Not many pictures today, although I have been busy. We started off to visit one of the larger churches, San Giacomo Maggiore. The church was a forest of scaffolding, but the Bentovoglio chapel was open and newly restored with its paintings dating from 1486. Next door was the extraordinary oratory of Santa Cecilia. The walls are covered with ten large panels telling the life story of Cecilia, patron saint of musicians. No photos were allowed, but we got into an extended conversation with a docent who understood my poor Italian — I had no trouble understanding her English. She narrated in detail the panels, pointing out a portrait of Raffaele in one. We lingered and got into a conversation about contemporary events….among other things, she said war is coming to Europe: Putin’s aerial invasion of Poland was the tipping point.
Much of the rest of the day was on the streets, walking through the University area, several markets, the beautiful farmers’ market (mercato delle herbe), a mortadella sandwich on the street (with pistachio pesto and a soft creamy cheese — messy and so wonderful). All followed by a visit to the Basilica of San Petronio and dinner in a lovely restaurant around the corner. The food has been, predictably superb.
