Italy/Slovenia 2024; Day 14, June 4 - Bologna, Italy

This was our last morning in Bologna. We had half a day left, before we had to catch the train back to Mestre, outside Venice, so I planned to use that time for a pilgrimage/hike under the porticos and up into the hills to visit the Santuario Madonna di San Luca.  

For posterity's sake, I took some photos of our comfortable apartment, the Residenza del Duse.

The storage closets on the lobby where we locked up our suitcases - to be retrieved after checkout.

Our rather large bathroom...

Toilet and bidet...

Nice large shower...

Spacious bedroom with a small double bed (we used to put our suitcases on)

Not pictured, we also had a large walk in closet we used to store all our purchased treasures.  If you've read previous blog posts, you know the apartment complex also came with a shared kitchen and eating area and a small rooftop terrace.  Great accommodations!

Inside the front door, a combination opened this gate for added security.

Below, our sturdy front door...

And the portico leading to it...

I was up early, so as I headed west, crossing the Piazza San Domenico, it was empty in the early morning light.

And I was able to get a good picture of the entrance to the Basilica of San Domenico and its rose window.

Winding my way through the maze of streets, I ended up at the Porta Saragozza, a remnant of the city wall, built in the 13th century.

Looking from outside the city walls.  Quite imposing...

Once I reached the Arco del Meloncello, the "Salita di San Luca", the climb to Saint Luca could begin.

The Arco allows pilgrims to cross over the Via Saragozza uninterrupted. A procession has been walking along this route to the Madonna di San Luca, during Ascension week, carrying the Byzantine Madonna with Child, to the cathedral since 1433. The construction of the Portico di San Luca, starting in 1674, was meant to protect the sacred icon while in transit.

With over 600 archways, the porticos stretch as far as the eye can see...

At four kilometers long, the Portico di San Luca is the longest continuous portico in the world.

Ascending...

The ramps are pitched uphill, but, every so often, a set of steps allows pilgrims to gain enough elevation so the longer ramps are not too steep.

On the hilly section, which leads from Meloncello to the Sanctuary, there are 350 arches over two kilometers, including 15 chapels with the Mysteries of the Rosary, placed at regular intervals (approximately every 20 arches).

The portico, as see from outside, ever climbing...

At a bend in the portico - the view of the hills to the east...

We early risers continue to climb, mostly in solitude...

Getting close...

More devotionals...

Seeing the cross at the top of the trail; the end is near...

The Santuario Madonna di San Luca, sits atop the Colle or Monte della Guardia, some 300 meters above the city plain.

The interior is stunningly beautiful...

The dome was originally left unpainted, but in 1918 the decoration of the interior was commissioned and entrusted to the Florentine painter and sculptor Giuseppe Cassioli. The work began in 1922 and was completed two years later. The subject represents an allegorical composition centered on the invocation to the Madonna by Pope Benedict XIV. The evangelist Luke is also depicted, in oriental clothes and with the icon of the Madonna of the Sanctuary of the Blessed Virgin attributed to him by legend.

The main alter in the sanctuary... 

On the main alter, behind the golden frame, is the sacred icon of the Madonna of the Sanctuary of the Blessed Virgin.

Revealed by two small openings to show their faces, are the Madonna and child.

The side chapels are adorned with beautiful ceramic dioramas, this one, the "Adorazione dei Pastori"...

A lovely diorama of Christ removed from the cross, below the alter; Saint Joseph with baby Jesus, above. 

Saint Joseph is often depicted holding white lilies as a symbol of his holiness, innocence, and faithfulness to Mary.

One of the side chapels with a small painting of the Evangelist Luke (I'm assuming) with the icon...

Another reverent side chapel...

The panoramic view...

From the exterior of the Santuario Madonna di San Luca, looking along the length of the portico, you can see its commanding view of the surrounding countryside, with Bologna below.

In the back of the sanctuary...

The sanctuary "porch" looks to the west towards the Reno River.

Looking northeast, down upon the sprawling metropolis of Bologna...

Fueled by gravity, the four kilometers back down was a quick descent.  I passed many pilgrims, heading up the hills, laboring in the heat.

I rejoined Kathi by about 10 am. We finished packing and locked our suitcases in the lobby closet and ventured out one more time for a Bologna lunch before saying goodbye.

It was still early so we wandered around a bit to kill some time. On the Via Caprarie, the shop Paolo Atti e Figli beckoned with its trays full of the Venus' bellybuttons.

Kathi hadn't had breakfast yet so we found our way to our favorite little coffee shop, the Antico Caffee Sacletto, for some cappuccino and a creme-filled pastry and its customary shot of water.

At noon, we entered into the queue at Sfoglia Rina and it wasn't long before we were seated at the counter (the tables were already full!).

I opted for the tortellini with ragu...

...and Kathi ordered the tortellini with creme...

It was delicious!  For desert, we got a fruit and crumble-topped panna cotta - yum!!!

We sluggishly made our way back to the Residenza del Duse, retrieved our bags, dropped the key and grabbed one last bumpy bus ride to the train station.

It took a couple hours to make it to Mestre, the transportation hub just outside of Venice.  We did not have the stamina to venture back into Venice and opted instead to eat locally with added time to repack all our purchased goods.  I had grabbed some cardboard trays from McDonalds to pad the honey jars we had purchased in Slovenia and the balsamic bottles we got in Modena.  Wrapping everything in duct tape, it looked like we were smuggling drugs! 

The restaurant options around Mestre were "no bene", but we settled on a diner-like place that was packed!  We stayed safe and ordered a pizza and got out of there as fast as we could.  We returned to the Plaza Hotel Mestre and promptly went to bed.  We had a 4 am wake up call to catch the bus to the airport for a 6 am flight.

The next morning we woke and saw that our flight was delayed for a couple of hours.  We were up now, so we just got an early breakfast, then found our bus and made it to the airport to wait.  Our flight to New York was delayed two more times, we missed our connecting flight and were stuck at JFK at around 7pm.  We were offered a flight the next evening, but no room accommodations or any other compensation.  Fueled by anger and spite, we rented a car (that took two hours!) and I drove through the night to get home.  I even ended driving through blinding rain and tornado conditions in DE that had cars and tractor trailers hiding under bridge underpasses!  I would not be deterred.  A month-long battle with Delta ensued, but we were treated badly and were never compensated for the rental car.  We got $79 for our tickets even though their website said the flight would cost $250.  I'm going to think long and hard about ever flying Delta again.  If we're going to get poor service, I might as well get it cheaper.

What a sour taste after a wonderful trip!  I enjoyed Venice way more than I thought I would; Kathi loved it.  Trieste was nice, but we enjoyed Slovenia even better.   Kathi was in heaven in a foodie-centric Bologna. I got blue suede loafers there!  We loved Modena.  

I think we have one more Italian trip in us - Amalfi and Sardinia.  We'll see...

Until next time, peace.