Mid Continent Library
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One day trip from Milan without a car: Bologna with the High Speed Train by Enrico Massetti
You don’t need a car to spend one day in beautiful Bologna when you are staying in Milan: with the new high speed train Bologna is just one hour away from the center of Milan. Most trains leave from the Milano Centrale station, a few from Milano Porta Garibaldi, and stop at Milano Rogoredo, the door station in the south of Milan. You can get to the Milano Rogodero station with the line 3 of the “metropolitana” (underground), or with one of the suburban train lines S1, S2, S6 and S10, connecting every point in the city. The trains from Milano Centrale are available every hour, on the half hour from 6:30 AM. The train back from Bologna to Milan runs every hour on the minute 24, from 9:24 AM to 10:24 PM.
To experience the train running at 186mph (300 kmh) is by itself worth the trip.
Once in Bologna you can take the Bus nos. A, 25, and 30, they run between the station and the historic core of Bologna, Piazza Maggiore from where you can start your visit of the city. A lunch in one of the restaurants in downtown Bologna should not be missed, as Bologna is called “la grassa” (The Fat) for its culinary traditions.
1 – PIAZZA MAGGIORE Maggiore square
This is the heart of the city and the result of secular transformations which enriched it progressively with important buildings.
Surrounding the square are: Basilica di San Petronio, Palazzo dei Notai, Palazzo d’Accursio, Palazzo del Podestà and the scenic facade of Palazzo dei Banchi.
2 – FONTANA DEL NETTUNO Piazza del Nettuno- Fountain of Neptune
This monument of marble and bronze was built by the “Flemish” Giambologna according to a design by Tommaso Laureti in 1563. It represents the symbol of papal power: while Neptune rules over the seas the Pope dominates over the land.
At the foot of the God are four cherubs which represent the Ganges, the Nile, the Amazon and the Danube-the rivers of the continents known to humans at the time.
3 – PALAZZO RE ENZO Piazza del Nettuno- Piazza Re Enzo- King Enzo’s Palace
Originally called Palatium Novum because it was added on to the older Palazzo del Podestà, it was later renamed Palazzo Re Enzo, as it became the prison of Enzo, son of the Emperor Frederic the Second, who was defeated by the people of Bologna in the battle of Fossalta in 1249.
Only a part of the building can be visited; from the courtyard, you go up the staircase leading to a “loggia” or gallery with a spectacular view.
Open: open to the public only during the exhibitions.
4 – PALAZZO DEL PODESTA
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