Tracks of the StoneBear Copyright MMXV ALL Rights reserved
ROF= Ring of Fire ITL= Italy journey
Italy November 19, 2015 Copyright
Bologna, Italy
Paolo at Il Portico
The cab driver dropped us off at the address... we were in an alley in Bologna, Italy and there was graffiti on the walls.
I was lost in a foreign country. I saw an alley sign for the consulate of Costa Rica parking spot. I thought I could find someone from Cost Rica- ... which I'd spent a Summer in 1977... and speak some Spanglish to try to find where we were going.
I asked in the corner restaurant if they knew where the office was. A young... 30 year old man tried to translate and understood we were lost looking for an air BNB apartment somewhere near this address.
Paolo,... I didn't know his name then, stopped what he was doing at his restaurant... getting everything ready for the days business... table arrangements, table settings ect... and took a few minutes to help some lost tourists.
Patient with our lack of Italian language.... Paolo spoke more English than we spoke Italian/ Spanish but he translated enough to know we were close to our apartment.
Paolo took time to help us... lost travelers... and that made the difference.
We found our AirBnB apartment w/ Sandra... $69 a night which was a bargain. Dropped off our bags and went out walking the "old city" of Bologna just 4 blocks away.
The "old city" square was phenomenal... The old library and Veterans memorial with Neptune's fountain in the square.
Walked on down to another square with a cathedral and a leaning tower.
Honestly... a leaning tower.... a huge masonry tower, clearly leaning beside the cathedral tower. You can look at the base of the tower and see the foundation structure is not plumb.
This afternoon was salvaged after being lost. Paolo... you were a real gentleman. Thank you for helping lost travelers. You are my friend for life... even if our paths will never cross again. You took your time to help lost travelers... thank you , dearly!!!
Also see the post of our dining at "iL Portico" later that night. We were treated like kings!
The smell of fresh baked bread. ... smell... the bread was really good. And the olive oil was the house brand, but it was the real pristine,... real Italian olive oil. The best olive oil in the states doesn't taste this good. ... and the balsamic vinegar was just as good, real rich flavor.
