Lodging & Transport
I chose to fly with Turkish Airlines, which was overall a great experience! The cost was almost half the cost of any other airline. Their staff was incredibly kind and helpful. They even gave me a free upgrade upon check-in! When I landed in Istanbul for a layover, they gave everyone simple directions to make it to our next flight with ease. Were I to do this trip again, the only thing I would change about my transportation would be to have a shorter layover in Istanbul on the way home. My layover was 6 hours, which just dragged, especially after a busy week.
Everyone online said to plan for a layover of at least 2 hours at Istanbul Airport, as it's a massive airport that is difficult to navigate. However, that was not my experience at all. I was able to make it from my first flight to my next gate within 30 minutes on both trips. All signage is in English, which makes it much easier to navigate.
For my lodging, I chose to stay at Hotel Internazionale. If that is within your budget, stay there. You will be so happy you did! Upon arrival, I was greeted at the door where they took my bags from me. I still had a couple of hours until check in, and they offered to give me recommendations or a quiet place to rest. I chose to rest, and they led me to a secluded garden and even brought me a welcome beverage. Since I had arrived, they also prioritized my room, allowing me to check in slightly early. Every time I left or came back to the hotel, the staff greeted me by name. The rooms were your standard hotel room with basic amenities. I was very happy with what was provided. They had a bistrot, which I took advantage of for one dinner. The food was better than you would expect at a hotel bar, and again, the service was phenomenal.
The standout about this hotel, other than the staff, was the location. I was a 10 minute walk from Piazza Maggiore and from the university. The streets were safe and clean. I had zero hesitation to walk around by myself, even at night. It was a 10 minute drive to the airport. It was ~15 minutes to the fair via shuttle. Bonus: the hotel had a shuttle that went directly to the fair every morning!
Timing
I am not the first or last to say that I wish I had "just one more day" when traveling. In this case, it really is true! In an ideal world, I would have given myself one more day for Bologna and one more day for an excursion. The pacing felt way too fast, which is the opposite of how it's recommended to explore Italy, a country known for its leisurely way of being. My loose itinerary for travel looked like this:
4/9 - Fly out of Chicago
4/10 - Land in Bologna, check in, free time for the afternoon/evening
4/11 - Day in Bologna
4/12 - Day in Florence
4/13 - Book Fair Day 1
4/14 - Book Fair Day 2
4/15 - Fly out of Bologna
4/16 - Land in Chicago
Cultural Experiences
Come home from Italy, and you'll get asked the same question by everyone. How was the food? Pasta, gelato, cheese, you name it! The food certainly did not disappoint. On my free day I decided to take advantage of a walking tour that told the history of Bologna through food. It was certainly a trip highlight! While I enjoy good food, I am by no means a foodie. I appreciated having someone more knowledgable walk me through what makes their food so great! Did you know that there are official standards for their pasta measurements? And if a restaurant is found to have not met the standards, such as thickness of a pasta shape, they can be fined? I also learned about how certain foods are made, what region produces what foods, and how to shop the proper labels. I was taught the difference between a ristorante, trattoria, and osteria, and firmly planted myself in the osteria camp! Being more of a coffee person than a food person, I made sure to get at least one espresso everyday. The tiramisu affogato I had in Florence was far and away the best thing I consumed on my trip.
Walking around Italy, you are surrounded by history. You don't even need to go looking to find it. However, I am glad that I sought out the history buried underneath Salaborsa Library. It was built upon ruins, which have been preserved. Visitors are now able to walk through the ruins and read a detailed timeline starting in 200BC through present day. It boggles the mind to think about how much history you are standing on. Walking from that to then go upstairs and explore the current library brings it all together in a beautiful way. The library itself is gorgeous and full of little pockets to explore. I particularly loved the children's area and spent more than half my time in that section. There are several small rooms, which meant the library could host multiple storytimes simultaneously while also providing secludedspaces for children that might need a break. It was also interesting to see featured books in their library that we also have here! I expected a bigger difference in books that are available and popular.
Bologna is known as La Rossa (The Red), not only for its red rooftops but also for their politics. In Italy, the progressive party is red, opposite of the US. The political statements were very bold all over town. While not pictured below, I did come across many anti-Trump/no kings graffiti. There were also several displayed messages with a variation of Free Gaza. Through my conversations, I learned there have been multiple No Kings protests in Bologna, and the general feeling towards the US is solidarity and a hope that we will have a better future.
A large cultural difference I noticed was within the attitude of Italians vs Americans. In general, people tended to be much more laidback and open to experiencing the unexpected. There was never a rush at a restaurant, by employees or patrons. The pacing of the day was slow and intentional. Nothing was ever an emergency. It didn't feel like capitalism was running the show, rather, forming a connection seemed to be more important. The manners were also more noticeable. You greet everyone when you walk into a business, but also when you see people on the street. Excuse me, thank you, and please were part of every interaction. It was lovely to be surrounded by this way of interacting with people, and I hope to bring that into my everyday life at home.
Experience
If I were to sum up my experiences into one takeaway, it would be: your story matters and is worth being told.
Everywhere I went, I met fascinating people that shared wonderful stories with me. I was open to receiving what they wanted to tell me, and my curiosity was fully rewarded.
Frida, a student in Bologna who introduced me to some of the best food I would have the entire trip.
Jenna, a solo traveler from New York exploring Italy for her 50th birthday. We shared one glass of wine and endless laughs.
Katerina, another solo traveler from Hungary. We attempted to take the same selfie, couldn't get the angle right, so took pictures of each other. It took less than 5 minutes for us to find out that she used to live in Forest Park, 10 minutes from my house!
George, Nina, and Kathy, family members of a friend of mine, who took time out of their day to show me around their town. I had never even spoken to them before this trip, and now I have a new family in Italy!
Tom and Amy, just an absolute blast of a couple! I was getting up from my table, as they were looking for a place to sit. I jokingly told them they could have my table "but it'll cost you a glass of wine." They took the offer seriously, and I ended up having a great chat with them for part of an afternoon.
Nerah, a publisher from Armenia. We didn't speak the same language, but through Google Translate, we were able to have a 30 minute conversation. She taught me the Armenian alphabet and gave me her home address in Armenia to come visit!
Stacy, an author from London, who sat with me on the shuttle one morning. We discussed our children's love for reading and how it's inspired us to pursue our respective careers. I hope to see her book on my library shelf one day!
Debra, a mom visiting her daughter at university in Bologna. We both were killing time before our next events and ended up chatting and sharing a snack.
Francesca, my tattoo artist, who managed to tell me her life story and hear mine in a matter of one session. She has a unique ability to get to the heart of a person in mere minutes.
Julie, a professor living in Bologna for the last 30+ years. She helped launch Little Free Libraries in Italy and gave me a tour of campus one morning.
Viktor from Albania, who ended up being so chatty that he even FaceTimed my dad one afternoon!
These are just a few of the endless people that are ready to meet you. Their stories matter. They are worth preserving. Libraries are full of the remarkable stories of the people that surround us.
To end, I would like to leave my favorite quote by Anthony Bourdain, "I've gotten along with people everywhere in this world and heard some incredible stories, largely because I sit down without an agenda and just ask the very simple question: what's for dinner? What makes you happy?"
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