27 May Where is the Bologna?
I fell asleep in the Tuscan hills on winding roads and awoke to Pittsburgh at night. But this is not Pittsburgh, in fact. I’m just still sleep addled. This is Bologna. A flashy neon sign proclaims out my window: “Fuddrucker’s, A Real American Restaurant,” all caps. I’m curious to see what “real American” food and dining experience is here. We are a commodity, a novelty, a rare flightless bird species that stands out easily when we squawk if our feathers get ruffled. But we flew here, didn’t we? It is impossible to believe that was more than a week ago now.
Hamburgers. That is the next thing I read as the sign goes past. “100% Hamburgers,” in fact, the sign states (I am curious to know if there are lesser percents available as well). I expected a 50s diner feel, but from what I can tell outside my bus window in the fading light, it looks like a standard 5 Guys or maybe a typical Steak ‘n Shake. I guess we’re not that novel after all.
Later that night, Jordan and I venture out to find sustenance and wander for blocks without any sign of activity. After over an hour, we find a little shop where everyone speaks very limited English and I butcher my Italian completely in my exhaustion. We are rewarded, however, for our bravery and fortitude in adventuring with the very American dinner of slices of pizza with what the woman at the counter tells us is “sausage,” but we both totally know is sliced up hot dogs. It’s perfect.
It isn’t until the next day that I actually get to explore the city. Unbeknownst to us, less than a block away in the opposite direction we had traveled, is the actual historical part of town. On our way to our destination of the towers, I see the city that I had been expecting. We reach the taller tower and begin our ascent. My favorite experience during this trip has been climbing impossibly tall structures. There is a feeling viewing a city from above that cannot be replicated by any other experience. It is a truly transcendent way of viewing any place. Standing at the top of the tower, looking out over a familiar landscape of churches and architecture, I am reassured that we are still in Italy. This is the city I was expecting. It’s not my favorite, but it is at least what I had been looking for. There. I found it.
