Bologna to an tornado in the area (we were by it) then to Mestre, Venice

It was a beautiful morning leaving the Mediterranean this morning and we were travelling cross country from the Mediterranean to the other side of Italy.  We stopped in Bologna for about four hours to tour the place.  We had a guide take us around and we visited several sites including the two precariously leaning stone towers in the middle of town.  These towers are old and huge and the ground beneath each is shifting so the two are leaning in different directions but if one goes out the other go down with it.  If this was in Ottawa, the city council would be telling the owner of the property to fix it as it is dangerous, remember the Somerset House closure of Bank Street for weeks several years ago.

I had never heard of these towers before and photos do not do these justice.  One tower was leaning over so much they took down 12 meters of this tower from 60 meters high to 48 (numbers are approximate).  We visited several churches and then had a lovely trattoria lunch in the market area.  We all had the lunch special, Lasagna a la Bolognese with a glass of house wine.  It was filling and delicious.

While eating lunch in this tiny lane there was a commotion of paparazzi. following a gent with a bodyguard.- were they looking for us??? Nope, it was explained that the Bologna Soccer Team was purchased by a NY City lawyer with an Italian last name but speaking little Italian and the deal was being signed this afternoon and the fellow went to get lunch with his bodyguard in the little trattoria across from us.  We talked with one of the waiting  paparazzi who spoke English who filled us in with the news.

Then after lunch we wandered further afield and ended up in an old monastery with a set of buildings that were easily the oldest buildings we have seen on this trip.  The first building in the monastery compound was build in 100 AD, and others in the fourth and eighth centuries.  Once one stepped through the doors of this place the bustle of the city died away and there was only silence and the resident cat.

We met up with the rest of the group and we returned to the bus and set out on the excellent highway to Venice.  About an hour away the sky turned black and it was 3:30 pm.  A big storm was rolling in from the mountains.  We stopped in a huge rest stop place off the highway for a bathroom break.  I got out of  the bus with some of the others and it was black but not raining, and walked into the place.  We found the bathroom.  Coming out of the bathroom, the rain and crazy wind in all directions was so intense one could barely see.  The wind was in all directions.  One of my tour friends photographed a funnel cloud nearby.  While we were not in the tornado, we were pretty close. 

We watched the rain from the inside of the rest stop through the windows, then the wind started pushing towards the glass with big hailstones  The hail falling was deafening.  The people in the store moved us from the window area (plate glass ) to the middle of the store.  But then water started pouring in like Niagara Falls (we had lost power just when the storm started and there was only dim light) from the ceiling, with the water coming in so quickly over all the store goods it was feared that the roof was going to be either blown off or fall down.  The wind and rain and hail continued and then we moved under the structural areas of the building.  Then light fixtures and ceiling panels started to fall from the ceiling.  The store was flooded.  The rain eased off a bit and we ran for the bus, the rest stop store was flooded and everything wet inside.  That place would NOT be reopening anytime soon.  The sky had lightened up a bit and the bus left.  The short remaining trip to the hotel took twice as long and then we heard that there were tornadoes in the area.  The storm continued throughout the evening.

While we stayed last night in turn of the century opulence, tonight it is a modern NH Grand Laguna  Hotel.  

We went out in search of some dinner and had a lovely meal with the rain falling quite hard.  By the time we were done supper the rain had stopped and the temperature had cooled a bit.  It has been summer weather each day since we arrived.

So no opportunity for pick pockets today but lots of excitment from nature instead.  We are hoping that this bad weather will clear overnight so that the weather in Venice will be perfect tomorrow.

Barb & Debbie