Baloney Sandwich

C'e una vecchia cartolina che dice che Bologna e la citta delle tre T: torri, tortellini e tette.

Bologna, Italy - An excerpt from a text that we read in Italian class: "There is an old postcard that says that Bologna is the city of the three Ts..."

Torri Back in the day, meaning the 12th century, anybody who was anybody erected a tall tower to prove it. All of the fanciest families built their own, for a total of 180 skyscraping structures, standing high above the rest of the city. These days, only about 15 of the towers remain. These famous "Two Towers" overlook the Piazza di Porta Ravegnana. The tall one, the Torre degli Asinelli, is nearly 100m high, and you can still climb the 500 or so steps to the top. Its next door neighbor originally rivalled its height. However, this leaning tower was trimmed by nearly half to prevent it from toppling over.

Tortellini Namesake of such specialties as Bolognese sauce and Bologna sausage, this city is serious about food. Amongst its many nicknames, it is known as La Grassa, or "the fat one". The pasta of coice is tortellini, which is supposed to have originated around here. These tiny shells are traditionally stuffed with parmesan, prosciutto and mortadella, served in broth or topped with a cream sauce. Alternatively, the larger tortelloni are often stuffed with ricotta and spinach or something more scintillating like walnuts or pumpkin. Of course, while in Bologna we also ate tagliatelle al ragu, which is a flat ribbon-like pasta topped with the traditional tomato-based meat sauce. The verdict: the hand-made pastas were delectable; but the ragu did not compare to my husband's scrumptious Bolognese sauce!

Tette When we learned about Bologna in Italian class, ths was the one "T" we didn't recognize. By way of explanation, our instructor cupped her hands underneath an imagined hefty bosom. "Tette," she said with emphasis. Apparently the women of Bologna are known to have big breasts. The instructor explained that this is related to the irresistable cuisine -- all that tortellini with cream sauce makes for curvaceous bodies. Honestly, I did not notice if this was the case when we were in Bologna. However, I did notice the majestic bronze statue that is the centerpiece of the Piazza Maggiore. Neptune is flanked by four seductive sirens, who are not shy about their tette.

Aside from the three Ts, Bologna is famous for its university, which is supposed to be the oldest in Europe. The streets are lined with arcades, which adds to the academic air. We stopped by the Palazzo del Archiginnasio, which housed the university from the 16th to the 18th centuries, and perused the coats of arms of the esteemed professors. The city is also known for its lefty politics, so you can imagine that some people in my family felt right at home.

Strolling the streets and seeing the sights in Bologna makes a person pretty hungry. We stopped by a well-stocked deli to put together a picnic. When I asked the signor behind the counter if he could make me two panini with mortadella and mozzerella, he looked like I asked him to sacrifice his only son. "Che orrore!" he exclaimed. He informed me that if I wanted a panino with mortadella, it should have only mortadella and nothing else. Much to his relief, I changed my order (and I was not disappointed). Like I said, this city is serious about food, even something as simple as a baloney sandwich.