Emilia-Romagna – STUDIA PHOTOS

We hired a car from Florence for a drive to Bologna and what a trip. Magnificent.

Italian Countryside Panorama, Tuscany, Italy

Country Villas, Via Bolognese, Querceto, Tuscany, Italy

Castello di Villanova, Via Nazionale, Barberino di Mugello, Tuscany, Italy

Rural Ruins, Via Nazionale, Cafaggiolo, Tuscany, Italy

Misty Panorama, Via Nazionale, Cafaggiolo, Tuscany, Italy

“Warning”, Via Nazionale, Cafaggiolo, Tuscany, Italy

Panoramas, Futa Pass, Via Traversa Futa, Tuscan-Emilian Apennines, Tuscany, Italy

Ristorante Passo della Futa dal 1890, Futa Pass, Via Traversa Futa, Tuscan-Emilian Apennines, Tuscany, Italy

Panorama, Via Pietramala, Pietramala, Tuscany, Italy

Waterfall, Via Idice, Monterenzio, Tuscany, Italy

Building Ruin, Via Idice, Monterenzio, Tuscany, Italy

Hotel San Donato (Palazzo Malvasia), Piazzetta Achille Ardigò, Bologna, Emilia-Romagna, Italy

[Our place of residence in Bologna]

The hotel is in an old but fully renovated Italian Palazzo – Palazzo Malvasia which dates to the 13th century.

The Two Towers, Via San Vitale, Bologna, Emilia-Romagna, Italy

There are two towers and are commonly referred to as “Two Towers”. They date to the 13th century and are located at the intersection of the roads that lead to the five gates of the old ring wall (mura dei torresotti). It was located at the site of the early medieval Gate to the Via Emilia, the Porta Ravennate, now remembered by the name of the adjacent Piazza di Porta Ravegnana. The taller tower is called the Asinelli while the smaller but more leaning tower is called the Garisenda.

Church & Clock Tower, Via San Vitale, Bologna, Emilia-Romagna, Italy

Galleria del Leone, Piazza della Mercanzia, Bologna, Emilia-Romagna, Italy

Palazzo della Mercanzia, Piazza della Mercanzia, Bologna, Emilia-Romagna, Italy

Ferro da Facciata, Via Castiglione, Bologna, Emilia-Romagna, Italy

A ferro (plural ferri) or ferro da facciata is an item of functional wrought-iron work on the façade of an Italian building. Ferri are a common feature of Medieval and Renaissance architecture in Lazio, Tuscany and Umbria. They are of three main types: ferri da cavallo have a ring for tethering horses, and are set at about 1.5 metres from the ground; holders for standards and torches are placed higher on the façade and on the corners of the building; arpioni have a cup-shaped hook or hooks to support cloth for shade or to be dried, and are set near balconies.

In Florence, ferri da cavallo and arpioni were often made to resemble the head of a lion, the symbolic marzocco of the Republic of Florence. Later, cats, dragons, horses and fantastic animals were also represented.

[See a collection of the wonderful features here]