BOLOGNA INSIDE Second Edition EVERYTHING YOU NEED to KNOW to MAKE BOLOGNA HOME by the International Women’S Forum of Bologna Major Institutional Contributors
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© 2006 Johanna Jacobson BOLOGNA INSIDE second edition EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW TO MAKE BOLOGNA HOME by the international women’s forum of bologna Major institutional contributors Bologna Inside, Second Edition (2006) Project Direction & Fundraising Kathryn Knowles Editorial Direction Andrea Vogt Chapter Contributors Kristi Bailey, Catherine Blundell, Kim Brown, Rachel Burgess, Claudia Calzati, Eva Cantwell, Maria Cromwell, Tracy Fairplay, Lisa Gelhaus, Jill Janzen, Stephanie Jurs, Kathryn Knowles, Pauline Mollema, Christine Ricci, Audrey Saracco, Carol Sicbaldi, Alexa Sinel, Marianne van Buuren, Nina Vellucci, Andrea Vogt, Jennifer White Portrait Photography Online version sponsored by Elizabeth Garvey Art Direction Stefania Guerra Graphic Design Simona Guerra Printing Grafiche dell’Artiere With the patronage of © 2006 by the International Women’s Forum of Bologna, Kathryn Knowles and Andrea Vogt. All rights reserved. ISBN 88-87569-27-4 Bologna Inside, First Edition (2001) Managing Editor Ann Gagliardi Editors COMUNE DI BOLOGNA Ella Carpenter, Elizabeth Garvey, Lisa Strickland Contributors Claire Adam, Maribel Agullò, Julie Angelos, Anayansi Arias, Lucy Bannerman, Jenny Bateman, Debra Christie, Maria Cromwell, Julia Culver-Hopper, Eline de Kat, Rossalba di Raimondo, Federico Fabbri, Pollyanne Galpin, Raffaelle Hagen, Angela Lorenz, Merja Mäkelä, Joanne Maloney, Susan Orr, Irene Robbins, Rachel Roe, Andy Shemberg, Felicia Taylor, Mary Tolaro Noyes, Julie Wade, Karl Webster, Simone Zerial. © 2001 by the International Women’s Forum of Bologna, Ann Gagliardi, Ella Carpenter and Elizabeth Garvey. All rights reserved. In cooperation with Hadley’s-Athol, Massachusetts, USA. ISBN 1-884540-58-9 Sorprendente. E’ questo l’aggettivo più diffuso tra gli stranieri che visitano per la prima volta Bologna. In base ai dati raccolti con la collaborazione delle principali strutture ricettive del territorio, nel 2005 hanno visitato Bologna quasi 1 milione e 400 mila turisti stranieri, il 35% di tutto il turismo registrato in città, mentre la provincia ne ha ospitati oltre 400 mila, con una prevalenza di presenze inglesi e statunitensi e un incremento negli arrivi da parte di turisti di nazionalità tedesca e spagnola. Bologna non è tra le mete più ambite dai visitatori stranieri che approdano nel Bel Paese alla ricerca di storia, di arte, di tradizioni. Eppure, quando per scelta o per pura casualità rientra tra le città da visitare o in cui vivere, gli stranieri non si stancano di apprezzarne vie e monumenti e di rendere omaggio alle sue bellezze, spesso nascoste. Bologna si gusta a poco a poco, sembra accecarti con il rosso deciso dei suoi palazzi storici che brilla al sole del tramonto, ma poi si svela nel tempo, nella sua capacità di accoglienza, nella tradizione libertaria, nel piacere di vivere e di aggregare. Questa guida, poi, ha una particolarità: è rivolta soprattutto alle donne. E’ bene sapere che Bologna può vantare molti primati femminili. Qui più del 60% delle donne lavora fuori casa, raggiungendo una delle medie più alte d’Italia e d’Europa. Qui le donne sono state protagoniste attive nella costruzione del welfare locale e nella liberazione della città, come riconosciuto dal monumento al Partigiano e alla Partigiana, unico in Italia nel suo genere, sito a Porta Lame. E’ nel solco di questa tradizione che auguriamo a tutte le donne straniere di considerarsi in questa città un po’ a casa. Surprising. This is the adjective most used among foreigners when visiting Bologna for the first time. According to data compiled with the collaboration of the principal hospitality structures of the territory, more than 1,400,000 foreign tourists visited Bologna in 2005, 35% of all tourism recorded in the city. The Province of Bologna received an additional 400,000 foreign visitors, prevalently British and Americans, as well as an increase in tourists from Germany and Spain. Bologna is not among the most sought after destinations for foreign visitors who arrive in the Bel Paese in search of history, art and tradition. Nevertheless, when by choice or by pure accident foreigners land in Bologna, they never tire of appreciating her streets and monuments and paying homage to her often hidden beauty. Bologna is savored little by little, seeming to blind you at first with the decisive red of her historic buildings shimmering in the light of the sunset, but then reveals herself over time, in her ability to welcome, her libertarian tradition, her love of life and bringing people together. This guide, however, has a peculiarity: it is geared above all toward women. It merits knowing that Bologna leads in many feminine measures. Here more than 60% of women work outside the home, reaching one of the highest averages in Italy and in Europe. Here women were active protagonists in the creation of local welfare and in the liberation of the city, as recognized by the monument at Porta Lame to the Partigiano and Partigiana (male and female partisans), unique in Italy. It is in line with this tradition that we hope all foreign women will find a bit of home in this city. Simona Lembi Assessora alla Cultura e Pari Opportunità della Provincia di Bologna Councilwoman for Culture and Equal Opportunity of the Province of Bologna The International Women’s Forum of Bologna (IWF) was founded in 1998 as a social and professional network for English-speaking women. The defining characteristic of this non-profit association is the diversity of our membership, as we welcome women of all ages, from all nations and backgrounds. It is fundamentally an organization of women helping women, through friendship, support and the transfer of knowledge from the experiences matured while living in our shared, adopted city. It is from this ethos that Bologna Inside was first born in 2001, in collaboration with talkaBOut magazine and the city’s Comitato per Bologna 2000. It is with gratitude to the creators of the first edition that, five years later, we present Bologna Inside, Second Edition. Bologna Inside, Second Edition is in many ways a model for service projects, as it is the product of a cross-sector collaboration between non-profit, private and public entities in our community. Thanks to two years of fundraising activities, including two silent auctions with donations from members and local businesses, the International Women’s Forum of Bologna raised the seed funding for the project. This funding is complimented by the generous contribution of the Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio in Bologna, as always, a leader in support for cultural initiatives in our territory and by PromoBologna, a local development agency promoting the Bologna metropolitan area. We are also grateful to sponsors from the private sector, notably a group of five, young Italian women, consultants for Banca Mediolanum, who understood from the early stages how a collaboration between Italian and foreign women could further enrich the project. We are especially appreciative of the patronage of both the Province and City of Bologna and give particular thanks to the Assessorato alla Cultura e Pari Opportunità della Provincia di Bologna, which specifically financed the internet realization of the guidebook, maximizing the number of people who will have access to its content, even before arriving in Bologna. It is a great honor to present the project in the Sala del Consiglio della Residenza Provinciale and we thank Assessora Simona Lembi for this opportunity. I extend personal thanks to colleagues at the European Ramazzini Foundation for their expertise and assistance. Bologna Inside, Second Edition is, of course, the result of the creative contributions of its authors, artists and most of all, Editor Andrea Vogt. What began as an update to the first edition grew into an expanded guide with additional content covering life in the province, preparing for the long term in Italy and more. This edition is enriched by 90 personal vignettes and essays, written by 60 unique authors, a glimpse into the personal experiences of women, foreign and Italian, who have over the years mastered the resources of our city and province. Bologna Inside, Second Edition is dedicated to all the women who came before us and to all the foreigners who will use this guidebook to call Bologna home. Kathryn Knowles, Project Director IWF President 2004-2006 You’ve chosen a great place to live - a hidden gem in the heart of Italy, an ancient city rich with culture, color and cuisine. But no matter how enchanting your surroundings, moving to another country and adapting to a new culture is a momentous challenge, at times exhilarating and at other times downright difficult. In this second edition of Bologna Inside, our aim is to make the frustrating part of the process a little easier by offering practical tips and solid advice about everyday life in Bologna. The book’s “inside” information was gleaned from dozens of foreign women who have made Bologna their home over the years and who have chosen to share their experiences in order to help improve yours. If you are just starting to get to know this city, Bologna’s three nicknames, “Bologna La Dotta, Bologna La Rossa and Bologna La Grassa” are a good starting point. Home to the oldest university in Europe, the University of Bologna’s esteemed professors and 90,000 students energize an urban environment already steeped in arts and culture, hence the nickname Bologna La Dotta or Bologna the Learned. The rosy Bolognese clay used for the city’s characteristic roof tiles and colorful brick palaces is the obvious rational behind Bologna La Rossa or Bologna the Red, though in recent decades, the nickname’s been attributed to the city’s “red” political leanings: the election of numerous leftist city councils made it for years a near-impregnable capital of Italian communism (hence the streets honoring Lenin and Marx). Beneath its bohemian veneer, however, is a pulsing industry of small and medium-sized businesses supporting an affluent way of life, second only to Milan in per capita income for Italian cities.