Trip to Dozza

Since we’re not as busy with other stuff, bureaucratic, house, etc. and we wanted to make sure that the car battery was charged since we hadn’t used the car for two or three weeks we decide to go to Dozza. I had seen pictures of this little town of this little town with just over 6,000 population and was intrigued. So we relinquished our street parking space not for from our apartment. As in, let’s say, San Francisco you don’t want to vacate a good parking space for fear of only finding another one when you return a ½ mile away. But that aside, we asked the Google woman inside the cell phone to give us directions and off we went. It’s only 40 km away (about 25 miles) but did in fact take about 40 minutes including a stretch of autostrada with a toll of only 1.8 euros.

Dozza is renowned for two things, the fortress “Rocca di Dozza” and murals. The Rocca was initially constructed in the 13^th century and added to at various times and it is in great shape for such an old structure. I have a photo that I took but from a limited perspective and one that I got from the web that shows what a grand fortress it is.

But we didn’t come for the fortress we came for the painted walls. I don’t know when the festival started but every two years people come and paint the walls. I imagine that there is some kind of vetting of prospecitve muralists to avoid really bland stuff because there is really nothing bland about these murals. Almost each one has a little label attached with the name of the artist and their city and country . They come from all over Italy of course but also from London, Berlin, Paris Budapest. I didn’t keep track but it was pretty impressive.

Link to Dozza photos.

Before leaving our house I checked on the restaurants in Dozza and they were almost all highly rated. So that is a definite plus. I selected the one most highly rated and that’s where we wound up seated outside with a view of the Rocca. And the food was delicious. Of course I always am so involved with the food that I neglect to take pictures. The pasta strozzapreti ( literally “priest stranglers”) which is a very old type of pasta from the region with a sauce of zucchini pesto that was outstanding. I did think to take a picture of the dessert after I had eaten over half of it – mascarpone which like anyway but prepared in a fashion that I’d never seen. It must have had egg yolks added given the color and there were chocolate bits but it was really spectacular. The cost for the two of us with wine was very modest – 41 euros. Too bad that its so far away I could eat there once a week.

When we returned to Bologna I was blessed by my parking karma. Just as we were driving along Santo Stefano praying for a parking space a car left a space only about 100 meters from our building. A great end of trip.

And I have been forgetting to add one of the quotes from the Baci. So here’s one that I hope you like.

Coloro che sognano di giorno sanno molte cose che sfuggono a chi sogna soltanto di notte.

Those who dream by day know many things that escape those who dream only a night.

Edgar Allen Poe

As always I’d like to know what you think of a post. I enjoy doing it but it’s nice to know that it’s being read.

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