More pizza, pasta and pastry... in Northern Italia!
I’ve found Bologna and Verona underwhelming tbh; possibly the cold, rain and many mosquito bites have affected my enthusiasm, or maybe it was just my expectations.
However, things I have enjoyed:
- Reading a good book in bed after a hot shower
- Cooking local dish tortelloni (3 days straight)
- Drinking my English Breakfast tea from a glass
- Wine/dinner/dessert/conversations with new friends (including a deeply affecting chat with a Palestinian girl)
- Seeing Italians vying for service in a coffee shop
- Clean laundry
- Wandering around a multicultural market
- Being fully present in life instead of on SM
- New connections
- Many architectural treasures
- Pizza, pasta, pastries (still!)
The hostel “recommended” I visited Certosa cemetery in Bologna which was INCREDIBLE! Unexpectedly magnificent with alllll its marble and affluence.
Then I walked up a lot of steps to the Sanctuary of the Madonna di San Luca, alongside the UNESCO World Heritage Site of its Porticoes - a pilgrimage destination sitting 300 metres above Bologna with 666 arches. The sun came out and I got a beautiful panoramic view that day and sunburn.
Multiple unawakened masculines (+ feminines) have engaged with me testing my own learning and responses in many ways. One guy becoming agitated and belittling towards me during our chat as I wasn't agreeing with him or behaving as he wanted - although I was respectful of his POV.
Wrong lineage of Divine Feminine to try that with.
I'm learning to harness my powerful DF energy and refocus it these days, reacting differently from the past.
A new friend and I hiked up to ill santuario della madonna di lourdes monastery, Verona (same as Bologna?) at dusk last night. We were blessed with many dramatic sky colours, a double rainbow 🌈 and panoramic view of the city.
Today, I found myself on old Roman road Via Postumia. It connected the two cities of Aquileia and Genoa, two important ports in Roman times, literally crossing Verona. I became aware after wandering into the Romanic Church of Saint Lawrence where a volunteer intercepted me and explained about St Christopher, key ports, and the road and church's Roman heritage.
What I also now realise is I have actually been laying foundations of what I am co-creating, researching, experiencing and putting learning/guidance into practice here.
However, instead of continuing North, I've decided to detour to Sicily tomorrow for the last of the autumnal sunshine and warm weather.
Arrivederci!