Palmabella's Passions

Tuesday finally arrived, after over a year of planning, it was Day 1 of our Palmabella's Italy Bologna Adventure. 4 of our guests were already in Bologna and rested. The other four were arriving after a few days in Florence. After breakfast, we headed out for a walk with Jan, Les, Nancy and Barbara. We strolled the shopping area and saw interesting store windows. Anyone need a dress made from newspaper, or some shoes to add a bit of height? Jewelry stores seem to get lots of window shopping too.

We stopped for a snack, then returned to the hotel to greet the rest of our guests.
Our next official gathering time was at 4:00. We walked the whole group back to Piazza Maggiore for a welcome beverage or two, and looked at the beautiful buildings surrounding the piazza.

Then we entered the beautiful San Petronio, with its gorgeous peach marble interior.

6:00 and time for wine or cocktails at Zanarini. How does one order a scotch and water in Italy? Like this: Scotch, un bicchiere di ghiaccio, acqua naturale!

Zanarini serves lovely snacks to go with your wine or cocktail:

Time for our Welcome Dinner at Al Sangiovese. Owners, and now friends, Rocco and Antonella do an outstanding job in this little restaurant just steps from our hotel. They will share plates or split entrees, and the food is wonderful.

Here were some favorite dishes:

After dinner, we gathered at the hotel breakfast room to distribute "Welcome Bags" with gifts, treats, maps, itinerary, and other useful info. It was a great beginning to our time in Bologna with a lovely group of people! Time for a nightcap for the "tour guides"!