Bologna: A Magnificient cultural City
Yuba Nath Lamsal
It was a fascination and thrilling to land on the ancient city of learning. It is Bologna, where I would stay for a week. Despite the bitter experience in Milan, Bologna gave me a different impression—love and hospitality.Bologna is famous as a cultural town not only in Italy but also across Europe. Bolognese are proud of their cultural essence and superiority?a rare asset. It is the center of learning during the Ottoman and Roman Empires and later the land of cultural renaissance in Europe. The Bologna University is one of oldest not only in Europe but also in the world.I arrived at Bologna with a preconceived notion that all Italians are rude and rough especially with the people from Asia and Africa. The humiliating incident in the Milan airport was always haunting me. But Bolognaise people were different from the rest of the Italians. They were simple and wonderful, less commercial and more hospitable. A small but fabulous city, Bologna welcomes visitors with humility. Unlike other big European cities like London, Berlin, Paris, Frankfurt, Rome and Milan, Bologna offers something especial to visitors. It has the least crimes and perfect security.The customs officials had told me earlier that no fatal weapons were allowed to take in by the foreigners without permission from police. They had confiscated my classic khukuri at the airport. "This is the way to keep the city safe,"said a police officer justifying confiscation of khukuri. "It is not the confiscation but keeping it safe and you can take it with you back while returning home,"the official had said.The incident in the airport had made me suspicious about the Italian people. It didn't take long time to dispel this impression left in my mind. Even when I took a cab at the airport for the hotel, I was suspicious. Even in the taxi, I constantly watched the driver if he would try to do any mischief. But he took me to the hotel safe.After a brief sleep and relax in the hotel, I decided to go round the city and have a look at city landscape. In the reception there was a Morocco-born young gentleman who spoke English fluently with Italian accent."Bon shera"he greeted me in Italian. (Bon shera in Italy stands for good afternoon in English)As I didn't understand Italian, I didn't reply, which he could easily guess and started communicating in English. "What can I do for you, gentleman?"he asked when I was looking at him curiously.In fact, I wanted to ask geography, roads and traffic system of the city so that it would make my attempt to explore the city easier. Prior to this, I wanted to make a call back home and inform that I reached the destination safe. "I want to call back home and then I want to explore the city.?I could make a call from the hotel room. But calling from the hotel is terribly expensive. The costs of international calls, laundry and hard drinks would go to my personal bill as the organisers were supposed to pay only for accommodation, food, internal telephone calls and transportation. The man was very honest, who said, "You can call from the hotel but I would suggest to do so from the public booths that is much cheaper,"he said."You go to the tabakari (tobacco shop) just another side of the road and buy a card of ten thousands lire, which is equivalent to five US dollars? I followed his advice. He also gave me a city map, with which I travelled the city. As I was not perfect in map reading, I often got confused with the lanes, roads and blocks. It was again partly because of language barrier.I walked freely and carelessly in the streets and narrow lanes built some 200 years ago. At one point I got lost. I could take a taxi but I didn't want because I wanted to explore more about the city. I asked a couple of people but they didn't understand English. Finally, a young lad helped me. The lad who helped me resembled Indian star batsman Sacchin Tendulkar. The language is a medium for friendship and intimacy. The language barrier creates misunderstanding and suspicion that ultimately leads to animosity and hatred. When asked the young lad about the lane and way to my hotel, he said something in Italian language, which sounded different to me. I thought this guy was a cheat and he wanted to swindle me. I walked away from him but the boy followed me until I reached the lane that goes straight to my hotel. I became more suspicious. At the end, he showed with gesture how to reach the hotel. Now I remembered that he had told me the name of lanes through which I should have followed but I thought otherwise. Later I regretted for suspecting the innocent boy who wanted to help me.The next day was the conference. The venue was close to the hotel?not even five minutes walk. I reached half-an hour earlier so that registration and other formalities would be completed in time. When I introduced myself as a delegate from Nepal, it appeared as if everyone had known me before. The co-ordinator of the event was Barbara Carara with whom I had communicated several times through emails. The other persons, whose names I knew before were Stefano Sardo, Percalo and Nicola Ferraro. Stefano was responsible for the publications and programmes, Percalo for the travel arrangement, Nicola for the finance control. All of them assembled around me as though I were a celebrity.The conference began with hundreds of food producers, writers, researchers, gastronomy experts, scientists, environmentalists and journalists from across the world. There were representatives from almost all countries of the world. The gathering was dubbed as the United Nations of gastronomy.The man behind the movement was Carlo Patrini, a professor and columnist in the Italian magazine on gastronomy. The philosophy behind the Slow Food is to promote sustainable food production and conservation of biodiversity, which our forefathers had always cherished and promoted throughout history.My other job was to vote for the best five people to honour with the Slow Food Award, dedicated to meritorious projects in defense of biodiversity and the world agro-industrial heritage. Each winner received 20,000 euros and the prize was announced and presented in the University of Bologna.The winners of Slow Food Award 2000 were Nancy Jones of Mauritania, Veli G?f Turkey, Jesus Garzeyde of Spain, Maria Mikhailovna Girenko of Russia and Raul Manuel Antonio of Mexico.The next part of the programme was a trip to Bologna's historical and cultural sites and farming community. I was really fascinated to the cultural richness and hospitable people of Bologna. Despite the heavy collateral damage by the bombing during the Second World War, the historical sites and monuments have been renovated exactly in the same manner they had been originally built. The rampant of medieval castles, buildings, cathedrals and fortifications have stood proudly as the witnesses of its rich history and culture, for which the UNESCO has listed Bologna as the city of culture and music. Every square and corner of the city possess statues and murals of ancient rulers, war veterans and great personalities of different occupations that exhibit stunning reminiscence of its glorious history and civilisation.
url: http://www.gorkhapatra.org.np/content.php?nid=6056
It was a fascination and thrilling to land on the ancient city of learning. It is Bologna, where I would stay for a week. Despite the bitter experience in Milan, Bologna gave me a different impression—love and hospitality.Bologna is famous as a cultural town not only in Italy but also across Europe. Bolognese are proud of their cultural essence and superiority?a rare asset. It is the center of learning during the Ottoman and Roman Empires and later the land of cultural renaissance in Europe. The Bologna University is one of oldest not only in Europe but also in the world.I arrived at Bologna with a preconceived notion that all Italians are rude and rough especially with the people from Asia and Africa. The humiliating incident in the Milan airport was always haunting me. But Bolognaise people were different from the rest of the Italians. They were simple and wonderful, less commercial and more hospitable. A small but fabulous city, Bologna welcomes visitors with humility. Unlike other big European cities like London, Berlin, Paris, Frankfurt, Rome and Milan, Bologna offers something especial to visitors. It has the least crimes and perfect security.The customs officials had told me earlier that no fatal weapons were allowed to take in by the foreigners without permission from police. They had confiscated my classic khukuri at the airport. "This is the way to keep the city safe,"said a police officer justifying confiscation of khukuri. "It is not the confiscation but keeping it safe and you can take it with you back while returning home,"the official had said.The incident in the airport had made me suspicious about the Italian people. It didn't take long time to dispel this impression left in my mind. Even when I took a cab at the airport for the hotel, I was suspicious. Even in the taxi, I constantly watched the driver if he would try to do any mischief. But he took me to the hotel safe.After a brief sleep and relax in the hotel, I decided to go round the city and have a look at city landscape. In the reception there was a Morocco-born young gentleman who spoke English fluently with Italian accent."Bon shera"he greeted me in Italian. (Bon shera in Italy stands for good afternoon in English)As I didn't understand Italian, I didn't reply, which he could easily guess and started communicating in English. "What can I do for you, gentleman?"he asked when I was looking at him curiously.In fact, I wanted to ask geography, roads and traffic system of the city so that it would make my attempt to explore the city easier. Prior to this, I wanted to make a call back home and inform that I reached the destination safe. "I want to call back home and then I want to explore the city.?I could make a call from the hotel room. But calling from the hotel is terribly expensive. The costs of international calls, laundry and hard drinks would go to my personal bill as the organisers were supposed to pay only for accommodation, food, internal telephone calls and transportation. The man was very honest, who said, "You can call from the hotel but I would suggest to do so from the public booths that is much cheaper,"he said."You go to the tabakari (tobacco shop) just another side of the road and buy a card of ten thousands lire, which is equivalent to five US dollars? I followed his advice. He also gave me a city map, with which I travelled the city. As I was not perfect in map reading, I often got confused with the lanes, roads and blocks. It was again partly because of language barrier.I walked freely and carelessly in the streets and narrow lanes built some 200 years ago. At one point I got lost. I could take a taxi but I didn't want because I wanted to explore more about the city. I asked a couple of people but they didn't understand English. Finally, a young lad helped me. The lad who helped me resembled Indian star batsman Sacchin Tendulkar. The language is a medium for friendship and intimacy. The language barrier creates misunderstanding and suspicion that ultimately leads to animosity and hatred. When asked the young lad about the lane and way to my hotel, he said something in Italian language, which sounded different to me. I thought this guy was a cheat and he wanted to swindle me. I walked away from him but the boy followed me until I reached the lane that goes straight to my hotel. I became more suspicious. At the end, he showed with gesture how to reach the hotel. Now I remembered that he had told me the name of lanes through which I should have followed but I thought otherwise. Later I regretted for suspecting the innocent boy who wanted to help me.The next day was the conference. The venue was close to the hotel?not even five minutes walk. I reached half-an hour earlier so that registration and other formalities would be completed in time. When I introduced myself as a delegate from Nepal, it appeared as if everyone had known me before. The co-ordinator of the event was Barbara Carara with whom I had communicated several times through emails. The other persons, whose names I knew before were Stefano Sardo, Percalo and Nicola Ferraro. Stefano was responsible for the publications and programmes, Percalo for the travel arrangement, Nicola for the finance control. All of them assembled around me as though I were a celebrity.The conference began with hundreds of food producers, writers, researchers, gastronomy experts, scientists, environmentalists and journalists from across the world. There were representatives from almost all countries of the world. The gathering was dubbed as the United Nations of gastronomy.The man behind the movement was Carlo Patrini, a professor and columnist in the Italian magazine on gastronomy. The philosophy behind the Slow Food is to promote sustainable food production and conservation of biodiversity, which our forefathers had always cherished and promoted throughout history.My other job was to vote for the best five people to honour with the Slow Food Award, dedicated to meritorious projects in defense of biodiversity and the world agro-industrial heritage. Each winner received 20,000 euros and the prize was announced and presented in the University of Bologna.The winners of Slow Food Award 2000 were Nancy Jones of Mauritania, Veli G?f Turkey, Jesus Garzeyde of Spain, Maria Mikhailovna Girenko of Russia and Raul Manuel Antonio of Mexico.The next part of the programme was a trip to Bologna's historical and cultural sites and farming community. I was really fascinated to the cultural richness and hospitable people of Bologna. Despite the heavy collateral damage by the bombing during the Second World War, the historical sites and monuments have been renovated exactly in the same manner they had been originally built. The rampant of medieval castles, buildings, cathedrals and fortifications have stood proudly as the witnesses of its rich history and culture, for which the UNESCO has listed Bologna as the city of culture and music. Every square and corner of the city possess statues and murals of ancient rulers, war veterans and great personalities of different occupations that exhibit stunning reminiscence of its glorious history and civilisation.
url: http://www.gorkhapatra.org.np/content.php?nid=6056
Comments
Post a Comment