Lost in Translation
Looking for meanings in words, images and sounds
Music and lights of Bologna
This is a sequel of my last Thursday’s Special. I promised Jo several photos from my night walk in Bologna this month. Boy, did I like that town!! Not only is it the food capital of Italy, but it is also a centre of art and culture, with the oldest university in the Western World, hence the three nicknames for the town: la grassa (the fat one – for its cuisine), la dotta (the learned one – for its culture), and la rossa (the red one – for the colour of its buildings).
I liked Bologna in the daylight too, but that first night was kind of magical. The fact that Robot07 Music Festival had just started made it even more special. If you don’t like the attached music, don’t blame me – that’s what they played there that night.
Here is what I saw and captured on the streets of Bologna. You can see again the Church of San Petronio on Piazza Maggiore.
The Palace in the bellow picture is called Palazzo d’Accursio and it used to be a Town Hall until 2011.
I liked the view of Neptune from behind…
But I took out the tripod to shoot it properly upfront – the following snap is hubby’s
Tripod is not a useless device at all. Here is what I captured:
Now I handed the tripod back to hubby and started snapping hand-held again….
And the last one is with the famous arches of Bologna. They say that you don’t have to get wet in the town at all – most of the streets are covered with arches which comes handy on scorching hot days or in the rain.
Today our restless hostess Jo is taking us to Easby Abbey. There are no spoilers here, you’ll have to go to her place and read it for yourself. 😉
Lost in Translation 
I totally agree with you, Paula, this place looks magical 🙂
Beautiful post with some incredible night shots… 🙂
Tripod is really handy, we could clearly see the difference here, the one shot with tripod is just awesome.
But, I was wondering whether you have used tripod in the last image?
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Hello Sreejith 🙂 I used tripod only in that one shot of Neptune fountain. I did not use it in the last one, and it seems it wasn’t necessary because the arched passage was well lit. Thank you very much for looking at the post and commenting. It is very nice to see you here 🙂
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P.S. In the last shot I did and HDR from three bracketed shots
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This is one superbly composed image and sharp.
I missed quite a lot of action here, and need to explore 🙂
Have a beautiful day, Paula 🙂
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Thank you kindly Sreejith 🙂 I have missed a lot on your blog and elsewhere (am and have been very busy, but my plan is to make up for the lost time) Have a great one, too, Sreejith 🙂
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Splendid photos. I want to go there NOW. It was also fascinating to see the difference between hand-held and tripod. G. keeps telling me I need to use a tripod, instead of ‘happy snapping’. So thanks, Paula, for the demo.
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It was my pleasure Tish. Sometimes I look back at the time when I was a happy snapper; I miss travelling light-weight 😀 Thanks a bunch, Tish 🙂
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Hey, your dress and backpack match the background buildings. 🙂
Lovely shots, and glad you had a good time there.
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It’s not my dress – I am not that fat – it’s my coat (wind/rain coat) and three pairs of pants 😀
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OK, I took a second and third look at your bottom. I understand now. 🙂
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You are cheeky!! 😀 😉
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Splendida gallery di foto bolognesi!
Io amo molto questa città e la sua gente.
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Then it is not just me 😀 I found people there kinder than usual 🙂 Grazie mia Anna 🙂
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It is a beautiful place, Paula and wonderfully atmospheric in the dark. I think you would love Evora in Portugal, too. It has much the same kind of arcades, with shops within, but the colouration is a soft grey. Your husband’s shot is funny but my favourites are ‘the behind’ and the Palazzo shot. Thank you so much for joining me again. 🙂
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I was planning on going to Evora anyway.
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Great shots. A tripod is definitely a must-have when it comes to equipment.
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This city reminds me of some of the places we saw in the Azores.
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That does not surprise me.
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Absolutely, I hate counting pixels too 😛
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Counting pixels can be too tedious…
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Very beautiful, Paula! Not particularly my kind of music, but kinda catchy! 🙂
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Wonderful night-shots and I am particularly impressed that most of them are hand-held – you must have a very fast camera and a steady hand! The tripod shot has a beautiful glow about it. And I love the nicknames – though I’d prefer la Rossa to refer to red wine 😀
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Damned fine shots, Paula – especially considering the somewhat inclement weather. 🙂
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Beautiful night shots. I must get over my inclination to not carry anything more than absolutely necessary (and a tripod could be considered a necessity!) I love how shiny the road is and how the lights are so well reflected on it.
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Beautiful shots, Paula and those arches are fantastic. 🙂
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These shots show a beautiful icy Paula. I am not surprised you fell in love with it.
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Great pictures… Lovely town…
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Fantastic night photography, Paula! Neptune’s ‘behind’ is very photogenic. 🙂
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😉 xx (too tired to write but sending my love)
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Sleep tight, Paula. xx
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Hi Paula, that looks amazing by night! Such familiar places as well; my girlfriend used to live there for a year and I visited so many times with great memories of all its squares, corridors and medieval feel. So many people (which is also its charm) go to Florence instead, but I thought the atmosphere in Bologna was far superior.
Thanks for the beautiful photos and bringing back memories!
PS. Did you notice something strange about the Neptune statue?
Read at the end of this article:
http://unavventurabolognese.blogspot.com/2011_03_01_archive.html
😉
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Aww, thanks for the link. The lightshow they displayed that night wasn’t in favour of accentuating Neptune’s attributes :D. You are right about Florence and Bologna both. I went to Florence a few days later – the atmosphere was just crazy, but I managed to have som e moments of fun. But honestly, in my entire 11 day trip the town that was the greatest discovery and offered most in feel and ambiance is Bologna. It surpassed: Lucca, definitely Pisa and Florence. I also liked some villages in Chianti region, and smaller town, but I will show you the pics later (can you believe that I am so busy that I have only had a proper look at my Bologna photos) which means that I have another 80 GB of photos to check out and sort :O Thank you for this fun chat, Ron. I hope you are still having time over there.
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Haha, just heard the story cuz of lots of student friends had to take that photo ofcourse 😉
Sounds like you´ve seen a lot, Lucca is pretty as well and Florence too, but those corridors and alleys and small squares in Bologna are so atmospheric; did you see the seven churches-square, small and close to food market and main square?
Looking forward to see what you´ve seen, everything great here, on my way to 4-day Penang island, half beach half heritage-town, have a great weekend already!
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I have missed the seven churches square :S. We were there one night and one morning, but who knows, I may go back some day. Thank you for the tips, Ron. I should have talked to you before my trip. Half beach, half heritage-town promises relaxation, fun and inspiration. Enjoy!!!
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Amazing shots of a beautiful city, Paula! All the lights add warm and even welcoming feeling to the photos.
I have never been in Bologna but after taking a walk with you must admit la grassa, la dotta and la rossa seems like a lovely combination to be checked out live. 🙂
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🙂 whoever I talked to after my trip about Bologna, they all admitted they loved the town and felt special there. Thank you very much Ese. I always brighten up when I see you 🙂
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Well, you’ve won me over. I must get there soon!
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🙂 Nice to hear that Debbie. (it is not far from Venice)
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These are as beautiful (or almost) as the first one.
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I’d say almost 😀 Thank you so much Hillary 🙂 You are always so kind.
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Reblogged this on JOURNAL LE COMMUN'ART.
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Reblogged this on JOURNAL LE COMMUN'ART.
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The one shot with the tripod — WOW!
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Amazing night time shots, they give the city a warm glow and that is a great demonstration of how clear and sharp a tripod can make your photo. I have one but never use it , it languishes at home… 😦 but I really plan to use it now… 🙂
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If my post would make you use it, all the better 🙂 I hope it is not too heavy and you are not planning on carrying it a long way.
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It is a fairly light weight one, but such an awkward shape. I must admit to being rather impatient and just snap away hoping at least one or two shots will turn out ok for the blog. Also at the moment I do not have a car so bike every where
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Wooouaaah tes lumières sont complètement magiques !!! J’adore !
J’espère que tu vas bien Paula. Bisous !
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Ca va pour moi aussi Julie. Je pense a toi. J’aimerais rester en contact. Si tu peux (quand) tu peux, donne-moi de tes nouvelles. Bisous
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La bellissima rossa! 🙂 Et tu as raison, même sous la pluie on ne se mouille pas à Bologne! 🙂
Ça va mieux j’espère?
🙂
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Non debo usar compu.por una semana (me dane la mano) te escribo de mobil. Gracias por preocuparte B. Volvere lunes si me recupero. Un abrazo, P.
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Take your time. Hands are delicate and precious instruments. Don’t even use your mobile. keyboard is too cramped and fingers are too sollicited. If you insist in answering, just send a happy face. Get well soon. 🙂
Beijo e abço.
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I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again; I love those grand old street of Europe with their classical architecture and sculpture.
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and yet, you have never visited
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