Well, I am back in my adopted city of Bologna and delighted to be walking around again, absorbing all its flavors that I was not able to savor last year.  And although it is nine months since I left it feels longer as I did not explore much of the city on my last trip and I am noticing a bit of changes.

The first blog is always the most difficult to write when I return as it is usually in response to my initial impressions. This time, for me, it is a sense of seeing Bologna anew and assessing all the changes since my first trip here in 2012. Back in 2015 I wrote a post about how the city then was morphing into more of a tourist destination and what the impact might be.

Capturing history

Last week I went to a photography exposition on how Bologna has changed since the time its life was recorded on film.  I found it fascinating and spent several hours looking at all the photos and exhibits. It began with a film of old photos of Bologna locations that slowly morphed into their current day garb. Bologna is a well-preserved medieval city that has retained a number of its original buildings. So often the pictures of yesterday and today showed subtle differences in terms of power lines, horses vs cars, clothing trends and piazza filled markets.  But some showed where progress had marched on with the tearing down of old structures to provide more modern habitats or widening of streets for traffic flow.  In some instances  I felt a sadness at seeing some time-worn structures disappear but realized that they no longer served a function in the newer society.

Out with the old, in with the new

As with many old cities of Europe there was a defensive wall that surrounded the city with gates at various points to let citizens and merchants flow through.  Mainly built in the 13th century the walls were removed in the early 20th century to let more air into the city for health reasons.  The gates were left remaining as sentinels to the past.

Old walls of Bologna

Sentinels of Bologna

Towers once filled the sky here like the skyscrapers of Manhattan. They were built as defensive structures originally but a number were erected to show off the wealth of the owner and the taller they rose, the more money you had.  A number fell on their own but several were dismantled in the early 20th century to make way for more street traffic.  Some remain disguised as clock towers and 2 are renowned for their height and lean.

Towers of Bologna

Prosperous silk mills were powered by canals that previously flowed freely through Bologna. This water source was also used for bathing and clothes washing. But as the trade ended and public water became available, the canals were covered over with the exception of one that has become a tourist photo op.

Remaining canal of Bologna

Today’s subtle changes

Bologna’s appeal today is rooted in its traditions of food and those of its neighboring cities in the Emilia-Romagna region. And this appeal has expanded through savvy marketing , especially for those looking to sample an Italy not bending under the weight of increasing crowds. Last year Italy saw a 50 % increase in tourists over the prior year.

To accommodate these visitors, Bologna has fallen under the spell of the sharing economy phenomenon as have many cities in Europe. The once relatively inexpensive apartments that students and locals inhabited are now increasingly rising in cost to meet the tourist demands through AirBnB, Homeaway and other like offerings. One of the reasons I chose to live in Bologna was that it was affordable. But along with the students, I am finding it difficult to rent as many are priced for short-term tourist stays thus putting long term rentals out of financial reach.

I support the locals renting their homes for needed income in Italy’s slowly recovering economy, but it has also created a new model of business. Apartments are acquired solely for the purpose of tourist rental and instead of being greeted by a local owner delighted to tell you about Bologna, you deal with a property manager whose interest lies mainly in obtaining the rent. There has been many articles written about this global issue.

I walk this tightrope gingerly as I enjoy the benefits of using AirBnB and Homeaway for extended stays but also am aware of the impact it has on locals trying to find affordable housing.

But these shifts may also cause subtle morphing as new shops and restaurants cater to a more generic audience. I was delighted to see an oyster bar open though my friend warned me about where they come from, obviously not Bologna!

Oyster bar