This blog has some photos and accounts of our stay in the north of Italy in Bologna and Verona. We also used the opportunity to visit Parma as day trip from Bologna. More photos here.
The centre of Bologna is dominated by two towers which can only been seen close up because of the very narrow streets. This tower here is the the fourth highest in Italy (after Cremona, Sienna and Venice) and was built in the 12th Century (1109 - 1119)
The second tower started leaning soon after it was built and was reduced in height to 48 m. It has been closed for 700 years as it leans 3.22m from the vertical.
Torre Asinelli also leans but at 97 m high at [a lean of] 2.23m, it is not as noticeable and is open for those keen to see the view from the top.
The centre of Bologna is dominated by two towers which can only been seen close up because of the very narrow streets. This tower here is the the fourth highest in Italy (after Cremona, Sienna and Venice) and was built in the 12th Century (1109 - 1119)
 |
| Torre Asinelli |
 |
| Torre Garisenda |
 |
| Bologna, from top of Torre Asinelli, 500 steps up |
 |
| The lean of Torre Garisenda is obvious here. |
 |
| Torre Garisenda from the top of Torre Asinelli |
Next day we took the train across to Parma.
Not only is Parma famous for its hams and cheese, it contained a pleasant surprise for me in terms of clocks, calendars and how to find your position on earth.
No visit to Parma is complete without tasting the famous cheese and hams, which we did for lunch.
In Piazza Garibaldi a Parma and the nearby duomo I was finally able to understand the problems faced by early navigators in fixing their longitude. We had visited Greenwich several years previously and stood on the meridian line with one foot in the eastern hemisphere and one in the west before we toured the horological museum there to trace the development of the chronometer and how time was kept. Now the pieces finally fell into place which I will endeavour to explain here in an abbreviated form.
The sun figure in top left of centre has a hole in it as a mouth. The meridian line is placed so that the light through the sun face passes this line when the sun is at its maximum elevation (midday). Also because of the tilt of the earth on its axis, the maximum height the sun reaches depends on the date. The date can be read off the calendar here! The sun dials on the right can be used to tell the time during the day as well.
The final part the puzzle was to be found back in Bologna at San Petronia Basilica in Piazza Maggiore, built in 1655. It has the Meridian line and because it was a fine sunny day we were able to see the sun cross it at noon.
No visit to Parma is complete without tasting the famous cheese and hams, which we did for lunch.
 |
| Parmesan cheeses |
 |
| Parma hams |
 |
| The solar clock and calendar in Parma |
The final part the puzzle was to be found back in Bologna at San Petronia Basilica in Piazza Maggiore, built in 1655. It has the Meridian line and because it was a fine sunny day we were able to see the sun cross it at noon.
 |
| The Meridian line |
 |
| Notice to say that the line is marked according to the signs of the zodiac |
 |
| Gemini |
 |
| Hole in the roof which lets a thin beam of sunlight through. |
 |
| Mid day in Parma |
We were there on 1 August which obviously wasn't the 17th. However the calendar used when the meridian line was constructed was based on the signs of the zodiac. The above photo was taken at around 1.21pm local time.
In order to answer the question about how
longitude is found one needs to consider the following.
1.
The earth rotates about its
axis, 360° in 24 hours. This equates to 360/24 degrees per hour or exactly 15°
per hour.
2.
The meridian through Greenwich
is taken as the reference point and 12 noon Greenwich Mean time (GMT) is when
the sun is at its highest point each day in Greenwich.
At any place east of Greenwich the sun will
reach its zenith (highest point) before 12 noon GMT. Knowing the exact time this
happens allows a calculation to be made as to how many degrees East in
longitude your position is. If you have an accurate chronometer to measure GMT and
an almanac of tables, you can work out your longitude.
Daylight saving adds a complication here as Bologna is at 11.35 East and some countries parts of the world (e.g. New Zealand {30 minutes}) have permanent daylight saving as well.
My observation of 1.21pm, if I remember correctly, should equate to around 12.45 GMT.
Latitude was easy using a sextant and the almanac.
Our last full day in Bologna started off with a street parade bands and wondering what it was all about.
 |
| Bologna commemoration parade |
To get a better view, after finding out what was going on, went back to our hotel room opposite the railway station.
 |
| The scene outside the railway station from our hotel room |
On 2 August 1980 a bomb blast in the railway station here killed 85 people, this followed a similar blast on 4 August 1976 (44 victims). No body ever claimed responsibility nor was anyone found and charged. Consequently, a solemn parade and speeches mark the occasion on the anniversary.
Having paid our respects we moved on to the Science museum at Universita-Palazzo Poggi and the Museo di Anatomia. The construction of anatomical models there was begun in 1740. They are made from wax and papier mache and look so real that they could still be used for teaching purposes today as they were originally used.
The collection models showing different types of birth positions would be enough to put any women off having a baby! No photos taken here. This museum should be on your list of places to visit if in Bologna.
Verona.
The main attraction in Verona would have to be Casa Capuleti and the famous balcony which features in Shakepeare's play, Romeo and Juliet, set here. Hundreds of people were crowded into the courtyard with many want to be Juliets paying extra to dash out onto the balcony and utter the famous lines:
(There is some doubt as to if Shakespeare every visted Verona.)
This shot took me quite some time to get before the balcony was empty.
The house was built in the 13th Century for the Capulet family. The balcony was in fact added in 1936!!!
The views of Verona from the castle ramparts are worth the short but steep climb.
Now it was time to leave Italy and head through the Brenner Pass by train to Innsbruck before moving on to Switzerland.
Having paid our respects we moved on to the Science museum at Universita-Palazzo Poggi and the Museo di Anatomia. The construction of anatomical models there was begun in 1740. They are made from wax and papier mache and look so real that they could still be used for teaching purposes today as they were originally used.
The collection models showing different types of birth positions would be enough to put any women off having a baby! No photos taken here. This museum should be on your list of places to visit if in Bologna.
Verona.
 |
| Gate to main square of Verona |
 |
| Piazza Erbe |
 |
| Juliet's balcony |
"O Romeo, Romeo! wherefore art thou Romeo?
Deny thy father and refuse thy name.
Or if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love
And I'll no longer be a Capulet."
- William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet, 2.2
Deny thy father and refuse thy name.
Or if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love
And I'll no longer be a Capulet."
- William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet, 2.2
(There is some doubt as to if Shakespeare every visted Verona.)
This shot took me quite some time to get before the balcony was empty.
The house was built in the 13th Century for the Capulet family. The balcony was in fact added in 1936!!!
Not far from Casa Capuleti is this building which supports the remains of a Roman era structure. The river is at the end of the street.
 |
| Castel San Pietro |
 |
| Castel San Pietro |
 |
| Verona |
 |
| Verona |
Now it was time to leave Italy and head through the Brenner Pass by train to Innsbruck before moving on to Switzerland.
No comments:
Post a Comment