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Bologna’s Three T’s
Discovering Pleasures of this City of Towers, Tortellini, and Tette
Whenever I’m in Italy I find myself standing next to a stranger, admiring a naked woman.
Such as when I stood in Bologna’s Piazza Maggiore with a scholarly-looking signor, gasping over a naked nymph who was spouting water from her breasts. The sculpture, (accompanied by three sister nymphs), forms the base of the Fountain of Neptune. The stranger, Claudio Cento, is a local guide who I’d just met. Claudio is a serious type, but laughed as we circled the nymphs and I asked, “So is this why Bologna is famous for Three “T”s: Torre, Toretellini, and Tette?”. Claudio nodded towards the voluptuous tette, “It’s long been believed, with all the rich food, Bolognese women are…,” and his voice trailed off, as he proudly gestured to the well-endowed figures.
I could easily experience all of Bologna’s “T”s right here in the heart of the historic center. I’d already indulged in a swoon-inducing bowl of tortellini at Tamburini, a cafetteria that’s the star of the nearby market area. At the opposite end of the piazza, a pair of Bologna’s famous medieval torre, (towers), loomed above us.
With all the enticing history and what foodies say is “the best food in Italy,” it’s surprising that Bologna is not famous for “T” as in tourism. Compared to the crowds of Florence, only 40-minutes away by…
