Walking a Marked Trail

Wishing to stretch our legs in the countryside, instead of on the hard city streets, we followed a marked trail yesterday taking us outside Bologna. The Italian Alpine Club, despite their name, mark, and maintain, walks all over Italy.

Our destination was a church called San Michele di Gaibola.

Starting on roads to get out of Bologna, we were soon led onto grassy paths.

In one place, we passed a house with a stone inscription concerning Marconi, of radio fame, and Galvani, who conducted experiments with frogs in the eighteenth century, demonstrating electrical circuits in animals. Galvani comes from Bologna and much is made of him here.

The walk was pleasant, but the end point a little disappointing, a rather sad and neglected-looking church which we couldn’t even go in.

On the way back we met an Italian couple who had just picked a four-leafed clover. Generously, they presented it to us, saying it was for good luck.

Unfortunately, half an hour later, Mark turned his ankle in some uneven ground. He managed to hobble home, despite it swelling up. However, after resting it overnight, he has managed to get round fine today.