I stayed in a room (booked via airbnb) with another illustrator friend, Evi, and the room was cosier than Lorenzo’s place. It has hot shower and heater. We stayed with the owners, Katerina and Fabio, a very friendly and nice couple. We rented the room because it is situated near the book fair; about 10 minutes walk.

I had a day free before the bookfair and went to visit Bologna town with Evi, Pak Yusof (well-known illustrator from Malaysia) and his wife, Mama Zakiah. We took bus 35 to town and from the station we walked along Via dell’Indipendenza to Piazza Dell’8 Agosto. Previously there would be a massive Sunday market but when we reached the square, there were only few stalls selling cheese, vegetables and fruits.

We didn’t buy anything, so we walked back on Via dell’Indipendenza before reaching Piazza Nettuno.

Via dell’Indipendenza

When we got to Piazza Nettuno, we saw a rally going on. The rally, called S.O.S. Venezuela, was in support of students and protesters in Venezuela who are standing up against President Nicolas Maduro’s regime. S.O.S Venezuela was simultaneously held in dozens of cities throughout the world. The objective of the gathering was to create public awareness of what is happening in Venezuela as well as gain signatures for a petition to get elected officials to take a stand and denounce the human rights violations.

We sat for a while looking at the rally while looking at beautiful buildings and Fountain of Neptune at the square.

The Fountain of Neptune (Fontana di Nettuno) is a monumental civic fountain with a bronze figure of Neptune, extending his reach in a lordly gesture of stilling and controlling the waters, is an early work by Giambologna, completed about 1567.

The logo of the Maserati car company is based on the trident in this Neptune statue. In 1920 one of the Maserati brothers, the artist Mario Maserati, used this symbol in the logo at the suggestion of family friend Marquis Diego de Sterlich. It was considered particularly appropriate for the sports car company due to fact that Neptune represents strength and vigor; additionally the statue is a characteristic symbol of the company’s original home city. Maserati was established on December 1, 1914, in Bologna. Other than from Maserati, Ducati and Lamborghini was also established in Bologna in 1926 and 1963 respectively.

Apart from the fountain, there’s the City Hall.

The Town Hall (or Palazzo d’Accursio ) consists of a set of buildings, that over the centuries have gradually been joined to the oldest acquired by the city at the end of the thirteenth century. Renovated and expanded in the first half of the fifteenth century, with the help of Architect Fioravante Fioravanti, it was enriched with a clock tower in Accursio and according to examples common in central Europe, a carousel with wooden automata (Madonna with Child and the court of Magi). It was removed in 1796 (some of this still remains today, and is preserved with the Municipal Art Collections on the second floor).

The Town Hall could be trace back to 14th century. It became the seat of the Anziani (“Elder”), the magistrates of the commune in 1336, and later served as the city’s Town Hall until November 11, 2008.

Later we went walking to Piazza XX Settembre to look for 2nd hands books. We bought some art books at very good price.

After that were all very hungry and went to a Pakistani’s café near the station to have a late lunch. Lunch was rice and chicken and salad! Yums. I had been eating Pizza al Pomodoro and spaghetti for few days that it was good to have rice for a change.  After lunch, Pak Yusof and Mama Zakiah went to the book fair to see the preparation while Evi and I went back to our room because it was about to rain. We took bus 35 to reach Viale Aldo Moro, the nearest stop to walk to our room and walked pass Don Bosco Park. We had fun taking pictures of flowers and birds before it was raining.

Getting to Bologna: KLM operated 2 time(s) daily from Kuala Lumpur (KUL) to Bologna (BLQ).

Source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fountain_of_Neptune,_Bologna
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palazzo_d%27Accursio