As the host of the oldest university in the western world, Bologna has been a second home for young people from across Europe for centuries. And with the saturation of young people comes the inevitable nightlife of those who don’t have morning meetings and people depending on them to make breakfast.
I’m one of those students that made my pilgrimage to Bologna, only toĀ be charmed by the nighttime energy of this city. Only in Bologna does coming home at 3am on a Saturday night feel early. Ā After five years of this, I’ve finally learned to prioritize my favorite places, and cut my nights short so I actually come home before sunrise. Ā Sometimes.
The energy of the city is visceral, and therefore photographable. Ā Instead of always wasting my nights away in laughter and Italian wine, I’ve started shooting instead. Ā Or at least, taking a few minutes to shoot on my way home, ha! Ā My new lens is a f/1.8, and the results have been fantastic. Ā I hope you enjoy my meanderings through the streets of Bologna, seen below. Ā And stay tuned for a vlog coming soon, featuring interviews with Bologna’s best bartenders!
Wonderful night photos.
Thank you, Terry! š
Gorgeous!
Thank you, Stacy! š
I am very envious of your f/1.8 lens (love)
I think I only spent $60 on it! š
???!!! ?
Ah, to be young. Enjoy it to the fullest. š Buon Natale!
Thank you Eliza!! I’m already off again, now in Mexico (including a cruise with no internet ah!)! Never a dull moment. How has your holiday been so far? Wonderful I hope!
My holiday was mostly quiet, with bouts of hectic gathering. I must confess I am glad to have it behind me and I am back to my routine and regular diet. š Enjoy your cruise!
I hear you! The holidays is definitely not a period ideal for maintaining routines. I think that’s why I love it, ha! š Hope the coming January will be good for getting back on track. š
Gorgeous gorgeous photos Peggy!
Ah thank you Nicole! It is amazing what a good lens can do for the quality of your photos…:))
Yes I need to learn more about photography as I confess to using my iPhone too much or else using the auto setting on my big camera! Oh well…
Not so easy to learn these things…took me decades…:)
Reblogged this on From 1 Blogger 2 Another.
Thank you for your wonderful support…I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it. :))
You are so welcome…I very much love your blog!
Thank you!! I am so bad at keeping it up, though. Twitter and Instagram seem to be about as much as I can handle when I’m traveling. Hoping to fix that, though…
No worries! We all do what we can do and there is no rule or person requiring you to do more than your life and health allows. Be happy in the process of sharing yourself with all and know each positive thing you do does inspire others. š
Just what I needed to hear today. Thank you. <3
I love your night shots. Very atmospheric!
Ah, thank you!! I’m such a night owl, so naturally I’ve always loved shooting at night. But it wasn’t until I got a special lens last summer that I could really pull it off. So now I can do my favorite thing, the right way. :)) Appreciate your comment!
Wow Bologna! Who knew. Adding this beautiful place to my list! And by the way “Instead of always wasting my nights away in laughter and Italian wine” totally made me LOL.
Ha! Thank you, Cherene! :)) So glad!! Well, you’ll definitely like Bologna then…:)
These are some gorgeous photos! Brought back some great memories of my time in the city š
Thank you, Rhiannon! I’m so glad the photos did that for you. :)) Thanks for the comment!
Lovely shots!
We focused on Southern Italy so far (it’s warmer haha) but we should get to Bologna. Hubby loves their meats; whereas I am a vegetarian who hates pasta =))
I’m a vegetarian too! So let me know if you make it sometime, and I can give you some suggestions for where to eat. š
This year will be Greece for sure (and I just came back from 5 weeks in Italy anyway) but 2018 will likely be Italy again (and want to explore a bit further from Puglia)
Ok! I’m not sure how much longer I’ll keep up my bicoastal life, but hoping I’ll still be in Italy a lot in 2018. Will you be in Greece this summer?
I am going for 2 weeks in May but I still have to figure out if we want to live somewhere else (aka warmer) during winter. I am starting to hate the winter in Central Europe haha
I can understand that!
I’m sorry we’ll miss each other since I’ll be in Greece in July/August. :-/
I never travel in July / August. The peak season is crowded and expensive. Time to stay home or visit some relatives haha
That’s smart, totally! :))
Live and learn š
Bologna looks amazing in the nighttime! Each of the photo looks gorgeous!
Oh, thanks so much, Agnes! I really appreciate that. Thanks for stopping by. š
You write travelogues very beautifully. The beautiful night pictures just enhances the post and on the whole make it an interesting piece to read.
Oh, that’s such a wonderful comment. I truly appreciate that, Nikesh. You made my day. š I’m so glad you enjoyed it…
My pleasure!
Great post and pics! Some of those streets and alleys look a bit spooky at night – in a story-inspiring way š I’ve only visited Bologna once, for a day, but I remember reddish-colored houses with lots and lots of pillars… and students everywhere
Your description sums up Bologna’s most important characteristics perfectly, ha! š Love it. The only major thing you didn’t mention is the towers! Hope you enjoyed the visit. Thank you for your thoughts! I imagine they do look a bit spooky. I think they are so familiar to me that I always see them in a different way. But that’s really something cool about night shots in general that the energy is so different and still, in a strange way sometimes. Thank you for stopping by! :))
I do agree, night shots are very cool!! Yours are great! ?
Thank you…:)))
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