A Pilgrimage Through the Porticoes

The most noteworthy architectural feature of Bologna is the almost 40 kilometres of porticoes - these covered walkways are attached to buildings from one end of the city to the other. 

The granddaddy of all porticoes is the 4km continuous one that connects the old city to the Sanctuary of the Madonna di San Luca, at the top of a nearby hill.  Built over a period of some 120 years (1674-1793), it was supposedly built as an act of faith to shelter pilgrims making the journey to the church.

The mere mortals of today make the journey in relative comfort compared with the original churchgoers of San Luca, with some even taking the bus to the halfway point. The bus was not for us...we trudged like pilgrims to the top of the hill and spent some time admiring the Sanctuary whilst the priest was conducting a service for some local school children. Truth be told, we were just catching our breath. The walk follows a steady and arduous track uphill - we took over an hour to arrive at the peak. 

Coming down was much faster, even including the stop for coffee and pastries (as we do)!