1936 On the Continent

museum.
    If you go to Bologna from Venice you will pass through Ferrara, a grim little town, in which the castle of the Dukes d’Este, the Dome and the Schiafanoia Palace are the principal “sights.” The art treasures accumulated in these three towns would be sufficient to support theentire tourist traffic of a smaller country, but Italy is so chockful of art treasures that only tourists of considerable leisure can pause in these small localities.
Bologna
    Bologna, on the other hand, is an important place. It is a charming, attractive town in which the foreign tourist will soon feel at home. Bologna is Italy’s Oxford or Cambridge. The many students of its ancient University throng the streets, cafés and other places at all hours of the day, and the visitor may gain the impression that Bologna is almost exclusively inhabited by young people. In addition to the exuberance of the University students there is the beauty of the local women and—last, but not least—the world-famous cuisine of the town to make the foreign visitor’s stay in Bologna pleasant.
    It goes without saying that Bologna also has its share of art treasures and ancient monuments of great artistic value. The latter include the church of S. Petronio, which was built in 1390, the Re Enzo palace, the Palazzo Communale, the church of S. Giacomo Maggiore, the Torre degli Asinelli, and the leaning Torre Garisenda, which could not be completed owing to the settlement of the soil. After the Leaning Tower of Pisa this is the most famous leaning tower in Italy. It is 150 feet high and has an inclination of seven feet. If you care to climb 447 steps you can reach the top of the Torre degli Asinelli. The roof terrace, which is 300 feet above ground-level, gives an excellent view of the city and the surrounding country.
    However much you may enjoy the city itself you must not omit to visit the picture gallery which contains a collection of Titians, Tintorettos, Bassanos, as well as masterpieces by other early masters and modern painters.
    It would be a pity to “do” Bologna in a hurry, and, in particular, those who have only spent half a day in Verona, are advised to stay a day or two in Bologna. In the summer Bologna’s beautiful new swimming pool must be an irresistible attraction to the tourist who is physically tired from his journeyings and mentally exhausted from too many works of art. You can have a meal at the bathing pool itself, but I would advise you rather to tastethe cuisine of one of the good restaurants of the town, such as the Chianti, the famous Papagallo, or one of the incredibly cheap students’ restaurants, like the Leone Nero or Colli di Padeno. If you wish to get acquainted with Bologna’s night life, you must make friends with an Italian or foreign student, who will be pleased to act as your guide in the maze of medieval streets and show you the strange night life of the town.
Mussolini’s Native Place
    The Editor of the present work has given me strict instructions not to write too extensively about art, antiquities and anything else that can be found in any ordinary guide. Yet I cannot omit to mention that about an hour and a half’s journey from Bologna will take you to Faenza, the town that was once so famous for its pottery (
faience
), whose Dome is full of the most valuable artistic masterpieces. The interesting picture gallery of Forli is only a “cat’s jump” from here. About 10 miles from Forli lies Predappio Nuova, a small village formerly known as Dovia, which can be reached by motor-bus. It was in a simple house in Predappio Nuova that Benito Mussolini was born on July 28th, 1883. The house has been “done up” and can be visited by tourists. The mansion on the Rocca delle Caminate is Mussolini’s property.
    For some years the Duce has spent the month of August with his family at Riccione, the Adriatic coast. During this time the leaders of Italian political life transfer their headquarters to Riccione, which has accordingly come into vogue.
    Not far from Riccione lies Rimini, whose best hotel, the Grand Hotel, is on the beach. In the summer dances and tea parties are organised at the Arena del Lido, a place of amusement. Further along the Adriatic coast lies Pesaro, famous for its majolica, and also Fano. Both are the seaside resorts of Italians of moderate means. Ancona, which is 30 miles from Fano, is one of the most important Adriatic ports, but an insignificant little town from the tourist’s point