No doubt there were some inner voices voicing their concerns about our choice of accommodation for the next two nights. I believe one outer voice (AW cannot recall whose it was) indicated that its speaker would not be taking his bicycle up the hill ever again. Yes, it was that steep. Reminiscent of our ride up, up and up to San Pietro de Tienda in Corsica, albeit a shorter version. But, just as that ride gave way to the nirvana that was San Pietro de Tienda, so too did this one give way to the delight that was Lorenzo and Marta’s villa atop the Bolognese foothills.

The view, part I

The view, part II

The view, of the kitchen.

The view, from the kitchen.

Lorenzo (and BonBon the big, black, excitable, licky pooch) met us with a jug of chilled, minted water and set us up on some reclining chairs around the back of the villa to wind down while he prepared our room. We immediately felt completely at home; Lorenzo is a gentle and generous man whose hospitality reflected his background (as we soon came to learn) as a restauranteur and chef. He was so forthcoming with advice on where to get the best, most authentic Bolognese food, and continued to go above and beyond in his care for our wellbeing and comfort. We fell in love with the villa and decided that perhaps two nights would be doing Bologna – and, perhaps, our holiday – a disservice.

The original farmhouse had been bulldozed some years ago after lying in a state of neglect for some time. Marta and Lorenzo decided to rebuild and replicate the original farmhouse and live here until Marta’s grandmother required care, meaning a short relocation to the much larger, estate house at the top of the hill. Luckily for us, this meant that the farmhouse became an AirBnB listing. It is immaculately presented, with a bed wider than it is long (AW needs to call for JM from afar each morning) a kitchen clearly designed for professional food preparation, and a lovely, bright and airy bathroom with a rather luxurious bath…

And so it was, we decided to stay. For an extra night…then an extra five. Bologna makes for a great base for exploring the region (Florence only and hour or so by train) and of course we now have so many restaurants, osterias, gelaterias, pasticcerias, trattorias and caffes to try.