The 7 secrets of Bologna

The seven secrets of Bologna

Hi everyone! As it's the first entry for this competition, I want to talk about a city which is really special to me, the city where I spent my Erasmus year abroad (actually it was only an exchange programme set up by my university, so it wasn't part of the Erasmus programme because I'm not European). I want to talk about Bologna, and the seven secrets this medieval city is hiding. Do you want to know more? Continue reading!

What are the 7 secrets?

Anyone who goes to Bologna, whether that's as a tourist or as a student, will find that people normally recommend the same places to visit: Piazza Maggiore, the two towers, the incomplete gigantic church called San Petronio, the San Luca sanctuary on the top of the hill (literally), but people rarely mention the seven secrets. There aren't really seven, but they're normally kept very secret (well, quite secret). These seven secrets are Bologna's clichés that no one should miss out on visiting if they're in the city.

Warning: to find these secrets, I recommend having Google Maps in one hand and a delicious ice cream in the other (so your hunger doesn't distract you), make sure you're wearing your glasses and look for them carefully and patiently.

What are the 7 secrets?

No one really knows.

I started hearing about the "secrets of Bologna" since the first day I arrived here, but I didn't really know what it was all about, until now, months later, someone explained to me that there were seven secrets hidden all over the centre. They're secrets because you can only see them if you know they're there or if you find them. You can't see them in plain sight.

So, Beto (who was here visiting me) and I began the search. The blogs online didn't give us a specific order, actually no one has said if there are exactly seven and no one really knows if these are the seven. Here, I'll write what we found.

1. The first secret: Santo Stefano Satyr (SSS)

This is one of the ones which is usually left out on the many different lists you can find of the seven secrets, so that's why I decided to put it first to balance it out.

Around one of the pretties squares, Piazza di Santo Stefano, if you were to ask me about it I'd say there are lots of entrance gates with coffee bars, restaurants, shops and lots of things you normally find in a square. Above one of the gates between two arches, there are different busts or sculptures of heads of people who I honestly don't think are very important. No one knows who they are.

You have to look closely at each one of these characters to find the most interesting one: an old man smiling with an evil look on his face, with pointed ears, lots of hair in his face and seemingly there are horns. Many people say he is the devil. I'm more interested in Greek mythology than in Christianity, so I feel like it's more of a satyr. Everyone who finds it can decide what it is.

Here is the first secret.

2. The second secret: the arrows on the ceiling

You have to go towards Strada Maggiore and find a construction (a shopping centre) called "Corte Isolani". Once you're there, it isn't necessary to go inside. Just stay under the doorway and look at the ceiling. Unfortunately, if you're short-sighted, you won't see anything, because the ceiling is about four metres (or more, but I'm not great at estimating lengths) from the ground.

Supposedly, on the beams there are three arrows scratched into the wood.

I can't confirm whether that's true, but someone with good eyesight or good zoom on their camera can. For me, this secret was very disappointing, but I had to try to find it anyway as you never know.

Here is the second secret.

3. The third secret: a wireless telephone

After having seen such a disappointing one like the arrows, I want to speak about a secret which made me excited and surprised me: two corners in the corridors under the "Palazzo del Podestà". As simple as they look, these two corners are magical, but you need at least two people to try it out.

In the part where two corridors connect, one which goes towards Piazza Maggiore and the other which goes towards Neptuno, one person stands in the corner and the other in opposite corner, whilst both looking up at the pillars towards the corner. Now, someone must say something, as if you're telling a secret to the bricks. I can assure you that the person on the other side will hear everything.

The story behind this is that in the past, priests invented this as a way for lepers to confess without having to have any contact or get near. It seemed like a genius idea to me.

Here is the third secret.

4. The fourth secret: Neptune's penis

You'd probably think that Neptune's penis is nothing special, and that's true. It's just like any other statue of a naked man. But the secret isn't to do with the real penis of this sea god, but how it looks depending on the angle you're looking at it in the square.

Looking at the statue from the front, you can see the left hand of Neptune which is stretched out. But if you stop outside the Salaborsa Library, looking at the statue from behind or from its right side, Neptune's hand disappears and you're only left with a finger, which no longer looks like a finger, but the statue's erect penis.

I noticed that, on the contrary to what other blogs might say, there's no exact place where you have to stand to see it, but everyone has to find the right angle for themselves, depending on how tall they are, on the steps outside the library.

Here is the fourth secret.

5. The fifth secret: Canabis protectio

In the street Via dell'Indipendenza, almost in the corner of via Rizzoli (the opposite street where McDonald's is), you'll see the "Casa Stagni" (it's quite common in Bologna for all the houses and buildings to have their own names). If you stop there, to look inside the doorway and look up at the ceiling, you'll be able to see three beautiful signs which are very old.

The first is decorated with wheat in the shape of an x where the doorways cross and it says, "Panis vita".

The third is decorated with bunches of gapes in the shape of x and says, "Vinum laetitia".

In the middle is where our fifth secret lies. The ceiling is decorated with marijuana leaves which forms an x and in the centre it says, "Canabis protectio". You don't need to know much Latin to know what that means: Bread is life, cannabis is protection and wine is happiness.

Here's the fifth secret.

6. The sixth secret: The window which looks onto the canal

What a lot of people don't know about Bologna is that people call it "little Venice" because of its canals...

No, not really.

There are a few underground canals, but not many you can see and that's why it's part of the secrets of the city.

In Via Piella, a very small street in the centre of Bologna, there's a window where you can see the canal. It's surrounded by yellow and orange buildings with balconies, flowers and clothes hanging to dry.

When the canal is full of water, it's a very charming sight. But you'll be lucky to see that because there are seasons when the canal dries out and if you look out of this window, you'll just see what a normal street looks like after it's rained, with a few puddles and mud. Just like in the photo I have shared.

You can find this secret on Google Maps, but it's confusing to get to because of all the small alleys around this street.

Here is the sixth secret.

7. The seventh secret: Torre degli Asinelli

I decided to finish the list with another secret which doesn't exist, or that no one knows exists, just like the arrows in secret number three.

What people say about this secret is that there's a jug, or a plate, depending on the version, at the top of the Torre degli Asinelli. This tower is the highest in the city, at 95 metres high. The buses look like ants if you look at them from up there.

I couldn't find it, and I haven't heard of anyone who has.

What's certain though, is that everyone who goes to Bologna must go up this tower. You have to bear in mind that the walk up will take you a minimum of 20 minutes, but it's worth going up and being able to see the whole city from there. It has an incredible view.

Just to warn you: legend has it that students who go up the tower before finishing their exams, fail them. I was very wary of that and I only went up when I had finished all my exams, so I recommend doing the same.

Anyway, don't let that stop you from going up.

Here is the seventh and the last secret.

Photo gallery