Tolè; A Little Place of Wonder

      There is this beautiful town on top of the Appenine mountains. The place is called Tolè. It is a fraction of Vergato, a province of Bologna. Not much is written about this place and you can only find a little information about it on the internet. It can only be reached by car or by bus which arrives just a few times a day (less on summer).  It is best to visit this  place during summer since the air cool and there are clean fountains everywhere where you can drink and freshen yourselves. There are a lot of feasts especially at night. Some are music festivals where they invite talented performers to entertain the audience for free. 

Musical events are offered to the people for free.

Pretty artworks attached on the walls.

Houses in the middle of the forest.

    A little church serves as an indication of the town center. It has a little piazza outside and some benches to sit on. There are about three hotels and a supermarket. It is also near a pool with a discotheque for young people to enjoy themselves at night.

Potatoes are well protected here.

     The fields of Tolè during summer are golden and there are pretty bales around. In the middle of this are pastel-colored houses with painted walls. The paintings depict the appearance of the place long time ago. There are little areas or vicoli with little themes on it. Some are for cats and the others are for fairytales like Snow White and Pinocchio. The roads are well developed and you can ride a bike or jog peacefully.  The view is breathtaking. The terrain is full of wildflowers with hundreds of colors. You can also hike up to the top of the mountains and observe some wild animals like deers and birds roaming around. 

Art is everywhere.

Paintings on the walls

A little area dedicated for cats.

Cat sculptures

Wildflowers are everywhere in every color.

Wildflowers and blue skies.

The fields are golden with bales all around.

Fields of gold

The roads are well developed for people to walk or ride a bike.

Tolè is best in summer.

Summer in the Countryside!

Just a while ago, I went for a short bike ride around the countryside. I'm surprised by the beauty of summer. The fields are golden although the red poppies are dying.

Fields of gold

I picked some chamomile flowers for a sweet tea.

Sikh Festival in Italy

Last April, the Indian community from Punjab celebrated their Sikh festival. It's an annual celebration attended by hundreds of people. 

Mother and child watching the parade.

The sacred book

They parade barefoot

Performers entertain the audience with their unique performance.

A test of strength

Rose petals were thrown from a helicopter during the middle of the feast.

People from other religions can also participate in the celebration and are invited to eat inside their temple.

Hiking in Bologna!

    Italy is surrounded by hills and mountains. The most famous is the Apennines. Apennine Mountains are a mountain range consisting of parallel smaller chains extending 1,200 km along the length of Italy.

  When I have a free time, I would go to the mountain with my grandmother or with my cousin and spend a lot of time hiking. Yesterday, my cousin and I went for a hike in one of the mountains of Bologna. Our route is from the Bosco di San Michele to the Forte Bandiera. It is a very hot day so we brought about 3 liters of water.

Our trail started here. It is located just below the Church of San Michele

cooling canopies

During the rest of the hike, you will be guided by these signs.

These are unmatured figs that can be found along the trail.

Sigs that guide you along the way.

my cousin enjoying the view!

Beautiful villas can be seen along the hillsides.

Finally, we have arrived. In here you can see a wonderful view of Bologna and have picnics too!

A heart-shaped track ended our hike. =)

The trail is about 8 kilometers and took us about 3 hours to finish. It was a very rewarding experience! You can get more info (in Italian) here: http://www.bolognawelcome.com/da-vedere/itinerari-suggeriti/params/Percorso_3/ref/San%20Michele%20in%20Bosco%20-%20Forte%20Bandiera

in English here:

http://www.bolognawelcome.com/en/places-to-see/suggested-itineraries/params/Percorso_3/ref/

Amazing Seagulls

     Today is a stormy day in Castelfranco Emilia so I was glad that I spent last week on the beach. I went to this place called Lido di Classe. It is located in Ravenna. The train ride from Bologna includes wonderful sights of sunflower fields and rolls of hay. 

     So I was out for a morning walk(5:30am) along the beach. The sun begun to rise and I was in a hurry to get on top of the rocks to take some photos. As I was approaching the edge, I saw this giant seagull standing on top of a pole with its wings spread out facing the sun. I was so 'wowed' by the scene that I stayed there for almost half an hour and much to my surprise, the bird continues to flap its wings non stop (like how Igorot women dance their 'tayaw')... As I continued to walk along, I saw some more birds doing the same thing. Such an amazing experience. Nature really has its own way of surprising us..