So, porticoes. A portico is basically a porch for a large building, a covered entrance that can run the length of the building. And in Bologna, with the buildings all connecting to one another, the porticoes all connect so you can walk through the city, staying under the shade and cool of a portico all the time.
Quoting here the history of Bologna’s porticoes from https://www.italia.it/en/emilia-romagna/bologna/things-to-do/porticoes-of-bologna:
“The porticoes date back to the expansion of medieval Bologna, when the opening of the University in 1088 attracted students and academics from around Italy and the world. This sharp increase in population made it necessary to expand the living space and local commercial and artisan activities, without taking away public land and useful city spaces.
“The porticoes were the ideal solution, allowing the upper part of buildings to be extended, while offering shade and shelter from the weather. The porticoes, which had sprung up almost spontaneously, were regulated from 1288 with a proclamation that required the addition of porticoes to existing houses and stipulated that new buildings must be built with a portico.”
The result now is that you can walk all around the city and stay in the shade, which is pretty amazing.
Of all the amazing things in Bologna I’m going to give porticoes the gold medal. We talked about how grateful we were for porticoes on just about every jaunt in the city, especially for their cool shade and splendor. An excellent example of form following function! 🥇
The porticos are beautiful, and so functional! They give shelter from sun and rain, I don’t know if it snows in Bologna (maybe), but it would work for that, too!
(From cndkmen) yes I was thinking about snow too, and how Chicago and Minneapolis instead have underground walkways for winter!
We liked a similar idea (although not as pretty) in Sapporo to keep snow and ice off the streets. Dublin could do with it for the showers we’re having! Please pack sun with you!
I think us bringing sun and excess degrees of temperature to Ireland would make people in both countries very happy! Very cool about Sapporo, now that you mention it I think I saw that in your posts from there?!