Sunday 6 March 2011

A night out in Via del Pratello

All right, this is my 2nd post about Via del Pratello, but there is indeed something fascinating about this old city street.
I made some researches about its history and in an old book about Bologna I found out that
Via del Pratello was most probably created in the XII century.
Its name means "street with pear trees", although the street as we see it nowadays has no pear trees and was built in 1860.
At the beginning of the XX centuty it was a very degraded area inhabited by prostitutes, thieves and criminals.
In 1970 it became the headquarter of many political movements. In 1976 Radio Alice, the first Italian free radio, started to air from an apartment in Via del Pratello.
This street - which is only 600 meters long- is therefore full of history and is indeed one of most animated area of Bologna.

 On Friday night I took a stroll and here are some of my pics

Pic 1-2. Vanilia- my favourite bar ever. It's at the very beginning of Via del Pratello. Open almost 24 hrs a day, has a very cosy atmosphere and the owners are very very nice people. At Vanilia you drink your coffee while reading a comics book or watching a cartoon like in this image. Food is great, drinks are great..and prices are reasonable. I can t think of any better place for a break.




Pic 3. "quanto basta" is a little restaurant almost in front of Vanilia. I have tried to eat there many times...I say I tried because it's always fully booked and has a few tables.


Pic 4. People outside one of the many bars (look at the drawing on the wall, isn't it beautiful?)

Pic 5. How Via del Pratello looks like

Pic.6 Posters outside the reformatory (a prison for young people under the age of 18)

 Pic 7. An Egyptian take-away selling falafel and showing a poster saying: "you are never worng if you don't talk too loud!)
Pic 8. A men's shop


Pic 9. An old painting on the wall

Pic 10. The end of Via del Pratello and its beautiful arcades

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