Bologna la Rossa

Bologna is known as la grassa ('the fat one' - because of its food), la dotta ('the learned one' - because of the famous university) and la rossa ('the red one'). The 'rossa' links partly to the city's left-leaning politics; as it is full of students, socialism and communist ideologies have always had strong support here, and the Italian Communist Party continued to govern the area for most of the postwar period.

But there is another reason for the nickname; the autumnal colours of the buildings, arches and porticoes. When you walk through the city's arcades, it can feel as though you're literally looking at it through rose-tinted glasses, the Emerald City in inverse. It's completely different to anywhere else I've visited, and the blazing reds and oranges give Bologna a warm and distinctly 'foreign' feel, compared to the grey office blocks of most large European cities. It's looking its best at the moment in the September sunshine (which I am consistently overdressed for. 20 years up north has clearly instilled in me a deep distrust at any sign of good weather and a reluctance to leave the house sans knitwear) and I've been trying to take a few photos to capture the different sides of the city.