The Village

Secrets, they seem to lure to anyone who hear or become aware of it existence. The sense of discovering something trigger the desire of adventure. Italy is a country where each region has its own landscapes and beauty. However, I would like to share a hidden gem which is not rated as top of mind when you talk about this nation. Bologna, “the city of music” has a story and a secret to be discovered.
During my stay in the city, beyond the environment of party and hanging out with friends there was a mystery to be solved, secrets which I have never heard about. As not everyone were keen on solve mysteries, I started the adventure in order to abstract myself and look beyond what the eye can look at.
The fountain of Neptune: The story tells about an argument between the sculptor and the city cardinal to reduce the size of Neptune’s penis due to strict religious rule at the time. In order to hide this, the sculptor disguised the original design but it can be only observed from one specific angle. The most hilarious thing was to observe the “detail” of the statue in the middle of the crowded square, where nobody was aware of it.
The second secret, was near from the previous point in front of the fountain. The Palazzo del podestà, hides the attribute of disperse the noise from one corner to another. It is so simple like standing in front of the corner and talk literally with the wall. This is the mystery of the “whispering walls”, please have a look how some people imitates you while talking with the wall, very funny to observe.
The last secret which I was able to see was the “little Venice”, which was pretty difficult to find. We went to the place just asking to the locals, which gave more excitement at the moment to discover the spot considering our precarious Italian. The specific location of this secret is “Via Paella” and it is quite hidden if the window is closed. I believe this is the best of all, because the view is really worth it and the scenery gives you the idea of how was the city centuries ago.
In my opinion, the most valuable aspect of a secret is the ability to abstract from the reality and analyze deeply the portrait of a story. Many cities have interesting monuments, palaces and museums. However, few of them have mysteries or places which are unseen to the common eye. The popular legend tells about seven secretes, but nobody really can affirm this. Take into consideration to be briefed by the locals if you decide to go through this adventure!