It was our first night in Bologna. We arrived to our hotel around 7:30, and I was starving. So, my first thought was to ditch my bag and find a nearby restaurant, one that serves ragù, a traditional bolognese meat-based sauce. My roommates weren’t hungry, and too impatient to find the rooms of everyone else, I decided to go alone. I walked down the street and found a small restaurant, one that had exactly what I was looking. But, there was one problem, they didn’t serve singles. I decided to try a different restaurant around the block, one more casual, and to my surprise, they too did not serve singles. While walking out of the restaurant, I decided to glance at the menu, pondering the idea of takeout. Beside me was an older woman, around the age of 60, also by herself. After seeing me leave the restaurant she asks, “are they full too?” I responded, “I’m not sure, but they don’t serve party’s of 1.” Just as shocked of that news  as I was, she asked me if I would like to join tables, and curious of the table talk we would have I accepted. Her name was Alora, and she was from Scotland. She had just arrived in Bologna, from London where she was visiting her daughter, to meet some friends from Edinburgh. After explaining to her why we were here, and where we were from, she excitedly told me she has been to Pittsburgh before. Alora and I walked into three different restaurants, all within a couple blocks, and every single one could not seat us without a reservation. While walking down one of the side allies, I saw Mandy, Liz, and Miranda. “Oh look those are my friends!” I said, as I pointed their way. “You can go with them if you want” Alora said, and I did which was bittersweet. I still find myself regretting not eating with Alora, because it would have been interesting to get to know her and her history more. But with the conversations we did have, it was something I would not forget, and knows I may run into her again here in Bologna.

PS. I eventually got dinner from the Central Market, which consisted of gnocchi and ragù. It by far has been one of my favorite Italian cuisines on this trip.