Since moving to Milan last fall, I’ve been itching to travel all over Italy. I’ve spent some time in Florence and Venice, but what really interests me are the smaller towns.

Many cities in Italy have a unique visual identity, and color plays an important role in that. Even though I love to learn about each city’s history, I prefer to read very little about it before I visit. This allows my first impressions to be mostly visual and atmospheric.

Bologna is known as "La Dotta, La Grassa, La Rossa" (The Learned, The Fat, The Red). Fitting for a city with a rich history of academics, food, and anti-fascist movements. Red also refers to the terracotta-colored brick widely used in the city's architecture.