Global Staci

If you like to eat, visit Italy. If you love to eat, visit Bologna.

The region produces some of the world’s best natural products, Parmigiano Reggiano, prosciutto and mortadella, balsamic vinegar and Lambrusco, and its culinary legacy includes some of the country’s most famous dishes, tagliatelle al ragù, tortellini, and Lasagna alla Bolognese.

Capital city of the region of Emilia-Romagna, Bologna is known as “La Grassa” (The Fat) for its cuisine, “La Rossa” (The Red) for the many red hued buildings and “La Dotta” (The Learned) as home to the University of Bologna, established in 1088 and recognized as the oldest continuous operating university in the world.

Surly this ancient city owes much of its youthful vibe to the large student population. My kids had a blast going out on the town at night meeting fellow 20-somethings, sharing their college experience. It’s a safe enough place to prowl, with your wits about you.

Getting There

My family (husband, two young adult children) kicked off our second trip to Italy, splitting our time between Bologna and Venice. This is a great itinerary for exploring a lesser traveled city and a showstopper. I opted to fly roundtrip to Venice Marco Polo, and upon landing take the ATVO bus from the airport to Venice Mestre Train Station to catch the Italo train to Bologna Centrale.

Much to my family’s disappointment, I opted to walk from the train station to our B&B, only 20 minutes, but with luggage after a long plane ride. I suspected that afterward we’d all relax, eat and drink our way through the next five days and get to be wowed by Venice before departing Italy. I was correct.

[PRO TIP: Pre-purchase your bus and train tickets. I left three hours from landing to get onto the train, and it was plenty of time. We sat at a cafe just outside the Mestre station and got a bite to eat before boarding. I recommend business class tickets with assigned seating. Be sure you don’t sleep through your stop!]

Where to Stay

I usually prefer to stay at small boutique hotels or B&B’s. Bologna doesn’t really have a lot of large hotel chain options anyhow, so I chose the lovely Residenza Palazzo Marchesini [26 Via Marsala] for a few reasons.

• We’d be within walking distance to the historic city center
• I’d have the support of a local, in this case Carlo, the owner
• We’d have a delicious and hearty breakfast each morning
• I could get two rooms, comparable to renting an apartment

By the time we had to say goodbye we’d all fallen in love with place and with our host. This is essentially a private family home in a building built in the 15th century (no elevator). There are two large suites and lovely common areas, including terraces and a rooftop with 360-degree views. It’s magical.

[PRO TIP: If you book direct, use code CAME TO BO, for a discount.]

What to Do

I almost never plan anything for the day of arrival, whether in the morning or at night. In this case, we all needed to stretch out and get settled. Carlo graciously made us a dinner reservation at one of his favorite local places, Ristorante Ciacco, just a few minutes’ walk away.

[PRO TIP: Try the tortellini en brodo, one of the city’s famous dishes. It’s divine.]

We spent our first full day wandering around the historic city center. Carlo created a very useful app, highlighting the best sites. The city is wonderfully walkable in any weather, thanks in part to its 33 miles of porticoes. No other city in the world has more. On account of their unique cultural and architectural significance, in 2021 the porticoes were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

We ducked in and out of random churches, museums, and shops. Many sites are free to enter and the few that charge are well worth the price of admission. As first-time visitors there were a few things I really wanted to see.

• Piazza Maggiore, perhaps the city’s most famous square, and its Basilica
• The Two Towers, Asinelli and Garisenda
• The Medieval Quadrilatero District
• Piazza Santo Stefano and its Basilica
• Neptune’s Fountain
• Basilica San Domenico and the young Michelangelo’s sculptures
• Santa Maria della Vita and its famous Lamentation over the Dead Christ by Niccolò dell’Arca and the Oratory

[PRO TIP: Carlo recommended seeing the Oratorio Santa Cecelia, which was at the end of our street. It’s frescos from the early 16th century tell the story of the life of the saint.]

More places we loved for food and drinks:

• Fabrri for gelato with topping
• Cremeria La Vecchia Stalla for traditional gelato
• Bravo Caffe for delicious food and live jazz
• Limone for bites and drinks
• Pick a busy place in the Quadrilatero (medieval market area) and order tagliere, a traditional board of meat and cheeses, with an apéritif
• Osteria del Sole, an institution for drinks since 1465, bring your own food
• Atti for desserts to go

Desiring to be a flexible mom and traveler, I honored my kids’ request to eat at a TikTok famous restaurant, very “aesthetic” as they say. That it was, although the service was underwhelming, the food was interesting. My daughter was very satisfied with her poke bowl at Temakinho, a Japanese Brazilian fusion joint. Taking one for the team.

The Best of Emilia-Romagna

Again, with Carlo’s help, I pre-arranged a private car and driver to take us to a winery one afternoon. There are many to choose from in the area, and I recommend you try the sparkling wine in particular. A lot of these producers are small, and sell only locally, so you are getting a real treat.

On our last full day, I arranged for the same driver to take us further afield, to Modena. Rather than jumping on large tours, I found it to be just as economical to hire a driver for the day and make the plan myself.

We started with a morning cheese tour and tasting at 4 Madonne Caseifico Dell’Emilia. Everything you wanted to know about the King of Cheeses, Parmigiano Reggiano, we learned. Beginning with a historical introduction, followed by the visit to the production plant we saw all the phases of the production, up to the stocking and aging department. Of course, we tasted many cheeses at various ages, and bought some to take home. Everyone thought this was cool.

[PRO TIP: There are many dairies and cheesemakers it’s possible to visit. My research led me to choose one that that was not too far out, and that could accommodate our schedule.]

Next stop, Italy’s oldest producer of balsamic vinegar, Giusti, which offered a free one-hour tour and tasting, although you need to book ahead. This is a 17-generation family run business, making balsamic vinegar since 1605. If you want to buy a souvenir or gift, look no further. This was one of our favorite activities!

Our final stop this afternoon the Ferrari Museum, Maranello. This area between Bologna and Modena is known as Motor Valley, home to the who’s who of legendary sports car manufacturers—Lamborghini, Ferrari, Maserati, Pagani, and Ducati to name a few, all originated here.

Because we didn’t have time to see them all, I asked my son, who’s a car lover to name his favorite. I did a lot of research to choose where to visit, as Ferrari has two museums and its factory. I chose the Museum in Maranello because it showcases the company’s contribution to motorsports and the iconic cars from the beginning until now.

[PRO TIP: Pre-purchase your tickets online to ensure entrance on the day you choose to visit. They sell out!]

Our visits to all these sites were seamless and super fun, thanks to a bit of advanced planning.

One Last Train to Catch

I thought we had this all locked up until I learned of a train strike the exact day of our departure from Bologna! What to do? Once again, Carlo helped me navigate with a phone call to Italo to switch our train to one with a guaranteed departure. This led to a minor delay of arrival into Venice, but went off smoothly, nonetheless.

Therefore, I recommend confirming your transportation!

NEXT STOP: Venice