La Bella Vita in Bologna - the perfect long weekend for foodies
In parts crumbling and charming, and others polished and preened, Bologna isn’t the grandiose buildings of Rome, or the romance of Venice. It’s got a charm all of its own – and notably, the best food in the whole of Italy too. The compact centre revolves around Le Due Torri, the Two Towers. Back in the day, (some 900 years ago), Bologna was a Medieval Manhattan. Wealthy families competed to build the tallest tower to showcase their riches; creating a skyline of soaring skyscrapers. And if they lost their money? The fathers of the city would literally cut them down to size, lopping off their towers in a public shaming.
Days go by at a much more relaxing pace now, thankfully. With Le Due Torri at its epicentre, the city splits out into different quarters. A warren of narrow streets filled with restaurants and cafes opens onto a grand square perfect for people watching over a leisurely bottle of wine. High-end and high street shops line the main artery. The student quarter centred around the oldest university in Europe buzzes with brunch spots and start-ups. Over 40km of porticos line the buildings, protecting the Bolognese, and their city’s visitors, whether sun, wind or rain. The whole centre of Bologna looks like a Shakespeare play.
We arrived in Bologna under instruction of Rick Stein and his Long Weekends. Lured by good food and wine, we had only two aims for our four days, climb the highest of Le Due Torri, and visit the university. Only time seemed to speed up when we were there. And within hours, we were in our own little melee where sightseeing become unimportant. Bologna isn’t particularly a tourist’s city. It’s a city for la bella vita. And so we re-focussed our intents on more achievable things.
Now I’d come forewarned that one thing you cannot ask for in Bologna is a Spaghetti Bolognese. This a city that knows its pasta. And while you can enjoy tagliatelle with ragu, a spaghetti with ragu is off limits. I was gooier than the inside of a lasagne after my first taste of pasta in Bologna. Here, the things to try are the tortelloni and the tortellini; maxi and mini parcels stuffed deftly by hand with ricotta and spinach, ham and cheese, pork. Served in rich ragu, creamy sauce or most traditionally, in broth. Cotoletta, flattened, breaded veal crisply fried and topped with parmesan and proscuttio. Sausage ragu served with fat tubes of pasta pushed through a potato ricer. Bologna is known as the stomach of Italy on account of its fertile location in green Emilia Romagna, and alongside it’s foodie headliners, the wine here is also exceptional (maybe a little too much so!).
So, a trip here… I’d say it makes the perfect relaxed getaway for greedy gourmets, keen shoppers, or those just after a romantic break somewhere that little bit different. I travelled with a one-year-old, and was delighted throughout by the locals gushing to cater for her. It’d also serve the perfect start or end point on an Italian multi-centre by road or rail coupled with the beaches of the Adriatic, the big-hitting cities of Northern and Central Italy and the rolling countryside of Tuscany.
Dreaming of La Bella Vita? I’ll expertly plan you a tailormade trip that makes the most out of every moment. Contact me to find out more.