Top 10 Things to Do in Italy’s Culinary Hub

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Confession – I LOVE Italy. I learned Italian at school and university, so I can more than hold a conversation although I am nowhere near fluent. Also, I look a bit Italian (courtesy of my Maltese mother), so many Italians think I am Italian as well. I love it and my Husband has decided to join them if you can’t beat them so he is learning some Italian phrases.

We have been lucky enough to visit Italy several times. On this trip, we deliberately went to places in Italy where we had not been, or we had only been for a short time. Bologna, the capital of the Emilia-Romagna region, is one.

Highlights of Things to Do in Bologna, Italy

We had only visited Bologna once (in 2017) for a day trip from Florence. We liked what we saw and decided to go for three full days. Well, two really as one day was to be in “Ferrari Land.” Two days was not enough. But here are the highlights of our too-short visit.

Porticoes

Covered, high walkways lined with arches and colonnades (called porticoes or “portici” in Italian) characterise Bologna. There are 62 kilometres (38.5 miles) of porticoes in Bologna. Protected by UNESCO since 2021, they are beautiful as well as functional. Come rain, snow or wilting sun, the porticoes offer protection to pedestrians.

Fourty kilometres (almost 25 miles) of Bologna’s porticoes are in the city centre. The growth of the University in the 12th century led to the need for new urban spaces and extra housing. The porticoes were built tall to accommodate markets with horses underneath.

First Impressions of Bologna

We arrived late on a Sunday. Everywhere we turned, there were grand porticoes and deep terracotta-coloured buildings.

We found ourselves in the main square – Piazza Maggiore. The main street running beside Piazza Maggiore – Via Castiglione –is a pedestrian-only zone on the weekends and there were people everywhere.

We dined outdoors nearby at Osteria Quadrilatero and I had the most amazing Bolognese ragù of my life. It tasted creamy which I now know is because of the addition of milk. I am keen to try it out when I get home.

We strolled around and through Piazza Santo Stefano which was very close to our holiday apartment. Piazza Santo Stefano became a favourite of ours as it was buzzing at night and it had a great gelateria – Cremeria La Vecchia Stalla. There was always a big queue but it was definitely worth the wait.

“Ferrari Land”

Let’s talk about “Ferrari Land” first even though this is a day trip from Bologna.

We hired a car to do this day trip, but you can take the train to Modena and then Ferrari runs a shuttle between the two museums in Modena and Marinello.

Hiring the car was a little adventure in itself. We could only find hire cars at the airport, so we got going early, walked to Bologna Centrale Station and caught the Marconi Express to the airport. This is a driverless monorail which takes just over 7 minutes.

Once we picked up the hire car, we drove to Maranello which took about 45 minutes. Warnings here – Italians drive on the right-hand side of the road and automatic transmissions are not usual. If you can’t drive a manual transmission or you don’t want to drive on the right, you’re best to take the train.

We had pre-purchased our museum tickets at 42 Euro which allowed entry into both museums.

We started with the Ferrari Museum in Maranello. As you would expect, there are lots of cars on display. They are beautiful works of art and the ones on display are mostly gleaming red. There is a lot of historical information together with photos and video. It was a terrific museum and, for me, the better one of the two.

We had lunch at a restaurant beside the museum and decided to give ourselves a treat. A couple of places in front of and beside the Ferrari Museum offer rides in a Ferrari. We could not resist.

Driving a Ferrari

My husband, Andrew, drove a convertible, cherry red Ferrari Portofino and I went along as a passenger. This was a real highlight. Andrew drove, there was a navigator/instructor in the front passenger seat and I sat in the back.

The navigator was an interesting guy – he had formerly been a race driver and a test driver. So, when he told Andrew he could “floor it,” he meant it. It was a really fun and memorable thing to do in Bologna.

After lunch and the Ferrari ride, we drove to Modena and the Enzo Ferrari Museum. More beautiful Ferraris are on display there but not as many as in Marinello. What is special is that part of the museum is set in the house where Enzo Ferrari was born and another part is in the mechanic workshop built by his father.

We were tired by the time we got back to our apartment. We stopped at a local supermarket and bought some supplies to make our own salumi plate for dinner. Our host had left us a bottle of Pignoletto (a local, white wine) so we washed down our meal with that and felt like real Bolognese.

La Dotta, La Grassa, La Rossa

Day two  we met at Piazza Galvani for a two-hour walking tour with GuruWalk called “Discover the 7 Secrets of Bologna.” The tour didn’t start until 11 am so first we sat at Café Zanarini in Piazza Galvani and had coffee and pastries.

Our Guide told us that Bologna has three alternative names:  La Dotta (The Smart One), La Grassa (The Fat One) and La Rossa (The Red One).

La Dotta because Bologna has the oldest university in Europe. There are university buildings spread everywhere through the city and young people are everywhere.

La Grassa because of the local food. World-renowned foods such as lasagne, ragù bolognese, mortadella, tortellini, tortelloni (bigger tortellini), tagliatelle, Parmigiano Reggiano (Parmesan Cheese) and balsamic vinegar all come from Bologna or surrounds.

La Rossa because of all the deep, red-coloured buildings.

First, we walked through our “local” piazza – Piazza Santo Stefano. There is a complex there called “Sette Chiesi” (Seven Churches). The oldest Church buildings date to the 10th century and one is modelled on the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem.

There aren’t actually seven Churches; there are four. They are accompanied by three chapels or one chapel plus two gardens (depending on whose story you believe), the complex is called “Sette Chiese.”

We marvelled at The Two Towers (“Le Due Torri”). Built between 1109 and 1119 and named after the families who built them. They still stand today as a symbol of the families’ wealth at the time.

The taller tower,  the Asinelli, is the highest medieval tower in Italy. The shorter tower – the Garisenda – leans more than the famous Tower of Pisa and there is a massive campaign underway to stop it from falling.

In Medieval times, there were more than 100 towers in Bologna. Sort of a Medieval Manhattan. Today, about 30 towers remain.

We worked up an appetite learning and walking for two hours so we ate like the locals in Vicolo Ranocchi and shared a salumi (cold meat) and formaggi (cheese) plate. A Lambrusco spritz for me and a Campari spritz for my Husband accompanied our lunch.

Churches and Towers

Next up was climbing the Clock Tower. I was turned away as I was not wearing closed shoes (a blessing for me as I don’t much like enclosed spaces). The 10 Euro ticket included viewing an art collection and gorgeous rooms. There were also terrific views over Piazza Maggiore.

From there, we went into the enormous church which dominates Piazza Maggiore – the Basilica of San Petronio. It is dedicated to Bologna’s male patron saint, Saint Petronius. Construction commenced in 1388 and stopped in the 16th century. The Basilica was to be bigger than St Peter’s in Rome until the Pope realised and stopped funding its construction, so it was never finished.

There is a 67 metre-long (219 feet) Meridian Line that was inlaid in the paving of the left aisle in 1655. The Line was calculated and designed by the astronomer Giovanni Domenico Cassini who was teaching astronomy at the nearby University. It is one of the largest astronomical instruments in the world, allowing measurements that were for the time uniquely precise.

The sunlight enters through a hole in the ceiling and projects an elliptical image of the sun. At noon, this falls exactly on the meridian line so every day is different as to position and size. From the image, Cassini was able to calculate with unprecedented precision dates such as the timing of equinoxes and solstices.

Finally, we browsed the ultra, high-end shops of Galleria Cavour and surrounds and retreated to our apartment for a little rest before going to a pasta cooking class.

Taste of Bologna Cooking Class

The cooking class was run by Taste of Bologna and our patient teacher was David.

We made local dishes – tortellini stuffed with pork, mortadella and prosciutto in a butter and sage sauce, tortelloni (bigger tortellini) stuffed with ricotta and parsley in broth and tagliatelle with a bolognese ragù.

Once we were finished, we all ate together (there were about a dozen of us), sharing local wine, pasta and conversation. A mix of Italian, English, French (and wine) and we were all firm friends.

More Local Food

We started Day 3 with another walking tour booked via GuruWalk – “Bologna’s Essential History (story, legends, people) & Food.” Our guide, Ela was originally from Croatia but she met a chef and sommelier from Bologna in Norway, had to make a choice where to live when Covid hit, married her Bolognese Chef and now lives in and loves Bologna.

Ela was a fountain of information and she talked a lot about food. She took us through the Quadrilatero District where all the salumi and cheese vendors are and told us that Bolognese people do not like to waste food. So, for example, they use the cut off scraps called “maltagliati” (literally, bad slices) from the pasta dough in soup.

She also told us that Bologna used to be full of canals. The canals connected Bologna to Venice for commerce. Now, only one canal remains hidden underneath the city and it is named “Piccola Venezia” (Little Venice).

After all that talk about food, we were more than ready for lunch – more delicious pasta, this time, from Matarello Bolognese on Via degli Orefici.

The Sanctuary of the Madonna of San Luca 

After lunch, we decided to walk to the Sanctuary of San Luca on the outskirts of Bologna. We thought it was a 2.2-km walk (1.36 miles) but we misunderstood. It was actually over 5 km (3.1 miles) each way and the last 2.276 km (1.36 miles) was a steep, uphill climb. It seemed never-ending.

Despite the effort involved, I am glad that I did the walk. The 3.796 km (2.36 miles) is the longest portico in the world. It was built between 1674 and 1721 to shelter the pilgrims walking to the Basilica which stands high on the hill.

If you don’t want to walk, there is a tourist bus (like a little choo choo train) – the San Luca Express – that does the journey (EUR13 round trip between San Luca and Piazza Maggiore). I insisted that we catch it back but the wait for the next bus was over an hour so we ended up walking back to our apartment. At least, walking downhill was a tad easier than uphill.

By the time we got back to the apartment (having climbed 47 floors according to my iPhone), we were too exhausted to go out for dinner. We made our own salumi and formaggi plate and were in bed early.

So Much More than Bolognese

We only scratched the surface of this beautiful city of Bologna. Next time, we need more time. The architecture is impressive and grand, the porticoes unique and the food amazing.  

Although Bologna is very close to beautiful Florence (where we went next), it is also a world away.

Where to Stay in Bologna

We stayed in a one-bedroom apartment very near Sette Chiese/Piazza Santo Stefano and a 10-minute walk from Piazza Maggiore. It was a lovely apartment and a fantastic location. We booked Borgonuovo Apartments via Booking.com

Tips for Visiting Bologna

• All churches in Bologna are free to visit.

• If you do a free walking tour, the expectation is that you tip the guide at the end of the tour. You do not have to do this but remember that this is a job for them.

• Pasta made in the North of Italy uses eggs. To make pasta, allow 1 egg and 1 cup of 00 flour for every person. (Note – pasta made in the South of Italy does not use eggs).

• When you make pasta, you know when the pasta dough is ready to rest if it springs back to the touch.

• Parmigiano Reggiano DOP (Parmesan Cheese) can only be made in a small area in and around Bologna. Made elsewhere and it is Gran Padano. Parmigiano Reggiano has to be aged for at least 12 months. The older it is, the yellower and the harder it is.

• The Fountain of Neptune holding the Trident in the Piazza Maggiore is the inspiration for the Maserati logo.

• Maserati, Lamborghini, Ferrari and Ducati are all local car and motorcycle manufacturers.

• Florence is only a 40-minute train ride away. (Also, close and accessible by train are towns such as Modena, Parma, Ravenna and Venice).

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Author Bio: Leonie Jarrett lives in Melbourne, Australia with her Husband of more than 3 decades, 2 of her 4 adult children and her 2 Golden Retrievers. Leonie is a lawyer who has owned several businesses. Now that she is semi-retired, avid traveller Leonie is loving writing about her travels and her experiences.