La Dotta, La Grassa, La Rossa — the three nicknames of Bologna, oddly it was none of these that brought me to Bologna. What brought me to Bologna was its rail network. Bologna is the rail hub of Italy. From there, Venice, Ravenna, San Marino (Rimini), Florence, Modena, Parma, Milan and Verona are all easily accessible for a day trip. Everything else was gravy and there was plenty of gravy.
La grassa — the fat, the metaphorical gravy. Bologna is known as one of the culinary centers of Italy, it has several signature dishes including spaghetti Bolognese (known locally as tagliatelle al ragu) and tortellini al brodo. They are also known for tortelloni. It is also where the largest manufacturer of gelato equipment is located, there are a number of fine gelato shops here — no need to deal with those carpetbaggers over at Lindt. You don’t need to eat their swill in Bologna. Want to go to Gelato U? Come to Bologna. The advice that I have been given by several reputable sources for seeking out a good gelato shop is that good gelato is made in small batches. The best machines don’t make more than a couple of gallons at a time, so look for shops where all of the bins are nearly empty — avoid places where the gelato is heaping over the top of the bin. Also, look for shops that keep the bins covered, leaving the gelato exposed is bad for the gelato. Look for shops that only have a few flavors as they are probably making it fresh.
There is a distinction between tortellini and tortelloni. Tortellini are smaller and have a meat filling which is primarily veal. There is only one way to prepare tortellini in Bologna and that is al brodo or in broth. The dish is essentially a soup where the tortellini are cooked in both chicken and beef broth — not an either or. Tortelloni are larger and, I believe, can have a variety of fillings though I only had them with ricotta cheese. The can be served with a variety of sauces.
Of course, when in Bologna, you must try the Tagliatelle al Ragu, it’s the signature dish of the city and is served everywhere. You have most likely eaten a bastardized version of this your entire life, you should try the real thing at least once.
Bologna is capital of the Emilia-Romagna province which is home to Parma (home of prosciutto and parmigiano cheese) and Modena (home of balsamic vinegar). Prosciutto and Parmigiano are readily available and should be sampled whenever possible. There are several different types of prosciutto, most notably crudo and cotto and the same goes for the cheese. I recommend a food tour of Bologna because there’s just so much here. I went on one conducted by Taste of Bologna, it was a half day and very thorough. AirBnB also had one listed that was a full day and went to Parma and Modena to where they make these products. That could be interesting as well.
Prosciutto and parmigiano are pretty straight forward in that most Americans will have tried these products, though not the best quality of either (again, a good reason for a food tour, they can explain the quality differences). Balsamic vinegar is a whole other animal. Everyone is familiar with the Balsamic vinegar available in supermarkets and on salads from Applebee’s to Olive Garden, but it is an insult to Modena to call that balsamic vinegar even though some of it may even be produced in Modena. This competitively priced brown substance used to slather on lettuce is not true balsamic vinegar. True balsamic vinegar comes is a small, rounded bottle. No one will ever give you more than a few drops at a time. It is very expensive and concentrated and aged for a minimum of 12 years.
Pizza is not a Bologna thing. If you want pizza, go to Naples. The only time I had pizza in Bologna it was this thick concoction that, in New York, they call Sicilian-style and in Bologna they call Neapolitan. There is no local pizza making tradition here and that’s an important point. Italy is culinarily diverse. Milan, Bologna, Venice, Rome, Naples, as well as other areas all have their own unique specialties.
La Dotta — the learned. Bologna is home to the oldest still operating university in the western world. It has moved from its original location, but the Teatro Anatomico, which was the first dissection lab of the university. This is a beautiful room with hand carved wooden human forms and a marble dissection table. Also here are old lecture halls — they don’t make universities like this anymore. The Poggi museum, Ithink could best be described as a museum of the history of science. The museum itself is at times more beautiful than the exhibits and that’s saying something.
La Rossa — The red is a bit of a double entendre. The city’s architecture is mostly red in color, but the city was also the longtime headquarters of the Italian Communist Party. There’s not a lot of tourist information on the communist history. The architecture though is all around you. The two most notable pieces of architecture (in my opinion) are the Basilica di San Petrinio and the Portico di San Luca. Construction of the Basilica began around 1390 when the city was briefly independent. The church was not consulted in this decision and was ticked off. The city ran out of money, the two wings necessary for the cross footprint and most of the marble facade were never completed. The inside is also rather spartan in the fresco/mosaic department by Italian standards. For these reasons, no one would consider this to be one of the most beautiful churches in Europe, but it is one of the most interesting. It offers a rare example of 14/15th century construction in the process. Look at the front, above the marble and the brick is uneven. THis was done to give the marble facade some interlock and help it stay attached to the brick structure. The walls adjacent to where the wings should be were also toothed to continue construction some day.
The Portico di San Luca is the longest portico in the world and is overthree kilometers long and rises about 300 meters as it leaves town and heads up the hill. It is covered the entire way and has 666 arches. You should walk it. It follows the stages of the cross.
So, back to what brought me to Bologna in the first place: day trips. I went Venice, San Marino, Florence and Milan all by train (San Marino requires a bus in addition to the train). I also spent time in Rome and Naples. Bologna is far less touristed than the others. A decent local lunch in central Bologna will cost around $15, in Florence or Rome $30, in Venice $45. Milan seemed to be more comparable to Bologna. to Bologna in price. Naples,you can get a Margherita pizza for 4 euro, so that’s tough to beat. All of these assume that you are eating at a local place and eating the local specialties. I don’t know what a burger at the Hardrock Cafe in Venice costs because only an asshole would do such a thing. All of these prices (except Naples) assume that you will drinking water and wine with the meal — water because I’m an American and wine because I’m in Italy. You will have to pay for both of these, though neither is expensive, assuming you drink the house wine which is always good.
Of the day trips, Florence is beautiful. Most of the main sites are walkable from the train station. The same is true for Venice. These are both cities that deserve a visit. Milan, I never warmed to, partly because it was cold and rainy while I was there. San Marino is worth visiting if you’re in the neighborhood because it is an independent nation and the world’s oldest Republic, but you can knock it out in a few hours and I wouldn’t plan a vacation around it. I skipped the other possible day trips because it was cold and rainy the rest of my time there and it didn’t seem worthwhile given the weather. But, Italy is essentially a collection of former city-states, principalities and whatnot, most of which were independent at one time and conquered many times. Due to the geography, they are fairly isolated and developed their own unique cuisines and histories. All could require some attention.