Discover the delicious reasons to visit Bologna in Emilia-Romagna …
1. Authentic ragù
When you think of Bologna, Bolognese sauce may spring to mind – but you won’t ever find it teamed with spaghetti in this city. This is a common misconception that spread across Europe and the United States when the ragù left its Bolognese home. The true version is tagliatelle al ragù, which is a combination of pork, veal and tomato sauce tossed through lengths of fresh egg noodles.
2. Specialty pasta
Bologna has plenty to offer in the way of pasta specialities. Tortellini stuffed with ground meat and tortelloni stuffed with ricotta and spinach both originated in this city. If you prefer a plainer pasta, opt for the city’s delicious ‘tirata a mano’ – that’s pasta stretched and rolled by hand.
3. Unmissable food shops
Bologna is renowned for its shops, with over 40km of arcades and porticoes around the city, all hosting unmissable food shops. You’ll find a wide selection of regional delights in any of the shops, but Tamburini is one of the most popular places to visit.
4. Prized wines
But who could visit any Italian city without sampling a glass of the best regional wine with dinner? The hills of the nearby Colli Bolognesi DOC area produce a large selection of highly prized wines, with reds including Sangiovese and Barbera, and whites ranging from Albana to Trebbiano.
5. Cured meats
A trip to Bologna is completed by sampling the area’s cured meats. It is well-known for its hams, and another regional speciality is mortadella – made from pork (containing at least 15 per cent small cubes of pork fat), black pepper, myrtle berries and nutmeg.
Ready to discover more? Take a tour of the Porticoes of Bologna