Guide to Eating in Bologna (and Culinary Side Trips)

• At the centrally located Trattoria del Tempo Buono, enjoy a board of the famous meats and cheese that come from this part of the world (mortadella, prosciutto, salami, Parmigiano-Reggiano).

• Trattoria Via Serra is your stop for a famous Bologna dish called tortellini in brodo (meat-filled tortellini in beef broth).

• Trattoria Bertozzi is your go-to for cotoletta (breaded veal cutlets) with a side of pasta.

• Osteria Bottega puts the spotlight on another classic Bologna dish: tagliatelle al ragu. (Ragu sauce is very popular in this town and pairs well with other pastas like pappardelle and fettuccine.)

• Right off the Piazza Maggiore, you’ll find Osteria Angolo degli Orefici, the best place for the dish that put Bologna on the map: lasagna alla bolognese. (As you’ve probably deduced by now, bolognese sauce comes from Bologna. You can request just about any pasta “alla bolognese” here and they’ll oblige. I’d go with rigatoni, penne, or paccheri. Please, dear reader, get more adventurous than spaghetti!)

• For a completely unique experience, visit Osteria del Sole, a cozy wine bar serving a great selection of Italian wines. Stop by a deli first and pick up a sandwich or some cold cuts, as this bar is bring-your-own-food. They’ll supply the beverages.

Side trips

What do you do when you’ve had your fill of eating things in Bologna? Eat things outside of Bologna, of course. There two easy day trip recommendations in this department:

• The town of Modena is a 50-minute drive or 20-minute train ride from Bologna and gave the world balsamic vinegar. Here, you can visit facilities where balsamic vinegar is produced, like Acetaia di Giorgio (a five-minute drive or half-hour walk from the Modena train station) or Acetaia San Matteo (a 10-minute drive or one-hour walk from the train station). Both offer guided tours that’ll show you how balsamic vinegar is made and let you do lots of tasting. Vinegar here is packaged in beautiful bottles and makes a great souvenir. Take some home so you can drizzle on your parmesan cheese, dress your salad, glaze your meats, or marinate your veggies with this heavenly condiment year-round.

• The town of Parma (an hour-and-15-minute drive or a 50-minute train ride from Bologna) gave the world Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and prosciutto di Parma. Visit a dairy like Caseificio Ugolotti (a 15-minute drive from the Parma train station) to watch the parmesan-making process!