🍝 Bologna
"The food capital of Italy. Nobody talks about it. More for you."
Bologna is where Italians themselves go to eat. It invented mortadella, tagliatelle al ragù, tortellini, and Parmigiano-Reggiano. It is a university city with an energy that stays consistently alive year-round. It is genuinely underrated.
Where to stay
Centro storico, near the university
Near the train station (boring area)
What to eat
Tagliatelle al ragù
The real Bolognese. Made with egg pasta, slow-cooked meat sauce. NO spaghetti. Never.
Tortellini in brodo
Tiny stuffed pasta in clear broth. The signature dish of the city.
Mortadella
Eat it at a bar standing up, sliced thick. This is not the deli meat you know.
Mercato di Mezzo
Central covered market. Go at lunch. Excellent everything.
What to actually do
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Take a day trip to Modena (30 min by train) for balsamic vinegar and Lamborghini museum.
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Day trip to Parma for Parmigiano-Reggiano and Prosciutto di Parma at the source.
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Walk the covered arcades (portici) — 40km of them, UNESCO-listed, genuinely useful in the rain.
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Climb the Asinelli Tower for the view over the city.
What to skip
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There's not much to skip in Bologna — it's an honest city.
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Spaghetti Bolognese does not exist here. Don't order it.