Bologna and FICO Eataly
 

I will be in Bologna for four days. Is it worth going to the new Eataly? Too commercialized? How many hours to devote? What are the best things to see and do there? I have been to Eataly in NYC and Turino. Wondering if this is a totally new experience and worthwhile. I would also welcome suggestions on other must-do’s in Bologna. Restaurants?

If the Bologna Eataly is like the NYC one (crowded and filled with over-priced kitchen items), I wouldn't devote a huge amount of time. Because it is in Italy, by definition the food would be better!

Our best meal was at De Bertino: Da Bertino

From my trip report:
¼ Lambrusco (still fizzy) and Cerelin acqua, and a plate of olives to start.

Waiter suggests sampling from the boiled and grilled meat trolley (we had seen this in Turin also). We are brought a green sauce “for the boiled”. Boiled is veal tongue, beef, cotecchino (?), pork and veal cheek. This was served with potatoes, fagioli, onions and stewed tomatoes. The grilled is proscuitto, veal, pork and galantine. It was served with potatoes, fritters (apple and cream) and a cauliflower that tasted like scalloped potatoes.

While we laughed uproariously at the thought of dessert, an Italian group near us had a plate of candied fruit the size of apples in addition to their meats! Another group had the meats and pasta and dessert!

Enjoy and please report back.

FICO is a theme park operated by the Eataly consortium, and it is located outside of Bologna proper (I've never been so can't comment). There is an Eataly food shop in the center of Bologna, but it is smaller than the one in Torino and Rome, and NYC. It is not particularly crowded, but there is no reason to go.

The "candied apples" you saw other diners eating with their bollito misto was "mostarda", which is mustard-spiced fruits. They are cooked like candied preserves, in sugar, but the flavor is quite hot and spicy, like any very strong mustard. It's not a dessert but a condiment.

On our most recent Bologna visit we thoroughly enjoyed the Italian Days Food Experience

Italian Days Food Experience - #1 Bologna Food Tour - Italian Days - Food Tours In Bologna, Venice, Florence, etc.

Eataly is to Italian cuisine as Starbucks is to coffee, spreading internationally (more than a dozen countries either targeted or operating.) Celebrity chefs Mario Batali and Lidia Bastianich, along with her son Joe, are deeply involved in the American operations. Size seems to vary considerably between locations -- the Las Vegas plans sound huge. The two I have sampled in Italy struck me as serious about ingredients but with a whiff of self-righteous empowerment about what's sold and how. With lots of food shops of the old style still surviving, Eataly's genius is more about merchandising than cuisine.
As for the shop in central Bologna, it is small enough and crowded enough that more than an hour of hustle-bustle would wear me out.
Wikipedia supplies interesting background: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eataly

Thank you for responses and I totally appreciate what you all are telling me about the Eataly brand. I’ve experienced the regular Eatalys and suspect the one in central bologna is similar. The FICO Bologna is supposed to be on 18 acres and advertised as an “Agri-Food Park”. There are apparently factory tours of Parma ham, mozzarella, etc and 40 eateries. Am sure it is commercialized but curious if anyone had experienced it yet. A theme park as one person put it...
TIA and keep other rec’s for Bologna coming!

The one in Manhattan has become a tourist destination and the atmosphere is frenetic. You can get most of the products at Italian provision stores for less money. They do have certain items that are unique to Eataly, but I only go for those when I am in the neighborhood. I would imagine in Bologna where eating is a religion, the same would be true.

I have not gone but I do know that the "factories" for ham, cheese, are purpose-built as demonstrations for visitors. They are not working farms or factories. The theme park (and it calls itself a theme park) was built on what formerly was the site of a huge food distribution warehouse/center for the region that was no longer being used. I think you can find a lot of information online (bloggers, etc), and what would best is to find someone who went during the same weeks of the year of your trip. The province of Bologna can get very hot from April through September, and I'd be surprised if most of the space is air conditioned.

Although FICO was created by the people behind Eataly, it isn't an Eataly store.

We went to FICO the first day it opened to the public in November. We loved it! Get a round-trip bus ticket inside the train station at the "snack kiosk"; the bus leaves across the street from the station. It is special bus that only goes to FICO.

Especially enjoyed the English tour with insight into many of the backgrounds of booth owners. (One stood up to the mafia and opened his local shop without their help.)
We liked the Mortadella Bar, the balsamic vinegar tasting, the beer bar and the pastry/candy areas. The pasta and pizza booths are also good to check out. We stayed 8 hours and didn't see it all!

kitbag, thanks for the 'apple' clarification. We have never eaten so much.