Heading to Italy's gastronomic capital in a month and looking for some good places to eat as well as sleep - any reccomendations?

Check out Travel Holiday this mo. for a good article on Bologna restaurants.<BR>

Hotel Roma is a nice business hotel (and good for tourists) which is right in the middle of the city. We were there last May. Check it out. Avoid Ristorante Rodrigo - vastly over rated, over salted and overly expensive. Poor value. Also disappointed in Ristorante Diana. Reputation far outstrips reality. We were very happy with some of the smaller &quot;neighborhood&quot; places. Two that come to mind are: Il Doge di Mario [ Via Caldarese 5 ] and Il Portico [ Via A. Righi 11 ]. Not haute haute cuisine but excellent food and value. Good luck. P.S. look into the Museo del Patrimonio Industriale. Not connected with food but a super museum about Bologna: its history and industrial past. May be hard to find but a city bus goes nearby.

We stayed in the San Donato - booked through the Best Western chain website.<BR><BR>It's a charming hotel and the location is absolutely perfect. Very central.<BR><BR>We were upgraded to a junior suite with a separate table and seating area and the room was large and spacious. <BR><BR>My only minor negative was that they don't have bathtubs, only showers, in every single room.<BR><BR>But we'd definitely stay there again. That said we did get a really good rate of only 100 Euros on a double room, including breakfast, which I think is excellent for a hotel of that class and location.<BR><BR>We went in January 2003 and when I was researching I couldnt believe how expensive hotels are in Bologna all year round. That said, it is a thriving conference town.<BR><BR>Note that the rate above was a special offer in January so I don't know if it's still available.<BR>

Kavey, did you ever get to Ferrara on your trip? I'd be curious to hear of our experiences in Bologna. ([email protected])

Ooops, obviously I mean &quot;your&quot; experiences.

No Howard I didn't...<BR>I have a real problem with my hips and after walking around for the morning the pain was so intense I had to rest most afternoons. (Yes I'm seeing someone about it<BR>I did return to the thread where everyone gave me advice and report back on the trip.<BR>We didn't do well at all with trips out of Bologna - the planned trip to the Acetaia fell through at the last moment, which was a disappointment, but we did have a wonderful trip.<BR>Howard, drop me an email if you'd like to see photos.<BR>[email protected]<BR>

I second the vote for Hotel Roma. Nothing special looking, but clean, comfortable, affordable and you couldn't get a better location.<BR><BR>I had a great meal at Diana, though several here seem to disagree (sometimes just on the sight of it). Quintessential white-jacket old school place but fantastic bollito misto and tagliatelle with ragu bolognese.<BR><BR>My favorite meal, though, was at Trattoria Boni, a real bustling neighborhood place outside the old city, near the soccer stadium. Worth the cab ride.<BR><BR>By the way, even if you don't like basketball, try to catch a game from one of the city's two rabidly supported teams in action. It's an experience.