Eat in Bologna, Ferry in Bellagio, Hike the Dolomites, Shop in Milan
Jul 21st, 2010, 04:21 PM
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Eat in Bologna, Ferry in Bellagio, Hike the Dolomites, Shop in Milan
Came back from our 3rd trip to Italy last week. Big thanks to mr. go whose trip report to the Dolomites last summer clinched the basic itinerary, AND helped a ton with planning our time in the Dolomites. We are a family of four – me, hubby, DD (age 18) and DS (age 14). Our daughter had just graduated high school, so this was our “last” family trip (well atleast for a year). Our basic itinerary was:
5 nights Bologna
3 nights Bellagio
5 nights Dolomites (Castelrotto)
2 nights Milan
A few preliminary items.
We rented a car for the entire trip (even drove it into Milan to return at the city center – LOL!) worked out great aside from the apparent freeway accident and backup when we were first leaving the Milan airport – more on that later. Hubby really likes us to be on our own schedule and it worked out great for some last minute daytrips to Switzerland and Austria. Even though sometimes he gets a little stressed – like trying to find our apt. in Milan, DH loves the challenge of driving in Europe – even in the big cities (incl. Prague, Munich and returning a rental car once to the city center of Rome). We did have TomTom (GPS) which I think is an absolute must have, particularly when driving in the cities.
This was our first trip with our new iPad. It was absolutely fabulous!! So thin and light we often carried it with us when walking around the city and would use the GPS to show us the quickest way to walk somewhere. Also, used it for quick restaurant recommendations/reviews on the fly! Much quicker than the iPhone.
Fashion alert – so DD and I are big shoppers and love to see what everyone is wearing. Well, everyone was wearing those sandals with the ankle covers (I personally don’t like them), some even had an ankle cover that was boot length – even DD didn’t think that made sense, as your legs would get so hot. The other sandal everyone was wearing was the T-Strap Birkenstock – surprise, surprise!! But in bright patent leather colors – fun! The “man bag” was even more prevalent then the last time we were in Italy 4 years ago and Louis Vuitton was de rigueur for the most stylish men (young and old).
First up Bologna – we flew into MXP and went to pick up our car from Europcar. I had rented through Andy at www.gemut.com, he assured me that the four of us and our luggage would be able to fit in a compact, and we were given a Lancia Musa. Well, we had one extra bag than I had planned (for hiking boots/poles/etc.). We looked at that Musa and thought “no way are we and our bags getting in there.” We went back to the rental car to try to get a bigger one – none available, we went to three other agency counters and none of them had anything bigger so back to the Musa we went. Luckily DH is a master at packing and we managed to fit everything in although the backseat was shared with one bag. We put our Bologna address in TomTom and went on our way only to be stopped by a MAJOR traffic jam getting onto the freeway. We were probably completely still for a good 5-7 min. on the onramp to merge onto the freeway when people started backing up onto the onramp!! We just had to follow suit and start backing up as well, but then…..where to go??? We told TomTom there was an accident that way, and it redirected us, but took an extra hour. We finally arrived at our hotel in Bologna at 7:30pm.
HOTEL METROPOLITAN – we stayed here for 5 nights in Bologna. The website has pictures of some rooms that have been redecorated, clearly we didn’t get one of those rooms, but we were still very happy with our rooms. We had two rooms directly across the hall from each other. They were good size rooms, each with an extra bed that you could use to put your luggage on (or a nice size triple). Nice size bathrooms – my only complaint was that the shower in our room took a long time to drain, but kids room didn’t have that problem. Excellent a/c (well ours was better than the kids), a frig. and there was a wifi nearby that we were able to get on to. The front desk people were very nice and helpful. It is extremely well located, right near tons of shops and restaurants and 5 min. walk to Piazza Maggiore. The room incl. breakfast which was a typical Italian breakfast. The rooms were 100 euro each. I thought an excellent value – we would stay here again on a return trip.
Since we got in late, we asked the concierge for a restaurant recommendation near the hotel. He made us a reservation at Il Biassanot (via Piella, 16a) just two blocks from the hotel. It was on the list of restaurants I had so I was glad. It was an excellent meal. We all chose a different restaurant as our favorite in Bologna – and this was mine. A simple trattoria with fabulous food. We enjoyed caprese, carpaccio, gnocchi and the best tagliatele of the trip with incredible porcini mushrooms.
5 nights Bologna
3 nights Bellagio
5 nights Dolomites (Castelrotto)
2 nights Milan
A few preliminary items.
We rented a car for the entire trip (even drove it into Milan to return at the city center – LOL!) worked out great aside from the apparent freeway accident and backup when we were first leaving the Milan airport – more on that later. Hubby really likes us to be on our own schedule and it worked out great for some last minute daytrips to Switzerland and Austria. Even though sometimes he gets a little stressed – like trying to find our apt. in Milan, DH loves the challenge of driving in Europe – even in the big cities (incl. Prague, Munich and returning a rental car once to the city center of Rome). We did have TomTom (GPS) which I think is an absolute must have, particularly when driving in the cities.
This was our first trip with our new iPad. It was absolutely fabulous!! So thin and light we often carried it with us when walking around the city and would use the GPS to show us the quickest way to walk somewhere. Also, used it for quick restaurant recommendations/reviews on the fly! Much quicker than the iPhone.
Fashion alert – so DD and I are big shoppers and love to see what everyone is wearing. Well, everyone was wearing those sandals with the ankle covers (I personally don’t like them), some even had an ankle cover that was boot length – even DD didn’t think that made sense, as your legs would get so hot. The other sandal everyone was wearing was the T-Strap Birkenstock – surprise, surprise!! But in bright patent leather colors – fun! The “man bag” was even more prevalent then the last time we were in Italy 4 years ago and Louis Vuitton was de rigueur for the most stylish men (young and old).
First up Bologna – we flew into MXP and went to pick up our car from Europcar. I had rented through Andy at www.gemut.com, he assured me that the four of us and our luggage would be able to fit in a compact, and we were given a Lancia Musa. Well, we had one extra bag than I had planned (for hiking boots/poles/etc.). We looked at that Musa and thought “no way are we and our bags getting in there.” We went back to the rental car to try to get a bigger one – none available, we went to three other agency counters and none of them had anything bigger so back to the Musa we went. Luckily DH is a master at packing and we managed to fit everything in although the backseat was shared with one bag. We put our Bologna address in TomTom and went on our way only to be stopped by a MAJOR traffic jam getting onto the freeway. We were probably completely still for a good 5-7 min. on the onramp to merge onto the freeway when people started backing up onto the onramp!! We just had to follow suit and start backing up as well, but then…..where to go??? We told TomTom there was an accident that way, and it redirected us, but took an extra hour. We finally arrived at our hotel in Bologna at 7:30pm.
HOTEL METROPOLITAN – we stayed here for 5 nights in Bologna. The website has pictures of some rooms that have been redecorated, clearly we didn’t get one of those rooms, but we were still very happy with our rooms. We had two rooms directly across the hall from each other. They were good size rooms, each with an extra bed that you could use to put your luggage on (or a nice size triple). Nice size bathrooms – my only complaint was that the shower in our room took a long time to drain, but kids room didn’t have that problem. Excellent a/c (well ours was better than the kids), a frig. and there was a wifi nearby that we were able to get on to. The front desk people were very nice and helpful. It is extremely well located, right near tons of shops and restaurants and 5 min. walk to Piazza Maggiore. The room incl. breakfast which was a typical Italian breakfast. The rooms were 100 euro each. I thought an excellent value – we would stay here again on a return trip.
Since we got in late, we asked the concierge for a restaurant recommendation near the hotel. He made us a reservation at Il Biassanot (via Piella, 16a) just two blocks from the hotel. It was on the list of restaurants I had so I was glad. It was an excellent meal. We all chose a different restaurant as our favorite in Bologna – and this was mine. A simple trattoria with fabulous food. We enjoyed caprese, carpaccio, gnocchi and the best tagliatele of the trip with incredible porcini mushrooms.
Jul 21st, 2010, 04:51 PM
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Excellent! We were on our trip to the Dolomites exactly a year ago, and I'm missing the mountains right about now. Looking forward to hearing about your time there...and also Emilia-Romagna, which we just barely touched (Ferrara) about 20 years ago and is on my short list for the next time we get back to Italy.
Jul 21st, 2010, 07:32 PM
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We are going to bologna next summer with our two teenagers, so can't wait to hear the rest!
We're also thinking of staying at one of the Hotel Metrolpolitan's apartments. Did you consider those?
thanks for sharing!!
We're also thinking of staying at one of the Hotel Metrolpolitan's apartments. Did you consider those?
thanks for sharing!!
Jul 21st, 2010, 08:36 PM
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Thanks everyone for the encouragement!
Oops, sorry that was ms_go's report not mr go's!! Yes, all your recommendations for the Dolomites were spot on - only thing that was different was it was hot!! I kept saying "the gos were here at the exact same time last year and they said it was cool when they were hiking!!"
dina4 - yes, I considered the apts. but when I was making my reservations in Jan. the apts. weren't done yet - they said they would be done in late March. I just wasn't going to trust an Italian contractor that it would be done on time, so I decided to go for the hotel. I would have definitely considered them if they had been completed. I believe they sleep 4 and are less expensive then the two rooms.
Day 2
Our first full day, we decided to just walk around and explore Bologna. We followed a basic walking guide someone had posted on Slow Travel (http://www.slowtrav.com/italy/emilia...na/bologna.htm). We started out at Chiesa San Francesco and from there walked to Piazza Maggiore and Piazza Del Nettuno. Then we walked through the Mercato delle Erbe (btw should definitely stop at Mercato BEFORE going to Piazza Maggiore –to avoid some back tracking). This is a nice food market, but not as impressive as others we’ve been to. Bologna is a fabulous city – big enough to feel like a big city and have many options for food and shopping, but small enough that nothing is too far away. We loved the porticoes, particularly because they kept you cooler which was paramount because it was very hot. While exploring this morning, my cute Tory Burch flip flops broke!! The “funny” thing is the exact same thing happened the last time we were in Italy 4 years ago when we were in Alba – only there it was the afternoon and all the stores were closed (trust me you can’t walk on a broken flip flop – just doesn’t stay on), luckily this time there was a Geox store just across the street so I was able to get a cute new pair of sandals!
We stopped for lunch at Trattoria Gianni (Via Claveture, 18 – actually down a short dead end street off of Claveture). Claveture is a very charming street, so glad to find this on my list of restaurants since we were right near there – just off of Piazza Maggiore. Had a fabulous lunch (this was DD’s favorite meal) of proscuitto e meloni, carpaccio, and fabulous pastas. DD’s simple dish of pasta with pomo fresca was the big hit! For dessert we ordered tiramisu and a semi-freddo with amaretti – Excellent! The tiramisu was served frozen and was fabulous.
After lunch we explored a bit more to the due Torri and Via Santa Stefano and Tamburini, the famous food store. Everything looked great in the store, but after everything I’d read about it , it was a lot smaller than I was expecting. Did some shopping along Via Independzia.
For dinner we had an 8:30pm reservation at Diana (Via dell’Independzia, 24). This is a nice restaurant with waiters in white dinner jackets and bow ties. I’d read negative reviews about the service but our waiter was very nice and extremely helpful. We had another fabulous meal (probably everyone’s 2nd top meal) of tortellini in brodo, pate, carpaccio filletto with truffles, boccoccini filetto in aceto balsamico and lasagna. DH and DS definitely thought best lasagna of the trip.
From there we walked to La Gelatura for gelato, which is in the University District, a bit of a walk, but a great way to see another part of the city. It was very busy down there with a lot of young people and a rally going on that led to a lot of polizia and carbineri out.
DAY 3
Today we did a food tour with Italian Days Food Experiences (http://www.italiandays.it/). This was definitely one of the highlights of our trip! Alessandro owns the company and is the guide – he is fantastic – young, passionate, energetic and a little crazy – we had a fabulous day! The cost is a bit cheaper if you have your own car so we drove and he was in a van with another family of four and another couple. So, usually tours are no more than 7 because that is the max his van can hold, but ours had 10 of us since we drove separately. He came and picked us up at our hotel at 7:45am and we followed them in the van.
Our first stop was the parmigiano reggiano factory outside of Modena. Incredibly interesting and a lot to see, but DS did start feeling sick from the heat and the overwhelming smell of the cheese. Once we moved to a different part of the factory he started feeling better. Lots of samples to taste after the tour - incl. fresh ricotta cheese – trust me you haven’t had ricotta like this anywhere in the US.
Our next stop was to a balsamico tradizionale acetaia. While there was not as much to see here, this was extremely interesting as we had no idea what the process was and it was quite fascinating. Several more tastes of varying aged balsamico as well as gelato with balsamico on it and balsamico jam. Next we had a tour of the owners Art Deco home which was also used in the film "1900". Not our personal taste, but interesting with original frescoes and furniture and extensive bronze and glass vase collections.
From here we drove to an agriturisimo with an organic winery and had a wonderful lunch outside on the patio. Great meats, cheeses, pasta and meringues for dessert. Lots of wine tastings with lunch.
Our last stop was the proscuitto di Modena factory. DS is a proscuitto fanatic so he was in his element here. Again, very interesting to see and learn about the different stages of the maturation process. Even though we were stuffed from lunch we still did the proscuitto tasting – DS made sure there was none left! We got back to our hotel about 5pm.
Went to dinner at Il Saraceno (Via Calcavinazzi, 2) supposed to be good for pizza and seafood. We thought the food was good but not great – certainly not on par with the other meals.
This time we walked to La Sorbetteria (Via Castiglione, 44) for gelato. About a 15 min. from our hotel, but we determined it to be our favorite!
Oops, sorry that was ms_go's report not mr go's!! Yes, all your recommendations for the Dolomites were spot on - only thing that was different was it was hot!! I kept saying "the gos were here at the exact same time last year and they said it was cool when they were hiking!!"
dina4 - yes, I considered the apts. but when I was making my reservations in Jan. the apts. weren't done yet - they said they would be done in late March. I just wasn't going to trust an Italian contractor that it would be done on time, so I decided to go for the hotel. I would have definitely considered them if they had been completed. I believe they sleep 4 and are less expensive then the two rooms.
Day 2
Our first full day, we decided to just walk around and explore Bologna. We followed a basic walking guide someone had posted on Slow Travel (http://www.slowtrav.com/italy/emilia...na/bologna.htm). We started out at Chiesa San Francesco and from there walked to Piazza Maggiore and Piazza Del Nettuno. Then we walked through the Mercato delle Erbe (btw should definitely stop at Mercato BEFORE going to Piazza Maggiore –to avoid some back tracking). This is a nice food market, but not as impressive as others we’ve been to. Bologna is a fabulous city – big enough to feel like a big city and have many options for food and shopping, but small enough that nothing is too far away. We loved the porticoes, particularly because they kept you cooler which was paramount because it was very hot. While exploring this morning, my cute Tory Burch flip flops broke!! The “funny” thing is the exact same thing happened the last time we were in Italy 4 years ago when we were in Alba – only there it was the afternoon and all the stores were closed (trust me you can’t walk on a broken flip flop – just doesn’t stay on), luckily this time there was a Geox store just across the street so I was able to get a cute new pair of sandals!
We stopped for lunch at Trattoria Gianni (Via Claveture, 18 – actually down a short dead end street off of Claveture). Claveture is a very charming street, so glad to find this on my list of restaurants since we were right near there – just off of Piazza Maggiore. Had a fabulous lunch (this was DD’s favorite meal) of proscuitto e meloni, carpaccio, and fabulous pastas. DD’s simple dish of pasta with pomo fresca was the big hit! For dessert we ordered tiramisu and a semi-freddo with amaretti – Excellent! The tiramisu was served frozen and was fabulous.
After lunch we explored a bit more to the due Torri and Via Santa Stefano and Tamburini, the famous food store. Everything looked great in the store, but after everything I’d read about it , it was a lot smaller than I was expecting. Did some shopping along Via Independzia.
For dinner we had an 8:30pm reservation at Diana (Via dell’Independzia, 24). This is a nice restaurant with waiters in white dinner jackets and bow ties. I’d read negative reviews about the service but our waiter was very nice and extremely helpful. We had another fabulous meal (probably everyone’s 2nd top meal) of tortellini in brodo, pate, carpaccio filletto with truffles, boccoccini filetto in aceto balsamico and lasagna. DH and DS definitely thought best lasagna of the trip.
From there we walked to La Gelatura for gelato, which is in the University District, a bit of a walk, but a great way to see another part of the city. It was very busy down there with a lot of young people and a rally going on that led to a lot of polizia and carbineri out.
DAY 3
Today we did a food tour with Italian Days Food Experiences (http://www.italiandays.it/). This was definitely one of the highlights of our trip! Alessandro owns the company and is the guide – he is fantastic – young, passionate, energetic and a little crazy – we had a fabulous day! The cost is a bit cheaper if you have your own car so we drove and he was in a van with another family of four and another couple. So, usually tours are no more than 7 because that is the max his van can hold, but ours had 10 of us since we drove separately. He came and picked us up at our hotel at 7:45am and we followed them in the van.
Our first stop was the parmigiano reggiano factory outside of Modena. Incredibly interesting and a lot to see, but DS did start feeling sick from the heat and the overwhelming smell of the cheese. Once we moved to a different part of the factory he started feeling better. Lots of samples to taste after the tour - incl. fresh ricotta cheese – trust me you haven’t had ricotta like this anywhere in the US.
Our next stop was to a balsamico tradizionale acetaia. While there was not as much to see here, this was extremely interesting as we had no idea what the process was and it was quite fascinating. Several more tastes of varying aged balsamico as well as gelato with balsamico on it and balsamico jam. Next we had a tour of the owners Art Deco home which was also used in the film "1900". Not our personal taste, but interesting with original frescoes and furniture and extensive bronze and glass vase collections.
From here we drove to an agriturisimo with an organic winery and had a wonderful lunch outside on the patio. Great meats, cheeses, pasta and meringues for dessert. Lots of wine tastings with lunch.
Our last stop was the proscuitto di Modena factory. DS is a proscuitto fanatic so he was in his element here. Again, very interesting to see and learn about the different stages of the maturation process. Even though we were stuffed from lunch we still did the proscuitto tasting – DS made sure there was none left! We got back to our hotel about 5pm.
Went to dinner at Il Saraceno (Via Calcavinazzi, 2) supposed to be good for pizza and seafood. We thought the food was good but not great – certainly not on par with the other meals.
This time we walked to La Sorbetteria (Via Castiglione, 44) for gelato. About a 15 min. from our hotel, but we determined it to be our favorite!
Jul 22nd, 2010, 03:21 AM
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jgg,
I tried clicking on the link to the walking tour of Bologna you used, and what I got was a screen telling me that the page had been removed or moved.
The reason I wanted to look at the tour is because, when you were walking on the via Clavature, did you decide on your own not to enter the church of Santa Maria della Vita -- which is at via Clavature 10 -- or did the walking tour not mention the terracotta statues inside? The very dramatic statue group, by Niccolò dell'Arca, vividly depicting the first Christians' reactions to seeing the dead body of Christ is without peer in Italian art.
http://robertarood.files.wordpress.c...2/lamenta4.jpg
http://www.scultura-italiana.com/Fot...%20c.1485).jpg
There is a much smaller version inside the Duomo, but the life sized originals are astonishing. The small church, just steps from the Piazza Maggiore and the Due Torri in the market area, is easy to miss unless you are told to look inside.
Sorry to interrupt the food tour, which is of course one of Bologna's main attractions, but these statues are unique in the world and an incredible work of art, so I thought that future travelers using your trip report to plan their trips to Bologna might want to know where to look for them.
I tried clicking on the link to the walking tour of Bologna you used, and what I got was a screen telling me that the page had been removed or moved.
The reason I wanted to look at the tour is because, when you were walking on the via Clavature, did you decide on your own not to enter the church of Santa Maria della Vita -- which is at via Clavature 10 -- or did the walking tour not mention the terracotta statues inside? The very dramatic statue group, by Niccolò dell'Arca, vividly depicting the first Christians' reactions to seeing the dead body of Christ is without peer in Italian art.
http://robertarood.files.wordpress.c...2/lamenta4.jpg
http://www.scultura-italiana.com/Fot...%20c.1485).jpg
There is a much smaller version inside the Duomo, but the life sized originals are astonishing. The small church, just steps from the Piazza Maggiore and the Due Torri in the market area, is easy to miss unless you are told to look inside.
Sorry to interrupt the food tour, which is of course one of Bologna's main attractions, but these statues are unique in the world and an incredible work of art, so I thought that future travelers using your trip report to plan their trips to Bologna might want to know where to look for them.
Jul 22nd, 2010, 07:11 AM
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Try this link:
http://www.slowtrav.com/italy/emilia...na/bologna.htm
Unfortunately there was no mention of Santa Maria della Vita. I'm sure we walked past it, but didn't know to go inside. Glad you passed that info. on for others!
http://www.slowtrav.com/italy/emilia...na/bologna.htm
Unfortunately there was no mention of Santa Maria della Vita. I'm sure we walked past it, but didn't know to go inside. Glad you passed that info. on for others!
Jul 22nd, 2010, 07:35 AM
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jgg...
Great report! I'll be in Bologna in November and have booked the Italian Days Food Experiences, good to know you enjoyed it.
For what it's worth, I recently purchased the book Bologna Reflections by Mary Tolaro Noyes. I'm about half way through and finding it interesting preparation for my trip. She mentions the Church of Santa Maria della Vita and there is a picture of the statues zeppole refers to above. I'll have to make sure and get to that church.
If you are interested here is an brief description of the book:
"BOLOGNA REFLECTIONS: AN UNCOMMON GUIDE provides the visitor to Bologna with a different approach to encountering a remarkable city. The walking itineraries explore its historical and artististic heritage and point out hidden treasures not often found in traditional guidebooks. The tourist and the armchair traveler alike visit Bologna through the stories that reveal the heart and soul of the Bolognese people, who become the real guides to their city and past. Original drawings and art invoke Bologna’s medieval past and celebrate her modern charm, as the visitor meanders in the unknown corners of a seductive city. Practical information, including maps of relevant neighborhoods, assists the traveler in planning the visit and experiencing the city during the sojourn. A more extensive, up-to-date website supports the practical information, which will continue to assist the traveler for future visits to the Città Rossa."
Looking forward to the rest of your report!
Great report! I'll be in Bologna in November and have booked the Italian Days Food Experiences, good to know you enjoyed it.
For what it's worth, I recently purchased the book Bologna Reflections by Mary Tolaro Noyes. I'm about half way through and finding it interesting preparation for my trip. She mentions the Church of Santa Maria della Vita and there is a picture of the statues zeppole refers to above. I'll have to make sure and get to that church.
If you are interested here is an brief description of the book:
"BOLOGNA REFLECTIONS: AN UNCOMMON GUIDE provides the visitor to Bologna with a different approach to encountering a remarkable city. The walking itineraries explore its historical and artististic heritage and point out hidden treasures not often found in traditional guidebooks. The tourist and the armchair traveler alike visit Bologna through the stories that reveal the heart and soul of the Bolognese people, who become the real guides to their city and past. Original drawings and art invoke Bologna’s medieval past and celebrate her modern charm, as the visitor meanders in the unknown corners of a seductive city. Practical information, including maps of relevant neighborhoods, assists the traveler in planning the visit and experiencing the city during the sojourn. A more extensive, up-to-date website supports the practical information, which will continue to assist the traveler for future visits to the Città Rossa."
Looking forward to the rest of your report!
Jul 22nd, 2010, 04:06 PM
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jgg - we'll be in Bologna in May, so your tr is of great interest. We were planning to tour the cheese, prosciutto and balsamic places on our own. Did you book the tour for convenience to see everything in one day? I'm wondering what we should do.
Jul 22nd, 2010, 05:41 PM
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jgg, I'm enjoying your report! We're just back from Bologna!
Zeppole,, Great advice about seeing the The Lament over the Dead Christ at the Church of Santa Maria della Vita! Standing at the back of the church won't reveal Niccolò dell'Arca's work. You'll need to walk toward the altar and you'll find the life sized statues displayed off to the right.
Zeppole,, Great advice about seeing the The Lament over the Dead Christ at the Church of Santa Maria della Vita! Standing at the back of the church won't reveal Niccolò dell'Arca's work. You'll need to walk toward the altar and you'll find the life sized statues displayed off to the right.
Jul 22nd, 2010, 09:29 PM
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We were also in Bologna in June, it seems it was the place to be this spring and summer - I do have notes which I do hope to post sooner than later.
It seems to me from our experience and others that we have spoken with, it is not that easy to book the food tours on your own, unless you speak fairly good Italian. We did not do the prosciutto part, and we stayed at at B&B outside Parma which is a working dairy farm, and had a parmigiano tour with the woman who runs the B&B - she translated for us. My research here and on other sites made me thing that booking a tour, with a guide, is perhaps the best way to go about it. And if you are not driving, then you really do need a guide - these places are out in the countryside.
It seems to me from our experience and others that we have spoken with, it is not that easy to book the food tours on your own, unless you speak fairly good Italian. We did not do the prosciutto part, and we stayed at at B&B outside Parma which is a working dairy farm, and had a parmigiano tour with the woman who runs the B&B - she translated for us. My research here and on other sites made me thing that booking a tour, with a guide, is perhaps the best way to go about it. And if you are not driving, then you really do need a guide - these places are out in the countryside.
Jul 23rd, 2010, 03:38 AM
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Loving this report and can't wait for more! I'll be in Bologna in November, and have also signed up for the Italian Days Food tour... glad to hear you enjoyed it so much.
Socal, can't wait for your report!
Socal, can't wait for your report!
