sarge56

OK- those of you that have been here awhile know I'm a foodie. I could have planned Bologna as a regular stop on this trip, but I really wanted to see The Last Supper, so Milan got my vote.

However, I have 4 full days/nights in Florence this trip. And I've been to Florence 3 times before. So, I decided that on Monday, when lots is closed in Florence, I'll take a day trip.

I thought about Pisa (because my granddaughter would find hilarious a photo of me holding it up-hahaha), but it didn't look like there was much else to see there. So, Pisa is out. (When I get to take this GD with me- we are planning it- then we'll do Pisa.)

So, I have been to Siena once, but had no time in the city- it was simply to meet our tour guide for Tuscany. Of course, it has great reviews as a day trip and I would like to see it one of these days.

Then there is Bologna. It's only €18 round trip on the bullet train and a 35-minute ride. And I <I>am</I> a foodie. If I can catch the early train, I can be in Bologna by 9:35.

I know the express bus to Siena departs/arrives from city center. That is great.

I don't know about the train station in Bologna. It looks like there are 4 stations. Which one should I use? And how far a walk is it to "town"?

Also, I'd like some input on top 5 things to see in each city. I'm leaning toward Bologna right now. I know I will go back to Bologna in the future. I'm thinking this will be a nice intro to the city.

Recommendation for lunch in each city, too. I lean toward beef, pork and vegetarian dishes.

Thanks for any/all input. I really appreciate it!.

jamikins

We loved bologna! The main train station is a short, maybe 10 min walk to the main central square along a nice shopping street. Easy Peasy! What are the options for train stations? I thought it was just called bologna.

You can see our pics here. http://www.flickr.com/photos/pug_gir...7634399182853/

We are big foodies too and loved the food. We thought it was great, but apparently there can be poor good there as well so I would do some research. I can't think of the names of places we ate but will go back to our trip report.

jamikins

This is the place we really enjoyed http://www.ristorantelatraviatabologna.it

Also reading through our trip report it seems that there are bologna centrale, est, and Ouest all in the one large station.

If you are interested our report is here

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...rche-lucca.cfm

mama_mia

The Bologna Tourist office is in Piazza Maggiore (a short walk from train station). They have a website with a good deal of tourist information on tours and activities (e.g., cooking classes):
http://www.bolognawelcome.com/en/

From there website:
“GUIDED TOUR IN BOLOGNA HISTORICAL CENTRE, DAILY, IN ITALIAN AND IN ENGLISH

Starting from Monday 1st April, a new service of guided tour in the historical city centre is available every day for the tourists.

Monday to Saturday (from April to October) at 4.45 pm; Monday to Saturday (November and December) at 10.30 am; on Sunday at 10.30 am throughout the year

Reservation and meeting point at Bologna Welcome (Piazza Maggiore 1/e). Online booking is also possible. The walking tour is led by an Italian and English speaking qualified guide and lasts approx. 2 hours. Here is the itinerary: Piazza Maggiore, San Petronio, Piazza della Mercanzia, quadrilatero area, Santa Maria della Vita to see the Compianto, Archiginnasio and Teatro Anatomico (Anatomical Theatre).

The above route may be varied in case of closing of some sites.
Participation fee is € 13,00 per person.”

We took the tour and I thought it gave a very good overview of the city and enjoyed the information on San Petronio, a fascinating church with a cool sun dial. The highlight of the tour for me was the Compianto sul Cristo Morto by Niccolò dell’Arca in Santa Maria della Vita. These terracotta sculptures are wonderfully expressive and unique for their time (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niccol%C3%B2_dell%27Arca).

The Sanctuary of Santo Stefano (not on the tour) is very interesting. It is 7 churches in one complex and, in the same vein as San Clemente in Rome, suggests many layers of history.
Madonna San Lucca is a nice place to visit but a little out of the way for a day tripper. (You would probably need to take a bus there.) We enjoyed hiking up to the church under the very long portico.

The Dutch masterpieces exhibit (inc Vermeer’s Girl with Pearl Earring) that was recently in New York at the Frick is in Bologna until May. In case you need a change of pace from all that Italian art!

Of course, just strolling under the porticoes of Bologna and visiting the food markets is a nice way to spend the day, too.

danon

We stayed in Bologna for six days and loved it.

San Lucca is easily reached by taxi, but one can find more than enough to do in the city .

sandralist

You want to go to Bologna Centrale.

If going to the historic food markets is part of what is included in being a foodie then be aware you do need to get there by noon or 12.30 at the latest. It takes at least 20 minutes of brisk walking from the time you step off the train to get to the food markets.

You will need to reserve for lunch if you want a quality lunch. Some reliably good places are Da Gianni, Serghei, All'Osteria Bottega, Ciccio e Giampi, Teresina and Caminetto d'Oro (latter two are a tiny bit upscale, but just a tiny bit.) If it is a nice day, you might want to sit outside at Bistrot 18. They serve good pastas.

Pasta is the star of the Bologna kitchen and it would be a pity to leave Bologna without eating it. Best pasta dishes, in my view, are lasagne al verde, tortelloni stuffed with ricotta in a gorgonzola sauce, or gramigna alla salsiccia (pasta quills with ground sausage and cream) or passatelli in brodo (noodles made of parmesan and eggs served in broth). The famous pastas are tagliatelle con ragu (fresh egg pasta ribbons in meat sauce) and tortellini in brodo (tiny ravioli circles stuffed with proscuitto served in broth) but the other pastas I mentioned are rarely found outside of Bologna and are worth sampling there.

For an antipasta, if you like pork, you should try the local cured meats, including Bologna's famous mortadella. All'Osteria Bottega specializes in plates of artisinal cured meat but it is pricey. Da Gianni serves a marvelous entree of grilled mortadella with aged balsamic vinegar if you really really like pork. It is one of few main courses of meat worth eating in Bologna. Otherwise, you are much better off sticking to seasonal grilled vegetables for your main course.

Top 5 sights beyond food depends on what interests you. Unique to Bologna are the terracotta statues in Santa Maria della Vita (closes by noon) and the anatomical theater in the Archigennasio. The art museum in Bologna is wonderful and the interior of the Palazzo Communale is fascinating. There are many small museums in Bologna -- including an outstanding medieval museum and a lovely music museum. Just be aware if you wait until you get to the tourist office to find out information that important sights are starting to close up at noon along with the markets, so it is better to have a plan as to what you want to do until things start reopening again and you will need to be getting back.

The Bologna train station is a busy place during rush hour. Leave yourself a few extra minutes getting back and getting your bearings. Don't cancel a trip to Bologna if it looks like rain. The porticoes will keep you dry.



If you are visiting the markets it is good to look at what

Michael

For a day trip, I would choose Siena. When we were there, we came across some restaurants that would satisfy any foodie. Bologna has a great reputation, but for just one day it is not a food destination; I would want to try several restaurants. My vote goes for Siena, which is a great town to visit.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mksfca/...th/4201007261/

mamcalice

I also suggest Siena for a day trip. Visit the Duomo, wander the narrow pedestrian streets, spend time at the Campo (but don't have lunch here if you are a foodie). Find a nice place for lunch.

sandralist

What makes Bologna a food destination is not its restaurants, and there is little point in going to Bologna to go restaurant hopping. 90 percent of the restaurants offer fairly identical menus of Bolognese dishes, which confirm to strict tradition. In addition, most people cannot eat more than one Bolognese restaurant meal per day, nor can they eat in Bolognese restaurants several days running without ending up hating the sight of food. So unless one is planning a multi-week stay in Bologna, don't try to make the food experience in Bologna about restaurants. (Or anywhere in Italy, really. Italy is not France.)

The main reason for a foodie to go to Bologna is its historic markets and its concentration of high quality food shops. The market hours are morning and afternoon. Of course one should enjoy a great pasta dish in a restaurant while there. But even if one comes back to Bologna for more than a day trip, the better bet for the foodie is to rent an apartment with a kitchen and haunt the markets.

Beyond the market, Bologna has many seductive sights and such an untouristed feel, it makes a nice contrast to Florence and Siena (which is indeed an impressive place). It is also perhaps Italy's most youthful city in feeling, with 90,000 Italian students. That in itself can be nice.

There are no downsides to either daytrip as a daytrip.

bvlenci

The station you want is Bologna Centrale. The track configuration is complex, so there are tracks with the same number that are in different parts of the station. They're distinguished by an "E" suffix for "Est" and so forth. It can be a little tricky if you don't know the station, but the Frecciargento (high-speed) trains all leave from the same area, which is not difficult to find.

We don't live far from Bologna, and go there fairly often, but usually not for sightseeing. I love the city, which has an urban, youthful, vibe, because of the university, but it's a much more bustling and urban, and I would say, edgy, place than Siena. Some people take an instant dislike to the city. There's some great shopping there. We don't go there for the restaurants, but we've eaten very well there.

One place I've enjoyed is the Osteria Broccaindosso. There you can get a buffet of antipasti, and a similar buffet of sweets, and skip the first and second courses altogether. When I say buffet, it's a bit unusual. They seat everyone at communal tables and bring out plate after plate of food; you take some of if it interests you, and pass it to your neighbor. Don't expect them to do much explaining, and it's definitely rustic.

There are also some good restaurants near the university, but I don't remember any names. They tend to be a little more into innovation than traditional Emiliana cuisine.

There's a large food market near the Duomo, where there are also little places to eat. You can read about it here:

http://www.saveur.com/article/Travel...rkets-in-Italy

I don't know if I ate in the place he mentions in the article, but it sounds like the same kind of place. You can also buy lots of local products there.

One of the most interesting things to see in Bologna is the Basilica of Santo Stefano, which is a complex of different very ancient churches, all jumbled together, even built around each other. I don't know how to explain this place, and pictures wouldn't do it justice, but it's definitely worth a visit.

There are two leaning towers in Bologna, both in the same piazza, which you can't miss if you walk around the center.

The main Piazza, the Piazza Maggiore, is huge. There is a large statue of Neptune in the center. If you find the right vantage point, his outstretched hand looks like a different appendage.

Bologna is famous for its "portici", the arcades that cover most of the sidewalks in the center. It makes walking around on a rainy day more pleasant.

Another famous feature of Bologna is the long arcade (almost 4 km) that leads up a hill to the church of San Luca. You can take a bus to the top and walk down if you don't want to walk up the hill. It's outside the center, so you probably wouldn't have time for it on a day trip.

Bologna is also a great city for shopping. Most of the major designers have shops there, and there are also some little artisanal shops.

I also like Siena very much, but it's a very different kind of place, and you've already seen it. I don't know what you've seen and what you haven't.

bvlenci

I forgot to mention that you can easily walk to the Piazza Maggiore from the Bologna central station, but there are also buses.

dfourh

This is a fantastic thread with great recommendations. I don't think you specified when you will be there, but if you are there in high season:

Pisa is dull as dishwater. You see the tower. That's it.

Siena in summer is a tourist treadmill. That said, the food might be good.

Nobody goes to Bologna. Which is why you might enjoy it, especially the food lanes. I would do them at the point in the day (late afternoon?) when you might want to start sampling wines at local aperitivos. Bologna is still really genuinely vivid (thought it might be even better in winter): http://www.flickr.com/photos/douglas...7632060233870/

sarge56

Thanks so much for the input everyone! Just what I was looking for!

So, if I arrive on the 9:35am train, I should be to the main square by 10am at the latest. This will give me a couple hours to do the markets before they close.

What I'll be shopping for is food stuff. Good balsamic, tapanades, sauces, pestos, etc. That's where my head is at.

I love pasta. I rarely eat it at home, but eat it pretty much every day that I'm in Italy! haha I love it simple (cacio e pepe), but also love the tagliatelle with ragu. Yum!

I am going in April. I'd be in Bologna the day after Easter. Is there anything seasonal I should look for? What veggies will be in season? I plan on having one good meal in Bologna and will probably eat a late light dinner when I get back to Florence. I'm planning on taking the 8:20pm back that evening.

Sandralist- you say everything closes at noon in the markets and reopens later? When do they reopen?

I will look at all the suggestions and try to figure out an itinerary based on where everything is and when those places are open.

I think I must go with Bologna. Siena will have to wait.

Thanks all. Still open to any other thoughts/suggestions!

DAX

Bologna is a good place for food shopping, just head to the famous food store institutions AF Tamburini, Atti and Eataly (foodie bookstore/foodie bars owned by Atti) all on one street just 2 blocks east of the central Piazza Maggiore.

Eataly serves the best quality price ratio food you can get in Bologna (high quality at low prices). Make sure you take the escalator up to the top floor to get to their simple restaurant/bookstore. It reminded me of Borders bookstore with a foodie cafe. EATALY is open 7 days a week until midnight!

I really enjoyed Bologna that I stayed for 4 nights to explore it and then returned for a second visit in 2013. In those two visits I learned that Bologna is only good for the old basic traditional pasta which is OK but there is a serious lack of creativity among the restaurants; they just flopped the food on simple plates without much thought or effort, quality has also suffered with recent tourist invasion. The 'fancier' places like Camminetto d'Oro' tried to do it better but IMO their food is nothing outstanding or amazing except maybe at the i Portici restaurant inside the i Portici Hotel on Via Indipendenza. It was actually the only place that we had memorable food besides Eataly. You may enjoy dinner there before going back to Florence.

I just loaded and labeled some pictures of the i Portici dishes onto my collection of pictures in Bologna just to give you a first impression. Many of the pictures were taken in the morning after the big scary earthquake in May 2012 so the city looked emptier than usual. Bologna usually has festivals during weekends so the streets could normally become really crowded with wall to wall people from the surrounding countryside.
http://m.flickr.com/#/photos/79690840@N05/7306182922/

cathies

Bookmarking, we will be in Italy in June and over the weekend, were tossing up a few nights in Bologna. I think this thread has convinced us.

sandralist

Sarge56,

If you are going to Bologna the day after Easter it is possible that none of the markets will be open. You need to contact the tourist office or a tour guide and find out. Might be, but might not be. But everything could be shut for the holiday.

If they are open that day, they will stay open roughly until 1 and then start to re-open around 3.30 and stay open until 7.30pm. So if you are catching a train at 8.20, you can shop when everything re-opens. That would give you time in the morning to see some things that are only open in the morning. I believe the Anatomical Theatre is only open in the morning, and it may not be open the day after Easter. I would expect all museums in Bologna to be closed the day after Easter, and the historic sights as well. The Churches might be open, but many close for the pausa.

If everything is open the day you go, the best kind of jarred specialty you can buy to take home from Bologna is mostarde, which are fruits preserved in a sweet spicy mustard syrup. They are served like a chutney with meats or cheese. The very best shop for this is Melega, which at on via Claveture 14 (not far from the church of Santa Maria della Vita, so be sure to stick your head in before noon).

You really need to be careful buying balsamic vinegar in Bologna. The very best stuff comes from Modena and is very, very expensive. You will see a lot of very expensive stuff sold in Bologna that is only expensive and not the quality thing. If you are thinking of dropping serious money on a small bottle, it is worth your time to look up the names of famous producers and go with a list of those names. If you take bvlienci's suggestion of Osteria Broccaindosso for lunch (make sure it is open on Monday), there is an exceptionally delicious balsamic vinegar you can buy in a shop not far from there in a shop called Antica Drogheria Calzolari at Via Giuseppe Petroni, 9. The vinegar is from the Modena hills and bottled by Da Amerigo. (Ask for that.) It is fabulous served over vanilla ice cream.

If you particularly love tagliatelle al ragu the very best place to eat the classic version of that dish is Caminetto d'Oro. The restaurant I Portici has a Michelin-star and the chef is from Napoli, and his creative food geared towed an international style You can find equally good creative food elsewhere in Europe, and no doubt Florence. I suggest that if you are going to Bologna to eat that you eat the local food. I happen to love the old traditional pasta as much as the locals do but many tourists are surprised the locals don't want to change it to be creative or the restaurants don't stack it up on plates (it gets cold). You may not like it either. But I recommend giving it a try.

Likewise, I think DAX hit the nail on the head describing EATALY as American bookstore shop like Borders. EATALY is modeling itself on America's chain stores, and they are enjoying success with it globally -- although not surprisingly in Bologna they have been unable to open a generic big box shop as huge as they wanted. In my view, again, it is odd to go all the way to Bologna and spend your time inside an American style shopping experience when you could be outside exlploring the markets that have been in operation since the time of the Roman empire. Again, it all depends on what kind of experience you like as a travel. Places like I Portici and EATALY are experiences that are familiar from elsewhere and many people enjoy finding the familiar when they travel. I know people who boast they have been in every EATALY in the world or Michelin restaurant in Italy. Bologna food is not that.

Depending on when you are getting back to within reach of a kitchen, there are some handmade dried pastas you can buy that will last until you get home. The best shop for this is Atti & Figli, which is right next to Tamburini (which is now incredibly touristy -- every coach tour to Bologna seems to parade its crowd through).

mama_mia

Some more ideas on interesting things to do in both Bologna and Siena (at least, I find them interesting and had to do some research on them for a class).

Both have interesting "water" histories. Bologna had numerous channels or canals, most underground or gone now, that brought water to the city in the Middle Ages. These water sources fed various mills (mostly textiles)throughout the city. It is fun to view the Moline Canal through a small window on the via Piella, a few blocks off the via Independenza.

Siena, unlike Florence with the Arno, did not have a ready water source. In the Middle Ages, they resurrected ancient Roman and Etruscan wells on the outskirts of the city. They also began building underground aqueducts, known as bottini, that helped supply fountains throughout the city. The Fontebranda,mentioned by Dante and still visible today, shows how people used these fountains in the Middle Ages, dividing the water into three gravity fed pools, with the first (freshest) going to drinking water for humans, then animal, and then the last, laundry.

I came across this blog with pictures of fountains that are associated with the various contradas (subdivisions) of Siena. Apparently, Sienese baptize their children once in church and then once at their contrada fountain. I am headed to Siena this spring and hope to search these out:

http://howardlitchfield.wordpress.co...ains-of-siena/

(Sorry for long URL, but I wanted to give the author some credit.)

mama_mia

P.S., I also do not get "Eataly." Much more fun to explore local shops and take my chances.

sandralist

PS: I wanted to add for those who enjoy creative food and a Michelin-style experience when they travel that Bologna has several high-end restaurants one can seek out. One is the beautiful I Carracci, whose dining room ceiling is covered with frescoes by the Carracci family, Bologna's premiere Renaissance painters. The other is the legendary al Pappagallo (whose dining room walls are covered with photos of the famous people who ate there over the decades). About 10 minutes by taxi beyond the train station, near the fair district, is Leoni, whose chef is Michelin starred and whose restauarant decor is a phantasmagoria of anthropormorphic wooden sculptures.

One of the reasons these restaurants rarely get mentioned on message boards is their prices, and also because people generally ask for recommendations "where the locals eat." Both I Portici and I Carracci are inside hotels and are serving tourists or business travelers. Leoni is at the trade fair grounds. Pappagallo is near the historic medieval merchants headquarters (sort of like the Chamber of Commerce) of Bologna and is classically a place local businessmen entertain visiting foreign clients.

But if you choose to go "where the locals go" in Bologna, please understand you are not going to get a Bolognese pasta dish served to you on a square plate twirled up high to resemble a Christmas tree with little molecular balls of yuzu. Your tortellini in brodo won't be topped with truffle foam. A classic Bolognese pasta dish has a minimum of saucing -- usually a tablespoon or two -- so that you can taste the handmade fresh pasta, which is the focus of the dish. It is served in the kind of plate that best keeps the pasta warm (or stops it from cooking further).

If you are looking to eat classic Bolognese food in Bologna and go to restaurants recommended for precisely that then judging those restaurants by their creativity and presentation would be like Europeans asking for recommendations for barbecue restaurants in Memphis and then being surprised at the lack of creativity in the cooking and the failure to present the food beautifully plated.

cafegoddess

Hi sarge,

Since you mentioned cacio e pepe, you should try Zibbibo in Florence. Their cacio e pepe is the best!