bologna – The Rox Life

July 22, 2024July 22, 2024

Italy 2024, all the Bolognese Food

Food may be a little bit of a “tyranny of choice” situation in Italy. There are so many fantastic choices – you start to get overwhelmed. Everywhere you turned – there was a spot to grab a tasty sandwich at the very least. We had a few occasions where that was exactly what we needed. The day we took a train to Florence – we stopped into the small grocery store attached to the Bologna Centrale station and grabbed quick lunch items. I had a sandwich roll, and I tore it open and filled it with prosciutto. A perfect meal on the go!

I did a little preliminary research, and I had some traditional Bolognese foods/dishes on my “hit list” and a few places bookmarked. We didn’t stress or plan too much…if we were near a spot on my list and hungry we ducked in. We had a tentative plan for a few lunches/dinners. I’ll just run down the list of things/places we enjoyed!

Tamburini – This salsamenteria (kind of like a deli counter) has been around since 1932. We ducked in around 11 am on a Monday morning and ordered a crescentina with mortadella 🤌🏻 and a second with prosciutto crudo. Crescentina is a fried bread delicacy from Emilia-Romagna – usually eaten with cured meat and/or cheese. This was a perfect take away grab and let me tell you it was RICH.

Inside Tamburini 🤯

MozzaBella – this location we happened on inside Mercato dell Erbe (the largest covered market in the historical city center). I believe this is a Bolognese small pizza chain with locations in Bologna and Modena. They take their pizza inspiration from Neapolitan style pizza. We had pizza a couple of times while in Italy – and it was shocking how good it always was. Simple…but high quality ingredients and you have a winner.

Sfoglia Rina – We enjoyed this spot so much – we went twice during our visit. This beloved restaurant has roots as a local fresh pasta shop in the 1960s. The family modernized, transformed and expanded the business beginning in the 2000s. There is a location near the Bologna historic city center – not far from Piazza Maggiore and Quadrilatero. They have some amazing prepared dishes and fresh pasta for takeaway, and they have a restaurant area. The menu is divided into two sections – a traditional section that always has the Bolognese classics and a seasonal section with a lean towards reinterpreting traditions. On our first visit, we went traditional Lasagna alla Bolognese and Tortellini in Parmesan Cream. Second visit, we split up traditional – Tagliatelle with Ragù and seasonal – Green Triangles of Mortadella and Stracciatella, pistachio, butter, tomatoes, honey, grated lemon. This place is very popular at lunch time – and there can be a line. We managed to be nearly first in line on our second visit (that bourbon hunting instinct paying off 🤣). When you’re seated – you can check out the menu boards, and there’s paper on the table where you write down your order. Your dish will come with the day’s side dish and bread. Everything we had here was spectacular and at the same time comforting.

La Prosciutteria – I first bookmarked a location of La Prosciutteria in Florence while watching a travel video. When my friend Renee discovered I was in Bologna, she sent me a link for the location in Bologna and recommended we check it out. SOLD! So, this place is a chain, and it seems very popular. It’s hard to know if it’s locally popular or – you know – tourist popular. We enjoyed a bottle of wine and the gourmet Tuscan cutting board that featured cured meat cuts, cheeses, crostini, vegetables, fruit, and jam. I also couldn’t resist finishing off the experience with a little Vin Santo and cantucci. There is no shortage of places to eat a sampling of local cured meat and/or cheese. They’re everywhere!

Cremeria la Vecchia Stalla – OMG…Gelato! I wish I had something right now – as divine as the “Divino” gelato I had from this spot. It’s described as pistachio pesto with cervia salt…it has that lightly sweet and rich thing going on…with a hint of salty pistachio. So good! I’m trying to remember what flavor Ronald had, and I think I must’ve been too engrossed in mine to notice 🤣. We also had a drive by gelato at OGGI, but I didn’t think it was as good as Cremeria la Vecchia Stalla.

Osteria Al 15 – This was a delightful and completely unpretentious spot to close out our visit to Bologna. Style and presentation may have been a bit “homey”, but that didn’t stop us from enjoying ourselves. The service was warm and not intrusive. We shared a bottle of wine and we started with Pesto alla Modenese and Tigelle. The best way to describe Pesto Modenese is like pork butter with herbs – a spread made from ground up lardo, garlic and rosemary. As the name would suggest, it hails from Modena. Tigelle is a traditional type of flat bread from Emilia-Romagna. It is usually shaped like a little flat disc, and it is cut open and spread with pesto alla Modenese or stuffed with cured meat or cheese. We had a first course that we shared of lasagne alla Bolognese and tortelloni with butter and sage. We shared a second course of pork Milanese – a crispy breaded pork cutlet with sauce/gravy and potatoes. We finished up with delicious cheesecake and Americanos. It was quite decadent for a late lunch, but a perfect fit for the day. We basically finished our packing and did a little walking around before getting to bed early for an early flight.

Let’s talk about coffee/espresso and breakfast. Good espresso is EVERYWHERE in Italy. It’s like a divine right. Most mornings we stopped in some new spot. Ronald would have an Americano, and I would have a cappuccino. We usually paired it with a croissant. Just people watching this daily ritual is quite fun – taking an espresso is something very no nonsense.

We discovered a humorous spot for coffee called 12oz Coffee Joint. I suppose it caught our attention because there were several locations around where we stayed, and the noticeably larger coffee cups stood out. The story is it’s something like an American coffee inspired experience popular with the younger crowds in Italy. The company’s founder claims his teenage children would send him photos of giant coffee cups with whipped cream when they were abroad. He also realized after seeing a typical woman from Milan carrying a big cup of coffee along with her Louis Vuitton handbag – the time had come for this style of coffee shop in Italy. Read more on this background story here. We found it convenient on a few occasions, but mostly we found it entertaining. It’s like Italy’s Super Size or Route 44…but still just 12 oz 🤣🤣.

Also worth mentioning – we woke up Thursday morning to observe lots of vans and tents being set up in the plaza outside our hotel (Piazza XX Settembre). When we returned later in the day – it was clear a fair or market with street food galore was moving in. We found the information on Facebook , and noticed it would essentially be there for the rest of our stay. We couldn’t resist filled to order cannolis! Ronald had a few more adventurous options from some of the stalls. I started feeling kind of under the weather Thursday – so I was generally less interested in eating and drinking.

I’m certain we only scratched the surface, and we may have to return and experience more Bolognese cuisine. I was able to check many things off my list though…tortellini, tortelloni, tagliatelle with ragu, lasagne alla Bolognese, pidadina, crescentina, tigelle, mortadella, prosciuotto di Parma, Parmigiano Reggiano, balsamic vinegar (the good stuff! another post is coming about Modena), squacquerone, gelato, Lambrusco, and Pignoletto.

July 11, 2024July 11, 2024

Italy 2024, Portico di San Luca

The Porticoes of Bologna were inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2021. Porticoes are everywhere in Bologna – over 60km worth. These covered walkways are definitely one of the city’s defining architectural features. Beginning in the middle ages, porticoes were established and spread in a somewhat capillary network- they were once made of wood and eventually brick and stone and finally reinforced concrete. In fact, 13th century law made porticoes compulsory – they were required for all new construction and any already existing buildings. This video is a great introduction to the mystique of porticoes in Bologna.

One of the most famous Porticoes in the city is the Portico di San Luca. It is the longest uninterrupted covered walkway in the world. It begins at Porta Saragozza (an ancient gate that was part of the original 13th century wall that surrounded the city) and takes you uphill to Santuario della Madonna di San Luca. (Sanctuary of the Madonna of Saint Luke). The path from Saragozza is just under 4km and it’s about 4,9km from the city center. The Sanctuary has been referenced as early as 1100 A.D. as a hermitage famous for a specific hermit called Euthymius who arrived from Constantinople carrying a cedar board with an ancient Byzantine image of the Virgin painted upon it. The current sanctuary church was built in the 18th century – replacing an earlier 15th century construction. The painting of the Madonna with Child, said to be painted by Saint Luke, is kept in a silver-plated copper case for protection. The sanctuary provides some amazing and panoramic views of the city below. The portico walk from Porta Saragozza to Santuario della Madonna di San Luca has been a pilgrimage or Bolognese rite of passage for centuries – a truly unique and exemplary version of this type of devotional covered walkway built in Italy’s baroque period/style.

The legend goes – that in the 15th century, excessive rain ruined crops and brought on famine. Monks decided to go down into the city in search of food. They, of course, took the Madonna with Child down into the city center with them. When they arrived, the rain stopped and the sun began to shine. The famine had been thwarted and an annual procession of the Madonna down into Bologna was born. This procession is a spring festival organized yearly – and the image of the Madonna is exhibited for a week in the center of Bologna at the cathedral of San Pietro. Some say the Portico di San Luca was established to protect the Madonna on this annual procession down into Bologna and back up to the sanctuary.

The ascent to the sanctuary through the portico is considered by the Bolognese an act of sacrifice, and it is said that reaching the sanctuary by foot can make a wish some true.

beginning Portico di San Luca near Porta Saragozza

If you know me, you know I love some mileage and memorial walking or rucking. So, there was never any doubt about my desire to tackle this ascent myself. Humorously enough, after our very long day walking for F1 in Imola, we told ourselves we would take it easy. Apparently, “take it easy” meant tackling the ascent of Portico di San Luca.

Shortly after leaving Porta Saragozza in under Portico di San Luca

We took a bus from our hotel area at Porta Galliera to Porta Saragozza, and off we went. The first 2km or so is fairly flat; and along this first section, you will find shops and cafés. We actually discovered the coolest vending area. Almost every snack and beverage imaginable is available in the vending machines…and more (see video below). There were signs in 7 languages on how to use the vending machines…and we must have been near the stadium primarily used for Bologna FC home games because there was another sign in Italian that said something about the purchase of alcohol in bottles and cans 2 hours before, during, and an hour after matches. We were so taken with it, we stopped and purchased some San Pellegrino Aranciata.

Vending area near Stadio Renato Dell’Ara

Shortly after the vending area, we passed through Arco del Meloncello. This is a very ornate 18th century Rococo structure/arch/portico/walkway that allowed pilgrims to cross the road (Via Saragozza) covered and uninterrupted. This is where your portico walk transitions from relatively flat/even to an ascent of alternating steps and inclines. This is also the point where shops and cafés are not longer along the route – so make sure you’ve got some water and have used the restroom before proceeding. This next 2km or so is where you begin to question your life choices 🤣. Fortunately, there are many little chapels, artwork, and dedications/memorials to honor the families that participated in the loan to establish/build the Portico di San Luca. These are great spots to stop and take a breather along the way.

The views from the top and the church are definitely worth the climb. While the Portico di San Luca may be the most famous in Bologna – it is only about 4km of the over 60km of such covered walkways throughout the city. They’re everywhere and quite unique. We actually encountered rain several days during our visit, but abundant porticoes nearly made it a non issue.

I wish I had taken more photos of other porticoes – there are large/wide ones, narrow ones, high ones, ornate ones, etc. Here’s a great link with some more images. I remember specifically the Portico della Morte (portico of death) which now is home to a large bookstore, Liberia A. Nanni. If you visit Bologna, it’s impossible to miss the Porticoes. I highly recommend the adventure of Portico di San Luca. If you’re not up for walking – I understand there is also a tourist train that will take you from Piazza Maggiore up to the Santuraio della Madonna di San Luca, too.

porticoes near our hotel and along Via dell’Indipendenza

July 10, 2024August 23, 2024

Italy 2024, Bologna

The inspiration for this adventure kicked off with F1 in Imola (see that entry here). Bologna is the nearest largely populated city to the circuit in Imola- making it an easy choice for our stay. It is the capital city of the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. This region is well-known for its food production (Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, balsamic vinegar, Prosciutto di Parma, wine, tortellini, mortadella, and so much more) and also automobile production (home of Ferrari, Lamborghini, Maserati, and more). It didn’t take much to convince me I would enjoy this visit – based on its gastronomy alone.

Bologna is often referred to as “La Dotta, la Grassa, e la Rossa” (The Learned, the Fat, and the Red). The Learned – represents the city is the home of the Western world’s oldest university with history beginning in 1088. La Grassa – represents the exquisite cuisine and gastronomic heritage. La Rossa – is in reference to the red hued teracotta rooftops and historically left leaning politics.

We essentially stayed 8 nights in Bologna, and we opted to stay near the main train/transit station – Bologna Centrale. This served us well – as we essentially also made day trips from our home base to Imola, Modena and Florence, too. (Modena and Florence will get their own posts soon.) Our hotel was straightforward and seemed to generally be business traveler oriented. The woman at reception was so fantastic on our arrival. I suspect we were probably the last reservation to check in (as it was VERY LATE), and she greeted us by name. She smartly deduced we were there for “Formula Uno”, and gave us some great directions on getting to the train and walking from the Imola station to the track. She also gave us a map and quick orientation to where we were and in relation to most of the central/major attractions.

I loved that just outside our hotel was Porta Galliera, an old gate/portal that was once part of the city’s medieval outer wall. Best I can tell- the old gate was originally constructed in the 14th century, completely rebuilt in the 17th century and has seen many restorations and improvements through the years. Just a short distance away from the gate – you can also find some ruins of an ancient castle – Castello di Galliera or Rocca di Galliera. It was built close to the gate and former outer city walls by the papal government. It was also destroyed five times by the population in rebellion against the papal government.

some ruins of the old city wall and Castello di Galliera near our hotel

Just across Via dell’Indipendenza from our hotel you can see the steps leading up to Parco della Montagnola. This park is the oldest in the city – and it sits on an artificial plateau created by debris from the ruins of the 14th century Castello di Galliera. The park’s current layout is the direct result of a redesign ordered by Napoleon.

At our home base for this adventure, we were certainly in the midst of history rich places. The city center and famous Piazza Maggiore were about a 20 minute walk south down Via Indipendenza. This historic square was originally established around 1200 and was the first square to be built after the fall of the Roman empire. There’s lots to see in the central area – like the large clock tower, Neptune Fountain, Basilica di San Petronio, Le Due Torre (two ancient medieval leaning towers – Asinelli and Garisenda), Quadrilatero (all the gourmet vendors and cafés), and Biblioteca Salaborsa (the city’s library and a spot to view some ancient underground Roman ruins).

Most of our time in Bologna was spent walking, taking in the sites, and eating. As I started writing this Bologna blog, I realized I would again need to break things up. So, here are the links for separate posts on these some other Bologna visit topics:

Porticos of Bologna
Food Talk & Places we ate
Side Quests (cuz I’m not really sure I’d simply call it “shopping”)