Italy is known worldwide for serving up some of the best dishes on the planet. Yet within Italy, you’ll find foodie hot-spots that dish out the very best of the best. Bologna, Italy is one of those cities. A place where travelers go to truly taste what Italy has to offer. This isn’t just my opinion. Even an italian chef told us, “You go to Florence to see art. You go to Bologna to EAT.” So of course, we had to go there. Bologna was actually the first stop on our adventure through northern Italy this summer. We spent two days perusing street markets, tasting local specialties, and learning a few tricks of the trade from local chefs. A few of the Emilia-Romagna regional specialties produced in and around Bologna, Italy include:
Prosciutto di Parma Mortadella Egg Pastas and Stuffed Pastas such as Tagliatelle, Tortelli and Tortelloni Parmiggiano-Reggiano Modena Balsamic Vinegar Bolognese Sauce (Ragu) Lambrusco Wine Almond Cookies
So you can see, the Bolognese take the art of preparing (and enjoying) food very seriously. Our friends at CulturalItaly.com helped us plan our trip around what is important to us. They set up the most amazing cooking class at a culinary school in Bologna. Honestly, when we walked in we didn’t know what to expect. Yet the moment we started cooking, we knew we were in for a fun and educational experience. We spent several hours honing our pasta making skills at the only culinary school that teaches traditional egg pasta techniques in all of Italy. Of course, it’s in Bologna. Where else would it be? A chef taught us the art of rolling and stretching the pasta dough by hand (because in Bologna any other method is considered sacrilege) and how to know when the dough was the right texture for tagiatelle, as opposed to tortellini. I wasn’t sure how the kids would respond to our serious cooking class. However, it turned out to be one of their highlights of our trip. Training under a real italian chef, in Italy no less, next to real culinary students, was something they say they will remember forever. Ok… we didn’t just eat and make pasta in Bologna, Italy. We saw a few sites as well. Due to the fact that we were eating so much, we made sure the sites we visited involved a little exercise. We walked through Piazza Maggiore. We shopped the medieval markets of Quadrilatero. We climbed almost 500 winding steps to the top of Torre Asinelli overlooking the leaning Torre Garisenda. Here’s the view down on Torre Garisenda. And here’s the view of Bologna from the top of Torre Asinelli. And we walked the longest portico in the world (3.8 kilometers up) to the top of San Luca. Even on a cloudy day, the view was spectacular. Although we were jet-lagged and disoriented those first couple days in Italy, we enjoyed our time in Bologna. The people are warm, the culture is rich, and the food is beyond amazing! Need help planning your trip to Italy? Find it at CulturalItaly.com. Also on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and Google +.
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