Years ago I watched an episode of of the TV show Italy Unpacked that was hosted by Giorgio Locatelli and Andrew Graham-Dixon. The episode featured Bologna and I remember being completely absorbed by the city’s rich culinary stories and architecture.
Locatelli’s enthusiastic gestures, his anecdotes about food and family, and Dixon’s thoughtful commentary about art and history made Bologna feel vivid. Truly vivid!
The city’s towers, basilicas and endless porticos were stunning but what stood out was the food…….Food that was woven in the daily life and traditions of the episode too. And somewhere during that episode I quietly promised myself that one day I would visit Bologna. Years later, I eventually traveled to Bologna on my honeymoon!
When my husband and I arrived in the terracotta-colored city, I realized I was stepping into a place that had already existed in my imagination for years. But in reality it felt so much more much smaller.
One afternoon we sat down in a small restaurant to eat and I felt wonderfully aware of being in Italy, the hum of the language around me, the sound of forks against plates, the clink of cups, the smell of ragù and wine drifting through the room. At that time I still had henna on my hands from the wedding.
I vaguely recall now that the woman sitting at the table next to us noticed the henna while she was eating her pasta. She looked at my hands with curiosity and passed on a smile. It was that moment of quiet connection that sometimes happens while travelling 🙂
Food truly became one of the ways we explored the city and connected with so many people. We literally devoured the pasta there and honestly through several random Google finds. We did not do a lot of planning and I think that was okay since we were on our honeymoon! But, one sweet memory stayed with the both of us and that was a food tour by Mattia Tozzoli- the owner of Delicious Bologna. It was one of his ways to say “hey, you’re in my region, since you’re visiting Bologna, come eat like we do!”
Mattia was incredibly hospitable and energetic. He was also very excited to see us and know about the wedding and my Italian love affair as many would like to say!!
Our first stop with Mattia was Caffè Terzi- one of the most beloved places to get the coffee and cornetti fix in the city! It was then followed by a long walk and multiple stops to eat with a cultural and historic tour on Bologna -often called La Grassa (the fat), La Dotta (the learned) and La Rossa (the red).
Mattia shared how he started Delicious Bologna after living in Australia and missing home food was a major pain point to begin the business. He also spoke about the diversity of food, wine and language within Emilia Romagna itself. (Bologna is the capital of Emilia Romagna!)
Mattia’s knowledge and passion on food shone through and he also shared a lot of facts as he took us around hidden alleys and markets. It was amazing to eat different types of cheese, cured meats and pasta all in a single day with him!
That is Italy after all 🙂
Mattia took us to a very popular old school restaurant called Trattoria Tony. Since we had already eaten at Osteria dell’Orsa the previous day (another popular place) we were waiting to compare the two. (both are equally unique)
At the last leg of the tour we ended up visiting a popular bar and gelateria and couldn’t have been more grateful to Mattia for showing us another version of Italy (Bologna) Unpacked!
Although we were in Bologna for only 3-4 days, in that short amount of time, meals did feel like participating in a long cultural tradition 😉 This food tour memory became a core memory for me and when I think of going back to Bologna in the future, there will always be two versions of the city that would exist for me. The first one is the one I encountered through that television episode more than a decade ago, and the other that I traveled to with my husband in that very cold month of December, very dreamy but equally yummy. Over time those two versions have gently merged.
On my next visit I would love to see Bologna in a warmer climate and possibly visit Osteria del Sole (Thanks Stanley Tucci!) along with the local library- Biblioteca Salaborsa.
What do you think about the city?? Isn’t it utterly charming??
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