Eating one's way through Bologna, considered the gastronomic heart of Italy

What’s the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear the name Bologna? It’s spaghetti bolognese, right? But, guess what, you won’t find this popular dish anywhere in its alleged home. That’s because Bologna doesn’t have anything called a “bolognese” sauce and nor is spaghetti typical to the region. What it has are lots of other varieties of pasta, which are often eaten with a meat sauce called “ragu”. In fact, spaghetti bolognese has as much to do with Bologna as hotdog has to do with dogs.

It’s not just food wisdom that you’ll pick up if you’re visiting Bologna. The capital of Italy’s Emilia-Romagna region, which also includes Parma and Modena, is the gastronomic heart of the country, and a place to indulge in some serious gourmandism. Often overlooked in favour of such blockbuster Italian tourist destinations as Rome, Florence and Venice, Bologna is a charming city dotted with medieval buildings and streets lined with elegant, arched porticos. It’s a city where you can mingle with the locals, soak up the atmosphere, and loosen your belt and tuck into some of the best food that Italy has to offer. Think cheeses like the incomparable Parmigiano-Reggiano (Parmesan) and the sheep-milk Pecorino, Bologna’s famous mortadella sausage and Parma’s prosciutto ham, and the heavenly tortellini — meat-loaded pasta pockets that are like a song in your mouth and a benediction for your belly. 

Cottoletta alla Bolognese

No wonder Bologna’s nickname is la grassa (the fat). It has two other names: la dotta (the learned, since it’s home to Europe’s oldest university), and la rossa (the red, so called after its many terracotta-hued buildings).

The best place to begin your exploration is Piazza Maggiore, the historical centre of the city. The wide square is flanked by the imposing Basilica of San Petronio on one side and majestic buildings all around. The basilica itself is remarkable because though its construction began in the 14th century, technically, it is still unfinished. Half of its façade is covered in marble and the rest is exposed brickwork — a reminder of Bologna’s ancient tussle with the papacy in Rome, which did its best to stall the completion of the church.

A selection of local ham, sausage and cheese

Take a quick tour of the basilica’s grand interior, adorned by impressive frescoes, and then head to the other landmark of the city that stands nearby —  the spectacular Renaissance Fountain of Neptune. I arrived in Bologna on the feast day of St Petronius (also the city’s patron saint), when the entire Piazza Maggiore area sported a festive, carnival air, punctuated by processions of priests in full ecclesiastic regalia. 

But every day is a good day to loll in one of the many cafés overlooking the square, sipping on a glass (or three) of Aperol Spritz and nibbling on some pink, fatty mortadella and local cheese. It’s easy to get hooked to Aperol Spritz — an orange, slightly bitter drink made with the apéritif Aperol, sparkling wine, and soda — and I did!

A bakery

Just off Piazza Maggiore is the Quadrilatero — a warren of narrow, atmospheric, pedestrian-only lanes crammed with shops, especially those that offer a staggering array of meats, cheese and fresh pasta that the region is known for. In the Middle Ages, this is where the old trade guilds used to operate. Take a walk around and discover piadina, a burrito-like Italian bread, gawk at the great, golden wheels of Parmigiano-Reggiano, and sample cheese such as the soft, velvety squacquerone or Formaggio di Fossa, a pungent cheese aged in caves. Then sit down at a clamorous trattoria and get your first taste of tortellini, a navel-shaped, meat-filled pasta served in a light, flavourful broth. (Bologna and neighbouring Modena have long fought over claims of having invented the tortellini — much like the recent spat between West Bengal and Odisha over the roshogolla.)

Delicious tortellini in a broth

And don’t forget to try the tortelloni (biggish pasta shells filled with ricotta and spinach) or the gramigna, another variety of pasta typically had with ragu or salsiccia (sausage), or the Bolognese cotoletta (a sort of schnitzel with veal and ham). Wash it all down with glasses of Pignoletto, a local sparkling wine. For dessert, head to a creamery for the richest, the most swooningly delicious, gelatos. I kept going back to the Cremeria la Vecchia Stalla — which is close to the lovely, leafy Piazza Santo Stefano and its group of seven churches — and overdosed on their rum-and-chocolate and panna cotta-and-caramel flavours. ’Twas a lot of dolce vita, but, heck, you only live once.

The city has other treasures: the archaeological museum, the ancient university, the twin medieval towers, Garisenda and Asinelli... But those could slip from your mind once you start eating and drinking your way through Bologna.