Culinary Trip to Italy: Bologna

Are you craving a new horizon? Can you taste your next getaway to Europe? Do you long for delicious destinations? We often talk about food when we think about travel. We taste a new world. Travel feeds the soul. We hunger for escape.

This year, why not plan a trip to the culinary heart of Italy – Bologna. Food is no joke there. Bologna invented such Italian staples as: parmigiano reggiano, balsamic vinegar, prosciutto di Parma and mortadella.

Bologna - Culinary Heart of Italy

Thankfully, food needs no translation. It’s something locals and visitors enjoy at the same table. And, let me tell you, you will be raving about it! Bologna is famous for handmade pastas. Strolling the streets of Bologna, you will see shop after shop filled with yolk-yellow pastas – from tortellini to tagliatelle, from lasagne to fettuccine.

Bologna Italy

Family Traditions are Strong

Flour and eggs are kneaded into fresh pasta here each day. No factory machines allowed. Instead, you’ll taste hands-on deliciousness. In Bologna, you will meet locals proud to share their tasty traditions with you. Tour Bologna’s Via delle Pescherie Vecchie street with a local guide. This historic street is home to gourmet food shops, one next to the other – fruit sellers, pasta makers, fish mongers, and cheese stores.

parmigiano cheese wheels

Enjoy a behind-the-scenes visit of a salumeria. The same family has been carving wheels of cheese and legs of prosciutto here for generations. You can order prosciutto at the deli and enjoy a snack with a glass of wine. The shop owner may even show you a huge mortadella sausage – a Bolognese cold-cut made from pork, spices and pistachios. (Bologna’s the reason we spell baloney with a G in English!). Then, he expertly cuts it for you – all served with hunks of aged parmigiano.

Can you say food heaven?

Walk next door to learn how tortellini – the pride and joy of Bologna’s kitchens – get made. Each morning, the pastifici (pasta makers) roll out sheets of egg pasta dough. Next, they spoon out the filling for the tortellini – one by one. Finally, the finger the pasta into their world-famous shape. Cooking is a labor of love in Bologna. Locals’ love of food is only matched by the warmth of their hospitality.

tortellini

Are you hungry for the real Italy? I’m here to help. Let me craft a personalized travel itinerary to Italy where you will just sit back and enjoy delicious food, and maybe imbibe in the wine too. When you are ready to start planning, contact me.

Until then, signup for more inspiring travel ideas in Europe.

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