Hey, Did You Know? Bologna Edition

Bologna isn’t trying to be your favorite city, she doesn’t even care, isn’t that what makes her cool?

Ah, Bologna. Bologna isn’t trying to impress you with flashy monuments or influencer-packed piazzas, you know? (don’t worry, there are still piazzas). This city is more of a “come over for dinner, stay for the wine, and end up talking politics at 2 a.m.” kind of thing.

Let’s start with the basics. Bologna is the capital of the Emilia-Romagna region, snugly sandwiched between Florence and Venice, but with way less tourist foot traffic and way more carbs.

It’s got nicknames but the most memorable to me (Raf) was, probably for obvious reasons, La Rossa (The Red) as, once you’re here you’ll find yourself surrounded by brick edifications and terracotta rooftops as far as the eye can see.

But redness is not all the Bologna has going on, no sir, you come here for many things like a cuisine that might make you cry happy tears, or to admire the porticos (*portici in Italian), and did you know that this city is smart? Not like automatic flushing toilets smart, but actually smart smart (the oldest university in the Western world is here) plus a strong leftist political tradition, but that’s a conversation for another day.

Did I mention this city is smart?

When we were in Bologna we ended up taking a walking tour because it’s virtually impossible to get to know everything about it by just wandering about, and we did learn a couple facts. If that’s too easy and you want to feel more brainy vibes, you can always skip the guided tours and just wander the university district and be surrounded by students and academics to find your way to the Università di Bologna.

Founded in 1088, the University of Bologna is a public research university, one of the biggest in the oldest in Europe and possibly the oldest still-functioning university in the world. Basically, it’s Hogwarts but with more 🤌.

And then there’s the food

Let’s be clear: Bologna doesn’t come to play when it comes to food. This place is here to tempt you, carb-load you, and send you home with tighter jeans.

First: Forget everything you thought you knew about Italian food.

You think bologna comes from Bologna? I mean, technically yes, but I want you to forget about that word entirely. You haven’t tried real *Mortadella* yet.

Bolognese sauce? They just call it *ragù* here, and it doesn’t come with spaghetti, for heaven’s sake. It’s served with fresh egg pasta like tagliatelle, and once you try it the right way, you’ll wonder what the rest of the world has been doing all this time. The best part? You don’t have to look for a fancy place to get it, the best one I tried came in a fucking cardboard box! How cool is that?!

But here’s the deal: I’m not going to give you a list of “the top 5 restaurants in Bologna.” That’s not how we roll, you should know this by now if you’ve been following along, and if you’re new here, welcome! and subscribe for more deep dives on Italian experiences by 👇 on that button there.

Coming back to the recommended places in Bologna, yeah, I’m not giving you any.

Everyone and their dog has already written those, and chances are they’ve all sent you to the same 3 trattorie where you'll stand in line behind a group of food vloggers. Instead, I’m giving you permission to get lost. Wander into a place with handwritten menus and order something you can't pronounce. Trust me, Bologna rewards the curious and punishes the picky.

Want a hint? Follow your nose and look for where the older locals are eating.

We will be covering a lot more about food in a future post so make sure to come back for seconds later.

And the Portici

You may have heard that Bologna has portici (or Porticos in English). You heard right! Portici are those covered walkways that run through the entire city like veins through a very stylish body and there’s a lot of them.

Over 60 kilometers of them, to be exact.

That’s the kind of architectural overachieving we love to see. These stunning pieces of history are UNESCO-recognized, but more importantly, they’re your best friend when it rains or you just can’t deal with the sun on your face (relatable).

Don’t just walk under them, look up, look around. Some hide frescoes, madonnas, random graffiti, or secret pieces of history. We looked like idiots looking up, a lot, but to be fair everyone with eyes does too.

And one tower is crooked

Sure, Pisa has its leaning tower. Cute. Bologna has two. **Le Due Torri**, the city’s iconic twin towers, are the punk-rock older cousins of the Pisa one. Kind of sketchy, very cool, and a little unstable (relatable again).

You can sometimes climb one of them (the Asinelli) for a great view of the city’s red rooftops. When we visited, it was closed for construction but it might be open now!Just be warned: it’s a leg day activity.

Fun fact: The other tower, Garisenda, leans so precariously that even Dante mentioned it in the Divine Comedy,

“Just as the Garisenda seems when seen / beneath the leaning side, when clouds run past / and it hangs down as if about to crash”.

Nothing like some structural anxiety to keep things spicy.

And finally, it’s all about the vibe

Bologna doesn’t reveal herself all at once. She’s not here to wow you with fountains and gladiator costumes. Instead, she wants you to linger. Sit on the steps of Piazza Santo Stefano with a gelato and zero agenda. Stumble into a feminist bookshop or advising street poster, a vintage record store, or a wine bar full of students and old academics arguing. Feel smug that you’re in on the secret.

Because here’s the thing: Bologna isn’t trying to be your favorite city, she doesn’t even care, isn’t that what makes most cool?

See you next week to talk about what to eat around here.

Ciao pues.

Raf