The Bologna Diaries, Vol. 05
reacquainting ourselves with our favourite city❤️
Hello, lovely people — happy Monday! I hope this post finds you happy, healthy, and kicking butt after a restful and enjoyable weekend. I am dropping into your inboxes on this beautiful sunny day to share my latest travel offering with you: The Bologna Diaries, Vol. 05. In case you missed it, Husband, Bean, and I went on our inaugural family trip back at the end of February and it went so well! We spent one week gallivanting around the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy and had the very best time. Our trip started in Bologna, the capital of the region, and from there we moved onwards to Rimini and also to San Marino.
Before we dive in, just a quick PSA: my first piece from this trip — One Week in Italy & San Marino | Our Itinerary for Baby’s First Trip — hit the blog last month! A recap of our trip, examined entirely through the lens of a new parent: how we travelled around without a car, the baby friendliness of our accommodations, a note of eating out, etc. I know I wrote it, but I think it’s pretty darn helpful!
Now — our Bologna guide is listed below, jammed to the absolute brim. For ease, I’ve divided everything into the following categories: getting there / where we stayed / where we had coffee & pastries / where we ate / where we had spritzes / where we shopped. Naturally, the where we ate section is further divided into dined in / took out / gelato. I just love a good sub-category!
Happy reading!
getting there
Thankfully, the journey from Dublin to Bologna isn’t too taxing. Here’s how we approached it:
we flew direct from Dublin to Bologna with Ryanair. The flight took a delightfully speedy 2-hours, during which time Bean sat buckled onto my lap, chilling out.
from Bologna airport, we opted to take a taxi into the city centre. The taxi rank is outside the main doors of the airport on the right hand side and is well sign-posted. Seeing as it was rush hour, the journey — normally only 15/20-minutes long — took 35-minutes, which was unfortunate. I kept Bean on my lap for the duration of the ride.
taxi fares are capped for rides between the airport and city centre, so even though it felt like it took us an age to finally get there, it didn’t cost an arm and a leg.
if you’d rather get public transport into the city, there’s a monorail that gets into Bologna Centrale in just 7-minutes. For more information about the monorail, click here.
where we stayed
The way the logistics of our trip worked out, we ended up with 3-nights in the city at the start of the trip, and 1-night at the end. As a result, I have two different spots to share with you, one apartment and one hotel:
Cuore di Bologna Suites // home for our first 3-nights in Bologna, we were very pleased with this apartment! Located a stone’s throw from the heart of the quadrilatero district, our spacious ‘superior studio’ had everything we needed: a little kitchenette, a dining table + chairs, large luxurious bed, travel cot for Bean, and a fully equipped en suite. The building also had a friendly doorman, an elevator, and a helpful manager named Paolo. We will be back! Would recommend. Address: Via degli Artieri, 2, 40125 Bologna BO
Hotel Cavour // again, we were pleasantly surprised by this accommodation! We spent our last night in the city here for ease, and our ‘deluxe double room’ was perfect: very spacious, huge bed, table & chairs area, en suite, travel cot, etc. The hotel also had an elevator, 24-hour reception, and free breakfast — which was very handy before heading to the airport! Would recommend. Address: Via Goito, 4, 40126 Bologna BO
where we had coffee & pastries
Caffè Zanarini // without fail, one of our first ports of call in the city! It is amazing every single time, and I love how reliable that fact is. We always have our coffee + pastries at the bar, al banco, and honestly, I feel a trip to Bologna would be incomplete without us stopping here. My favourite pastry is their crema croissant, followed by their pain au chocolat — but I feel you’d be hard pressed to find something you didn’t like. A must-visit. Address: P.zza Galvani, 1, 40124 Bologna BO
Coffee Patiserie Gamberini // a Bologna institution of sorts, we were the only non-locals here! I went for a pistachio croissant + cappuccino, Husband went for a frutti di bosco croissant + americano, and we devoured everything al banco while Bean made friends with two Italian gentlemen. Would recommend. Address: Via Ugo Bassi, 12, 40123 Bologna BO
Allegra // a spot I read about on Instagram, we stopped by here with the intention of getting a couple pastries and maybe sitting in. When we saw the prices, we settled on one pain suisse to share and promptly hit the road; the too-loud music and overtly trendy vibe didn’t really mesh with us/our peacefully dozing baby. That said, the pain suisse was delicious: flaky, buttery, and heavily laden with custard + chocolate chips. Address: Via Galliera, 11c, 40121 Bologna BO
where we ate
dined in
Trattoria Anna Maria // a wonderful new-to-us spot! We stopped in on a Sunday and loved the chaotic atmosphere: loud tables filled with multi-generational locals, vintage signed photographs lining every wall, people chatting across tables, waiters weaving between it all, and the smell of ragù in the air. Between us, we devoured a local meats antipasto, mains of ragù and lasagna, and a 1/2 litre of house red; everything was great. The portions were huge, the homemade pasta was superb, and everything tasted authentically nonna-made. Is it the best food we’ve ever had in Bologna? No, but the ambiance and traditional feel of the place outweighed that. The staff were also lovely — our waiter, who quacked at Bean every time he came over and she LOVED it, gifted us slices of crostata di marmellata for dessert — and even though we had to queue for about 20-mins to get a table, we both felt it was worth it. Would recommend. Address: Via delle Belle Arti, 17/a, 40126 Bologna BO
Trattoria Serghei // one of our old favourite restaurants, we simply had to visit this time time round with Bean. We ordered three pasta dishes to share — gramigna alla salsiccia, ragù, tortellini en brodo — and had a glass of Sangiovese each; everything was as reliably delicious as ever. I’m a sucker for their gramigna, but I feel the tortellini was a very close second? The broth was so flavoursome! Would recommend. Address: Via Piella, 12, 40126 Bologna BO
Trattoria Valerio // the sweetest little new-to-us find! We stopped by for lunch one afternoon and were blown away by the quality of the food and the romantic ambience of the space. I went for their lasagne al forno, Husband went for their gramigna alla salsiccia, and we shared a 1/2 litre of house red; everything was delicious. My lasagna was of the local verde variety — spinach infused green pasta, multi-layered to the max, crispy in all the right places —, and Husband’s gramigna was a thing of beauty: creamy, saucy, sausage-y perfection. It was fantastic! And the fact that Bean slept beside us in her buggy for the whole meal was just an added bonus😉A must-visit. Address: Via Avesella, 10, 40121 Bologna BO
Tamburini // our first time ever sitting-in to eat here, even though we buy from the deli every time we’re in town! We needed somewhere to eat an early lunch before taking the train to Rimini, and this was one of the only places we could find that started lunch at 11:30am. Along with a glass of Sangiovese each, we ordered ragù, gramigna alla salsiccia, patate al forno, and a plate of mixed veg to share; all of which was nice, but none of which was anything special. It was exactly what we needed — something hot, quick, and cheap — but I don’t foresee us eating here again. Buying luxury deli items to-go: yes, eating in: no. Address: Via Caprarie, 1, 40124 Bologna BO
took out
Regina Sofia Ristorante Pizzeria Napoletana & Locanda // a very reliable pizza place in the heart of the quadrilatero district. Husband picked up one margarita and one 'nduja pizza on our first night in town as Bean & I settled into our apartment, and it was the perfect ‘welcome back’ meal. We enjoyed it with a nice bottle of wine Husband also secured, and it hit every note: great crust, delightfully saucy, and fresh + spicy ‘nduja. Would recommend. Address: Via Clavature, 1/C, Via de' Musei, 9, 40124 Bologna BO
MÒ! MORTADELLA LAB // Bologna’s very own viral sandwich shop! We stopped by one evening and ordered three sandwiches to take home for dinner — no.3 (mortadella, stracciatella cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, fresh basil), no.18 (mortadella, stracciatella cheese, pistachio pesto), and no.20 (Parma ham and buffalo mozzarella) —; each was as delicious as the next. The sandwiches were prepared before our eyes, laden with hugely generous portions of everything, the end products were absolutely giant! My favourite was no.18, but I also rather enjoyed the simplicity of no.20. Would recommend. Address: Via Volturno, 40121 Bologna BO
L’Antica Pizzeria da Michele // I was skeptical about trying this branch of the Naples institution, but we were very pleasantly surprised! Husband picked up two margherita pizzas to go, which we then devoured in our hotel room with a couple glasses of wine — it was wonderful! The base was just as crepe-thin as the original, the crust was delightfully charred, and the sauce was fantastic. Would recommend. Address: Piazza S. Martino, 3b, 40126 Bologna BO
gelato
Cremeria Cavour // a fantastic gelateria! This place had been on our hitlist for years — and I’m so glad we finally made it because, wowza, their gelato is drool-worthy levels of deliciousness! I’m a pistachio and hazelnut diehard so I didn’t bother trying anything else, but Husband also tried their coffee flavour; they were all delicious! We enjoyed everything so much that we actually stopped in every single day of our trip, and it’s hands-down our new favourite gelato spot in the city. A must-visit. Address: P.za Cavour, 1d, 40124 Bologna BO
where we had a spritz
Bar Senza Nome // our absolute favourite place for a spritz in the city! Run completely by hearing impaired staff, they read your lips for your order — due Aperol Spritz, per favore — and it is never not amazing. Great value, relaxed atmosphere, and a wonderful spot for a date — regardless of whether you have a baby tucked into the corner beside you or not. A must-visit. Address: Via Belvedere, 11 B, 40121 Bologna BO
Camera A Sud // a close second favourite after the above! We sat at a table outside — for an easy escape with Bean if we had to! — under heated lamps, with romantic fairy lights strung across the alley above us, but the inside of this bar is equally as lovely and quirky. Another good value spot, with a casual and laidback student atmosphere. Would recommend. Address: Via Valdonica, 5, 40126 Bologna BO
where we shopped
Tamburini // for fresh sliced charcuterie and fancy Italian cheese. We stop here every single visit for some goodies, but this particular time we bought soft creamy pecorino, fennel salami, and big slices of local mortadella. Address: Via Caprarie, 1, 40124 Bologna BO
Paolo Atti & Figli Panificio // right next door to the above, this is where we bought the bread to have with our meats + cheeses. Address: Via Drapperie, 6a, 40124 Bologna BO
Signorvino // a fancy wine shop; we stopped in for a nice bottle of Sangiovese one evening. Address: Piazza Maggiore, 1/C, 40124 Bologna BO
Pam Local // handy convenience stores dotted around the city. We stopped into two locations during our visit for some basics: olive oil, bags of crisps, beer, wine, and chocolate. Address: Via Clavature, 17B, 40124 Bologna BO and Via IV Novembre, 16, 40123 Bologna BO
TUDAY CONAD // another convenience store, also good for basics. Address: Via dell'Indipendenza, 11, 40126 Bologna BO
And there we have it, friends: The Bologna Diaries, Vol. 05 — I hope you enjoyed it! I’ll be back soon with my Rimini round-up, promise!
Hugs,
Vicki xo
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Three Days in Bologna | Our Mini-Moon in Italy
Bologna, A Love Letter