Buongiorno!
I'm back after a rather long and un-intended blogging break! In the five years I've been blogging I don't think I've ever gone this long without posting at least something, but I guess sometimes we need a little time away to realise exactly how much we really do love something, and that has definitely been the case for me and blogging.
We had an incredible honeymoon in Europe and I'm feeling so refreshed and excited to share our travels with you (and just to share in general - I'm feeling very inspired so hopefully there will be lots more posts coming your way soon!)
Starting off with our first stop of the trip - beautiful Bologna! As well as being the home of one of the oldest universities in the world (it was founded in 1088 and is the oldest university in constant operation), it is also famous for it's incredible food!
Out of everywhere we visited, Bologna was my absolute favourite when it came to the food (and eating is one of my favourite things to do when on holiday, anyone else agree?), so today I'm sharing my tips on where to eat in Bologna.
1) Panotto - for delicious taglieri boards
Via Massimo D'Azeglio, 8, 40124 Bologna BO, Italy
Serving up delicious meat and cheese boards "Taglieri", this was where we spent our first night in Bologna. With friendly service, a lovely atmosphere (the tables are all set out on the street), and very generous serving sizes, this place comes in at the top of my list. We had a huge platter filled with Prosciutto crudo, mortadella, salami, cheese and some kind of pickled vegetable spreads. It was all delicious and we left feeling very full and very happy!
They also do sandwiches so would be the perfect place to stop for lunch in between sightseeing!
2) Ristorante Incrocio Montegrappa - for a friendly Italian restaurant experience
Via Monte Grappa, 7/d, 40121 Bologna BO, Italy
We enjoyed this place so much we ate there twice! It's a proper restaurant so a tad more fancy but with very welcoming and friendly service (unlike a couple of other places we visited!) They were very patient and encouraging when we tried to practice our rather clumsy Italian (but also spoke English so helped us out when we got stuck!)
The first visit was for lunch and we of course had to try the traditional Tagliatelle alla Bolognese (so delicious and quite different to the bolognese pasta we get at home or that my Nonna makes). We also tried a gnocchi dish with a parmesan cheese sauce and balsamic vinegar drizzled on top (yummy but very rich!)
The serving sizes here were generous and another plus was that, unlike many Italian restaurants, they happily served tap water (I know it's a silly thing but I'm not a fan of having to pay extra for expensive bottled water when the tap water is just fine! ... then again, maybe I'm just stingy!)
The second time we went for dinner and enjoyed a simple Pizza Margherita and some sort of green pasta dish with a buttery sauce and prosciutto crudo (forgive me, I cannot remember the name of it!) Both were delicious and they happily packaged up our leftover pizza for us to take home too (which we thoroughly enjoyed for lunch the next day on our train ride to Siena!)
3) Cremeria Funivia - for the best gelato
4d, Via Porrettana, 158, 40135 Bologna BO, Italy
An Italian food guide would never be complete without a gelato recommendation and the Ice-cream from this place was phenomenal. I had Fragola (strawberry) and Cioccolato (chocolate) and I'm not exaggerating when I say that this was the best Strawberry Ice-cream I've had in my life. It literally tasted like the sweetest most delicious fresh strawberries you can imagine.
Tom is a huge ice-cream aficionado and he agrees that it's some of the best he's had. The working theory right now (because we tried a few gelato places that were obviously still good but not quite as fab) is that the best ice-cream is the one that's kept covered with those silver lids and not actually on display. So look out for the shops that keep their gelato covered - you know they're serious about good ice-cream!
4) Pappare' - for coffee and something sweet or for breakfast
Via Dè Giudei, 2, 40126 Bologna BO, Italy
We stopped in here most days for a morning coffee as it was just down the street from our apartment (It's also just around the corner from the Towers). This was a much more modern cafe (I loved the interior decor) that seemed to attract a younger crowd. The chocolate croissants we had were delicious and fresh, and the coffee was excellent. Not the most traditionally Italian, but a good place to eat nonetheless.
5) La Prosciutteria - for another taglieri board!
Via Guglielmo Oberdan, 19/a, 40125 Bologna BO, Italy
Another place serving delicious taglieri boards - We really enjoyed our fill of meats and cheeses while in Bologna! This place had great atmosphere and was bustling when we visited for dinner. We sat right near the counter (sharing a table with a group of other diners) and it was fun being able to watch as our board was prepared, this time it also included some grilled zucchini and a selection of delicious spreads!
So there you have it! The five best places (in my opinion at least!) to eat in Bologna! It really is a food lovers paradise and somewhere that I'm excited to return to one day! If you'd like to see more photos of our trip, I'd love for you to come say hi on Instagram @laurennatalia29. I may not have been blogging while we travelled but I certainly shared a lot of pics on Insta!
If you enjoyed the post you can simply click the "Pin It" button on the top left of the photo below and save it to a travel board on pinterest. I find that to be one of the most useful ways to collate all the places I want to visit!
Lots of Love
Lauren
xxx
