f you are wondering which cities to visit during your holiday in Italy, you must put Bologna in your itinerary. It is one of the largest cities in the country and has a long history of offering a warm welcome to visitors by keeping them busy with all kinds of activities. This article cannot cover all of them so we will highlight on three of the top things to do in Bologna.
1. Learn pasta making
Pasta is big all over Italy and Bologna residents offer to teach their visitors how to make their own pasta. There are many pasta making classes all over the city and they teach visitors every step that’s needed to accomplish great fresh egg pasta. One of the most popular forms of pasta that’s in many pasta making classes is Tagliatelle alla Bolognese. This pasta is in the form of long strips that can be eaten with a wide variety of sauces. It isn’t very hard to make; all you need is a few eggs, flour and a pinch of salt to taste. In the classes, you will learn how to convert the ingredients into pasta, how you roll it out with a rolling pin and then how to cut it into thin strips and cook it.
2. Visit food factories: Parmesan cheese, balsamic vinegar and Parma ham
Your visit to Bologna will not be complete without a visit to the food factories. The first stop is usually a Parmesan cheese factory. You get to see the whole process from how the milk is delivered by farmers in the morning to how it is processed into cheeses and then stored. It is left to cure for 12 months before it is sold. The next visit is to balsamic vinegar producers and this one is quite interesting. You will discover that what other parts of the world call balsamic vinegar is very different compared to the real thing. It is thick and black and has a very distinctive sweet and sour taste. The older a bottle of balsamic vinegar is the better its quality. Most are stored for about 8 years but there are some bottles that are more than 30 years old. Your food factory tour ends at a Parma ham making factory. You will see how the meat is cured, salted and then stored in a dark place for some time. At the end of every tour you get to sample the foods and buy some to take home.
3. Art and architecture
Bologna is a medieval town that’s very rich in art and architecture, It is, in fact, home to one of the oldest universities in Europe. Because it has been constructed in quite a compact way, you can see many attractions in just a few hours. Take time to tour amazing old buildings and plenty of great art.
Gabriele Monti
