Ranked by TableJourney editorial score.
Crescentine, also known as tigelle, are small round griddled flatbreads from the Apennine foothills south of Bologna, split hot and stuffed with cunza (lard-and-rosemary paste), mortadella or squacquerone cheese.
Crescentine take their name from the terracotta tigella discs, traditionally heated in the fire and used to cook the dough between two layers. The hill villages of the Modenese and Bolognese Apennines (Zocca, Vergato, Castel d'Aiano) have made them for at least 600 years; the recipe is a simple lard-flour-milk dough cooked in cast-iron pans now. The classic filling is cunza, a paste of pounded lard, garlic, rosemary and Parmigiano, plus a slice of mortadella or prosciutto. Trattoria Anna Maria, Sfoglia Rina and the agriturismi south of Bologna serve them by the basket; the bread arrives hot, the salumi board cold.
5 editor picks for Crescentine (tigelle) in Bologna, ranked by editorial score. All Bologna signature dishes · Crescentine (tigelle) across every city.
Also in: Modena.
All'Osteria Bottega in Bologna's Saragozza is the Daniele Minarelli and Valeria Tonelli room, a tiny dining hall running the canonical Emilian carte.
OrderTortellini in brodo, tagliatelle al ragu, the salumi board of Bonfatti mortadella.
TipBook three weeks ahead by phone; the room seats 28 and the lunch service has the easiest tables.
Trattoria Anna Maria in Bologna near Via Zamboni is the city's most-photographed sfoglia trattoria, run by Anna Maria Monari since 1985 with hand-rolled.
OrderTagliatelle al ragu, tortellini in brodo, lasagne verdi, gnocco fritto.
TipBook a week ahead for dinner. Lunch is calmer and the sfogline still hand-roll pasta in the window between services.
Sfoglia Rina in Bologna's Centro Storico is the 1963-founded sfoglina counter run by the Faccioli family, with hand-rolled pasta sold by weight.
OrderTagliatelle al ragu, tortelloni burro e salvia, the Wednesday-only lasagne verdi.
TipThe dine-in room takes walk-ins until 14:00; for take-away pasta, the queue thins after 11:30.
Trattoria Meloncello in Bologna sits at the foot of the 666-arch portico up to San Luca, a family room running the classic Bolognese Sunday-lunch carte.
OrderTortelloni di zucca, tagliatelle al ragu, the Sunday-only bollito misto.
TipBook a week ahead for Sunday lunch; the portico walk from Porta Saragozza takes 25 minutes and is the traditional pre-lunch passeggiata.
Osteria Broccaindosso in Bologna's Mazzini is the long-running neighbourhood osteria with a fixed-price set carte and pasta still hand-rolled daily on site.
OrderThe fixed-price set carte at 25 euros, tortellini in brodo, the salumi board.
TipBook by phone two days ahead; the 25-euro set carte runs at lunch only and is the value play.
Crescentine (tigelle) makes more sense with someone from Bologna explaining it. These are the classes and tours we have checked, with booking links.
Day trip · 10 hours
Do not miss this one-of-a-kind tour. In one day, you will visit the best production Italy can offer: a prosciutto factory, a Parmigiano Reggiano dairy producer, and a ...
Guided tour · 2 hours
Indulge in Italy’s food capital! Choose our deep-dive 3-hour feast for locals' favorites, or our punchy 2-hour express tour for iconic bites and wine. Savor pasta, age...
2 hours
Enjoy a fun pasta cooking class in a local home with a certified home cook. Learn local recipes and taste everything you make with some delicious wine.