Day-by-day eating plans for Bologna. weekend classics, family routes, vegan plans, on-a-budget editions.

Day-by-day plans

Bologna weekend: the four canonical pastas, the Quadrilatero salumeria ★ 4.6

First-time visitor, two days2 days

A weekend built around the four Bolognese canon dishes (tagliatelle al ragu, tortellini in brodo, lasagne verdi, mortadella), the Quadrilatero salumeria walk and one modern-bistro dinner.

  1. Day 1: Saturday: Quadrilatero salumeria walk, Bolognese lunch, modern dinner

    Morning
    Caffe Terzi at 09:00 for the single-origin espresso. Quadrilatero walk: Tamburini, Atti, Paolo Atti, Salumeria Simoni on Via Drapperie. Buy 100g of mortadella to taste.
    Afternoon
    Lunch at Trattoria Anna Maria, 13:00. Tagliatelle al ragu, tortellini in brodo, half-litre of Lambrusco. Walk the Due Torri then through the Centro Storico.
    Evening
    Aperitivo at Osteria del Sole from 18:30 (bring food from Tamburini). Dinner at Ahime, 20:30. Natural-wine tasting carte and the fermentation plate.

  2. Day 2: Sunday: Mercato di Mezzo, lasagne lunch, late mortadella

    Morning
    Forno Brisa at 08:30 for the cornetto integrale and a filter coffee. Walk to Mercato di Mezzo (open daily), the produce stalls open 07:00-14:00.
    Afternoon
    Lunch at Ristorante Diana, 13:00. The Sunday lasagne verdi and the carrello dei bolliti. Walk to the Basilica di San Petronio.
    Evening
    Aperitivo at Camera a Sud from 19:00 for the natural-wine list. Late mortadella sandwich at Tamburini (open daily) if hungry on the walk home.

Bologna three days: the sfoglia pasta canon and modern wave ★ 4.5

Returning visitor, three days, pasta-led3 days

A three-day pasta-led plan: the four Bolognese pastas at canonical addresses, the salumeria culture of the Quadrilatero and the modern natural-wine wave of Ahime and Trattoria di Via Serra.

  1. Day 1: Day 1: Quadrilatero salumeria and the canon

    Morning
    Caffe Terzi at 09:00 for the espresso. Walk the Quadrilatero: Tamburini, Atti, Paolo Atti, Salumeria Simoni. Buy a tagliere selection.
    Afternoon
    Lunch at Sfoglia Rina, 13:00. Walk-in dine-in tagliatelle al ragu and tortelloni di ricotta. Walk the Due Torri.
    Evening
    Aperitivo at Vineria Favalli from 19:00 for the natural-wine list. Dinner at Trattoria Anna Maria, 20:30 for the canonical tortellini in brodo.

  2. Day 2: Day 2: Bolognina neighborhood secrets and the natural wine

    Morning
    Forno Brisa Galliera at 08:30 for the cornetto integrale. Tram to Bolognina; walk Via Tiarini and Mercato Albani.
    Afternoon
    Lunch at Trattoria di Via Serra, 13:00 for the tagliatelle al ragu, tortelloni and friggione.
    Evening
    Aperitivo at Camera a Sud from 19:00 for the Sicily-and-Emilia natural-wine list. Dinner at Ahime, 20:30 for the fermentation tasting carte.

  3. Day 3: Day 3: Saragozza portico and the cotoletta

    Morning
    Caffe Rubik at 09:00 for the cappuccino and the modern brunch carte. Walk the 666-arch portico up to San Luca, 25 minutes from Porta Saragozza.
    Afternoon
    Lunch at Trattoria Meloncello, 13:30 (at the foot of the portico). Tortelloni di zucca, tagliatelle al ragu, half-litre Sangiovese.
    Evening
    Aperitivo at Le Stanze from 19:00 for the cocktail-and-snacks pairing. Dinner at All'Osteria Bottega, 21:00 for the canonical tortellini in brodo and lasagne verdi.

Bologna vegan: two days of plant-led Emilian cooking ★ 4.3

Vegan, two days2 days

A two-day plan for a vegan traveller in Bologna: Botanica Lab, Universo Vegano, the markets the plant kitchens shop from and the natural-wine bars with vegan-flagged carte.

  1. Day 1: Day 1: Centro Storico vegan lunch and Botanica Lab dinner

    Morning
    Aroma Caffe at 09:00 for the V60 filter and a vegan cornetto. Walk Mercato delle Erbe; the produce stalls open 07:00-14:00.
    Afternoon
    Lunch at Universo Vegano, 13:00. The vegan Bolognese ragu and the seitan cotoletta. Walk Via Galliera.
    Evening
    Aperitivo at Stafilio from 19:00 for the natural-wine pour. Dinner at Botanica Lab, 20:30 for the cashew-burrata bowl and the daily plant-based carte.

  2. Day 2: Day 2: Bolognina markets, Le Rose vegetarian, Naturalmente dinner

    Morning
    Pappare at 09:30 for the weekend brunch carte: avocado toast, eggs and the filter coffee from Via De' Giudei. Walk north from the Due Torri across Via dell'Indipendenza to Bolognina and Mercato Albani.
    Afternoon
    Lunch at Le Rose Cucina Vegetariana, 13:00 for the vegetarian-ragu lasagne and the meat-free tortelloni.
    Evening
    Aperitivo at Vineria Favalli from 19:00 for the natural-wine list. Dinner at Naturalmente Vegan, 20:30 for the vegan tortellini in brodo and the daily plant-based lunch set.
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