Bologna, the gastronomic capital of Italy

The day after Christmas, we headed north to Bologna.  We chose to spend 5 days in this area due to its central location and after hearing repeatedly that Bologna was "the gastronomic capital of Italy".   We didn't have much planned except to relax and EAT!

Piazza Maggiore with the shadow of the Fountain of Neptune.

Bologna's two towers (also leaning).

Looking down from the top of the taller tower.

Bologna is known for its university (the oldest in the world) and its porticoes, or covered walkways.   According to our guidebook, the porticoes began when the city ran out of space and built additional housing over the existing sidewalks.  Bologna can easily be enjoyed in any kind of weather, thanks to the miles and miles of porticoes.

One of Bologna's many covered walkways.  Great in cold or rainy weather!

While we enjoyed meandering through Bologna's beautiful streets, by far our favorite part of this stop was EATING.  The food we had in Rome was delicious, but the food in Bologna was out of this world.  The tortellini was developed in Bologna, and we definitely sampled quite a few different varieties.  We also ate "spaghetti bolognese", though in Bologna the dish is "fettuccine al ragu" and only uses flat fettuccine noodles (which apparently soak up the sauce better).  We ate gelato every day (sometimes twice) and tried different varieties of cured and smoked meats, such as delicious Parma ham.  Bologna is referred to as the "fat city', and we definitely added a few pounds during our days there....and they were worth every. single. bite.

Fresh homemade tortellinis waiting to be sold.

Eating piadinas, a local flatbread-type of filled sandwich.  Delicious. 

After the hustle and bustle of Rome, Bologna was much calmer and felt much less touristy.  There were a lot of people out in the streets but far fewer vendors trying to sell selfie sticks or restaurant owners hawking tourist menus.  It was a great place to spend some time just relaxing, and we are so glad we included it as a stop on our Italian itinerary.