What food is Bologna famous for?

Bologna is the home of tagliatelle al ragu (the original Bolognese), tortellini in brodo, lasagna verde, mortadella and crescentine. The surrounding Emilia-Romagna region also produces Parmigiano Reggiano, traditional balsamic vinegar from Modena and Parma ham, making it Italy's richest food destination.

Are Bologna food tours worth it?

Yes. A guided food tour of the Quadrilatero market gives you tastings you would struggle to find alone, plus the stories behind each specialty from a local guide. Most tours include enough mortadella, pasta, cheese and wine to replace a meal.

Can you visit parmigiano and balsamic producers from Bologna?

Yes. Half- and full-day tours run from Bologna to a Parmigiano Reggiano dairy, a traditional balsamic acetaia and often a Parma ham cellar or Lambrusco winery, with tastings at each. Dairies form the cheese early, so these tours usually start in the morning.

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Food & wine · Bologna itinerary

Bologna Food Tour: The Ultimate Emilia-Romagna Gastronomy Itinerary

Bologna is the gastronomic capital of Italy, the city that gave the world tagliatelle al ragu, mortadella and tortellini in brodo. This Bologna food itinerary walks you from the Quadrilatero market stalls to a hands-on pasta class and out into the Food Valley for parmigiano and balsamic vinegar, with the best-rated tastings and tours to book for each.

At a glance

1Quadrilatero market food tour
2Fresh pasta cooking class
3Parmigiano & balsamic day trip
4Emilia-Romagna wine tasting

Market food tour in the Quadrilatero

Start where locals shop: the medieval Quadrilatero lanes behind Piazza Maggiore, a warren of delis, bakeries and salumerie that has fed the city for centuries. A guided food tour threads you between tastings of mortadella, crescentine, tigelle, fresh tortellini and Lambrusco while a local explains why Bologna earned the nickname la grassa, the fat one. Come hungry, because the tastings add up to a full lunch and leave room for gelato afterwards.

A hands-on fresh pasta class

No visit is complete without rolling your own sfoglia, the thin golden sheet of egg pasta at the heart of the local kitchen. In a home or studio a Bolognese sfoglina teaches you to hand-cut tagliatelle, fold tortellini and layer a proper lasagna verde, before you sit down to eat what you made with the ragu and a glass of wine. It is the single best souvenir you can carry home, and the classes suit complete beginners.

Into the Food Valley: parmigiano & balsamic

Give a morning to the producers that ring the city, the source of Emilia-Romagna's most famous exports. Day tours visit a Parmigiano Reggiano dairy at dawn to watch the great wheels formed by hand, a traditional acetaia where balsamic vinegar ages for decades in ranks of wooden barrels, and often a Parma ham cellar or a Lambrusco winery for lunch. Tastings straight from the source, drizzled and sliced in front of you, spoil supermarket versions forever.