My son is finishing his last term of law school in Paris. I am going to visit him and we will take a short trip to Bologna at the end of my visit so he and I can enjoy being Italian citizens in Italy (we got our Italian passports last January). Due to a school requirement, we will be arriving late on a Friday and leaving Monday at 2:30. I want to make the most of our brief visit since he has never been to Bologna and although I have been a couple of times, I haven’t been for years. I’d love your favorite places to dine and if you have any other must-visit spots, I would love to hear about them. Thanks!
Nice to see this post! My Godfather was raised in Bologna. He and my Godmother visited Bologna every other year from his 40s until he passed away last year at 99 years of age. The historic restaurant he and my Godmother recommended is Ristorante Diana.
We liked the restaurant. I’m not sure why it’s not more popular with HungryOnions who visit Bologna.
I hope you have a wonderful time.
Here are a few other threads for reference.
Bologna-Spring 2024
2 Likes
Thank you! We definitely will check out Ristorante Diana.
1 Like
Timely thread, thank you. And thank you Phoenikia for the other thread reccos.
Fairly impromptu Daddy/daughter trip coming up in early March. We will use Rome as a home base and most likely do Bologna and Naples for day trips via train.
2 Likes
There is also a day trip that’s a guided bus trip from Rome that visits both Pompeii and Naples available, if that would be of interest.
I took that guided trip in 2000. I realize that means less flexibility. The lunch was included, so I ate with a bunch of tourists rather than being able to choose my own restaurant. The nice thing about the tour was being able to see so much in one day.
1 Like
That is a great suggestion, thanks. I will speak with her about it as she is in charge. (when I say daddy/daughter it’s more for me to feel young. She’s 29 and studied/lived for a decent amount of time in Italy)
She did mention a museum/place in Naples with Pompeiian ruins that was on the list. I may have that wrong, but Pompeii is definitely involved.
2 Likes
Let her know I was 27, and in charge of the itinerary when we made our trip. 
We used a Eurail Pass, as well. We were using them a lot in those days.
Our trip was a Grand Tour I organized. 28 days. Sweden, Germany (including Expo 2000 in Hanover), Italy, France and England. I booked the trains and reservations for 8 people.
These are the places we visited in Italy.
One night in Padua, to see St Anthony’s Cathedral and to see Giotto’s frescoes
Three nights in Venice, including a day trip to Ravenna by commuter train
Two nights in Florence
Two nights in Bologna
4 nights in Rome with the guides trip to Pompeii and Naples
Night train from Rome to Paris and onwards! I wouldn’t do the night train again. I would rather make the trip during the day and pay for a hotel room in Rome or Paris.
I visited Bologna again in 2004.
3 Likes
I liked Diana; we had their bollito misto. As I remember, it’s kind of a “fancy” place but not a tourist trap. But that was about 20 years ago…
2 Likes
One more excellent, traditional and authentic spot: Osteria Bottega.
2 Likes
