Italy in May 2025: Emilia-Romagna, Bologna, and Venice

Regional Dining Discussions Italy, Spain, Portugal
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I am planning a 2.5 week jaunt in Emilia-Romagna (home base of Ferrara), Bologna (with plans to go to the Imola F1 race), and Venice (for a week) in May (depart NYC on May 7 or 8, depart Venice on May 26). I have my AirBnBs (Ferrara and Bologna) and hotel (Venice) booked, but I am just now starting to make plans and reservations for where I want to go.

Originally, a friend was going to join me for the Bologna and Venice leg (and she still might), but we have not confirmed that just yet.

As of right now the places I was going to keep an eye on were:

  1. Osteria Francescana (they only take reservations for 2 or more best I can tell, and they look to be already booked up, but we might get on the wait list if my friend comes with - we can always go to the more casual place as (Franceschetta 58) well or go out to the countryside location (Casa Maria Luigia)).
  2. Ristorante Cavallino - Enzo Ferrari’s restaurant that Massimo Bottura has taken over. I really want to go here as it sounds fantastic. We are trying to get tours at both Ferrari and Maserati if possible (the Ferrari driving experiences are both sold out given how close it is to the race).

And that was the extent of the planning before I go to Venice. I have started going back through Anthony Bourdain shows and have started compiling lists based on that, so I will update that once I have more solid ideas of what I want to do.

For Venice, this is the list I have compiled so far:

  1. Going to see Attilla at La Fenice. It is showing on May 20 and 22 at 7 PM and on May 24 at 3:30 PM
  2. Must go restaurants are: Al Covo, Osteria alle Testiere, Antiche Carampane, Da Romano (Burano), Trattoria al Gato Nero, La Zucca so far
  3. Locanda Cipriani (wanted to go to the restaurant and maybe stay an extra night or two there at the end of the trip, but it has been closed for renovation since 2023…and still not reopened best I can tell…will reach out to them).
  4. Glam is the highest Michelin rated restaurant in Venice, so I thought it might be fun to dress up and go there.
  5. Definitely want to island hop while there (obviously given my restaurant choices), but Murano, Burano, and Torcello are definitely on my list.
  6. I have not really done a ton of Venice research thus far as to must see places. I have read a book about the unfinished Palazzo that now houses the Peggy Guggenheim collection, so that is a must visit for me. I am fascinated my Luisa Casati, so trying to walk her footsteps would be really interesting, and then of course, as a lover of fashion, going to Fortuny is a much (would be amazing to find a vintage Delphos gown while I am there).

Other than that, that is all I have. I would love to hear recommendations from this community. I have ben a poor member of this community, not being as active as I should be, and definitely not writing up my experiences timely (I am still trying to wrap up my big 2022 trip to Paris, but my day job interferes with my plans!), but I am going to try and do better. I have a BIG backlog to work through (Paris, London trips, Spain, Egypt, Vietnam, Cambodia, Singapore, more Paris, more London and tons of NYC (my home base)) in early 2025, so hoping to be more active.

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I have a close friend in Bologna. This trattoria serves very typical, not fancy, Ragu: https://www.bolognawelcome.com/en/clubs/typical-bolognese-tavern/trattoria-anna-maria-2 Her English is awful but locals swear by this place. I go for local recos rather than tourist and Michelin reviews. Lucky you!

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No recommendations whatsoever, but very much looking forward to your trip report :eyes:

We are debating a trip to Italy this summer as well, but haven’t decided on the region yet.

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For Bologna I would highly revommend Trattoria Amerigo (it’s outside of Bologna but definitely worth the drive if you want to experience “classic” cuisine from the region$

In Bologna Trattoria Da Me was very good

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I heartily second Trattoria Da Me (see Bilbao-Amsterdam-Florence-Bologna-Rome - #9 by MaxEntropy). Also Ahime, described a but further down in that thread.

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It has been many years, but the last time I was in Venice we visited Burano and then hopped over to Mazzorbo for lunch at Venissa. It was an absolutely gorgeous day and we had a fabulous meal al fresco in a stunning setting - truly memorable and well worth the travel logistics. We also enjoyed Antiche Carampane on that trip.

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Won’t Venice be packed to the rafters in May? We’ll be in Europe again for May & June, and are looking into destinations. TBH I’d rather visit Rome than Venice as far as cities go, but that is DEF not happening this year :grin:

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You know you got so much help before your trip to Spain and never came back with more than two sentences about your trip…it’s nice to ask and also nice to give back to people who took the time to help you.

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Which I acknowledged in my original post.

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I don’t know Italy well enough to be of much use, but I’d love to hitch a ride on your adventure, and there may be an overlap with my trip in 2023.

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I really enjoyed Fritto Misto on Lido, on my last visit. 21 years ago, right after the Olympics in Athens. I was winging my restaurants back then.

I haven’t been to Bologna since 2004. My Godfather was from Bologna. The historic restaurant he recommended was Ristorante Diana. I enjoyed it, and I would return if I revisited Bologna.

I only spent a day in Ferrara.

I would recommend day trips to Padua and Ravenna, if you have the time, for the architecture and art, and especially for the mosaics in Ravenna.

May is a lovely time to visit Italy.

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I was in Venice for a week the end of October/beginning of November. I didn’t focus on food much as I had imagined I would/as much as “normal,” because I had my mother with me and the trip ended up being more challenging for us than I had originally envisioned.

What are your priorities? I always stay in Castello because I go to Venice for Biennale. Pietra Rossa was right around the corner from us and we dined there twice. Casual and we liked it very much. I guess tourist-friendly enough to make my elderly mom comfortable, yet everyone was more than happy to speak Italian with me (I’m okay with the language). We also had a long lunch at Local which I liked, although not every course worked for me, and which was too sophisticated for my mother.

I wil try to dig up more notes, but as I said, my focus this trip was keeping my mom vertical, safe, relatively happy/satisified for her “last hurrah.” I think that colored my impressions.

Returned to Vini da Gigio, which I always like and mom was happy too.

ETA: Oh, I have stayed in Ferrara too, but it was…2022? I will have to see if I have notes. I ate very well there and just generally liked the town and vibe.

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ok, first, Id have to say Ferrara did not rate super high for me in this region (one day visit, my 95 year old mom along, on Uniworld cruise.) I like Padova, Bologna, Ravenna, Mantova much better, certainly more significant artistiic achievements (Modena too). The special dishes of Ferrara did not thrill. It does seem like more of a peaceful backwater than the others though. I do have notes about Panificio Pasticceria Perdonati Ferrara, which you might want to look into - due to the limitations of our tour, I never made it there
Im assuming you must have a special target interest there…

One place I would definitely aim for in that general region (and the po delta area is fascinating anyway) is La Lanzara in Volano. https://www.ristorantelazanzara.com/
A famous Italy specialist on CH, Allende, used to be extremely enthusiastic about it, but I havent been able to get close on recent trips.

Bologna - a really interesting town, unique, with monuments to lawyers, amazing terra cotta pieta sculptures - I hope intense tourism hasnt ruined the center. If you feel like a bit of a hike, there is a pilgrimage church you can get to up a hill, following an arcade all the way, with wonderful views - we went on a Sunday in 2017 (last visit to the city) and enjoyed a very simple lunch on the way back down at Meloncello a simple old trattoria with the local basics well done. Our best meals on that trip were at Trattoria di Via Serra and All’Osteria Bottega - we went to the latter twice, second time a drop in at lunch. I liked the less typical dishes best there. I note that we chatted with guy over that lunch, and he had made the trip to Modena twice for Bottura - he liked the less formal spot better than Osteria Francescana, FWIW.

Venice, we were there in spring of 2023, earlier than you plan and not at all crowded. You can look at what I wrote on this thread. Restaurants in Venice - #14 by jangita which has a lot of other very good opinions on it too. We love Vini del Gigio and Alle Testiere - the latter elbow to elbow, not at all pretentious, sociable, and interesting good venetian food. Alla Zucca - food is very good but very rich, dont order more than one dish with cheese!!! The islands are great - Torcello is very beautiful, but I am not sure I would eat there or whether Locanda Cipriani, which I have been reading about for decades, is worth it - Id recommend going to Mazzorbo instead. The funeral island is interesting, Burano less so, and frankly I would not chase those places that everybody and his brother will try to go to - they will just be crazy busy.

Will be interested to hear what you decide and how it goes - that includes the other places you havent written about yet!

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I just returned a few weeks ago from my second trip to Bologna in the last 3 years. I can recommend Trattoria Da Me though I like the newer, grander Tower location much better than the original. For a true Bolognese local I LOVED Da Cesari; not trendy but jam packed with a lot of regulars and the menu had some very intriguing seasonal specials in addition to the traditional favorites.

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Ferrara: Had a relaxed, tasty meal at Ca d’Frara. And a good dinner at Da Noemi (busier, more touristed, more casual, but food was good–don’t remember what the wine list was like).

These are both in Michelin and Da Noemi is in Osterie d’Italia as well, so they are hardly undiscovered gems. I was there in the dog days of August so the city was quiet and service really solicitous–perhaps as a result. It’s fun to tool around Ferrara on bike!

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Dinner at Ca d’Frara in Ferrara.

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Feast for a carb addict. #1 - I think had a bunch of melty cheese in the center. I probably ordered this because it mentioned “insalata” on the menu and I thought, “oh, good, I’ll start with something light,” lol. #2 Try two local pastas for the price of one (okay, half portions)! I preferred the cappelletti to the macaroni pie, but finished both with gusto. #3 Zuppa inglese. This was a delicious version, neither too heavy/rich nor too sweet.

I guess you can judge whether this is the kind food you’re into or not.

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that resto e of Ferrara in the Po marshes is Ristorante La Zanzara, my edit did not take! Pomposa Abbey is another sight nearby that looks like it would be very worth a visit.

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Ferrara is my base of locations for the first week as it was pretty central to the region. It is relatively easy to get most places from there. On the list to visit are:

Verona, Padua, and Modena at a minimum. I am still debating on having a car (I have hated driving in Italy in the past), but I do have access to parking in Ferrara, so it might be good to have it there, and turn it in before we relocate to Bologna (I have one reserved at the moment, but will make edits once I have flights booked about 2 months out).

I am still compiling restaurants and experiences outside of Venice. There are definitely some experiences that I am going to start leaning on my network to see if I can get access to. My goal is to have a rough trip outline by about March 15. I do not plan every minute of every day, generally picking an activity in the morning and one in the afternoon, with plenty of liesure time built in. This is a big vacation right after some of the most stressful 12-15 months I have ever been in professionally, so I definitely want to relax a bit.

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Glad to see that you are digging out from under! I am just catching up here myself. I did write a bit about Venice on another recent post, but I will be curious to know your take, as I may also get back there at the end of the summer.

I was in Bologna almost a decade ago now. As @JenKalb said, it is unique (least I also found it so in my experience of Italian cities). I felt it to be full of students and bookstores in a way that has disappeared almost entirely from our cities. There’s some restaurant in Modena too that Allende used to recommend for lunch (I think). I enjoyed Meloncello also, but remember for traditional restaurant I really liked Trattoria della Gigina, but as I said, it’s been almost ten years!

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I think you are talking about Hosteria Giusti in Modena, where we had a memorable lunch and is a tough reservation. (but now a lot easier, on their website) https://hosteriagiusti.it/

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