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| City Center |
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| Via Nosadella Hostel |
Upon arriving in Bologna on Friday morning we took a quick inexpensive bus to the city center to find our hostel. We arrived in the city around 10:30 AM and check in time wasn't until 12:00 so we found a great cafe with a very friendly waiter to grab some lunch and enjoy the sun. Check in was a breeze and the hostel was small and privately owned by two lovely women. One of the women gave us very helpful maps of the city and pointing out all the must see places to eat, tour, and party. We then set out to explore the city. After a few hours of picture taking and getting lost in the beautiful architecture we set out to a local bar for an Apertivo. Apertivo is a before dinner drink and appetizers to entice your appetite. You buy a drink of choice and then for one extra euro you get a full plate of appetizers! I naturally got Prossecco and everything was delish. Afterwards we headed back to the hostel to get ready for a night on the town! The night life in Bologna is great because it is a university town so there is always a fun place to go and get a drink and meet some locals. We went to a fun bar called Soda Pop, if you like to dance definitely go there if you're ever in town!
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| Tagliatella Ragu |
On Saturday morning we slept in a bit and then went to a local homemade pasta restaurant for an early lunch. Bologna is known for this tagliatelle, tortellini, and tortelloni. Pasta Fresca Naldi is owned by 3 generations of women and the pasta was fantastic. Bolognese comes from Bologna but is known there as Ragu.
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| Portico di San Luca |
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| Basilica di San Luca |
Bologna is also known for its porticoes that are all over the city. It is home to the longest portico in the world. This portico leads to the Sanctuary of the Madonna di San Luca and is 3.5 km long with 666 arches. If you have time it is best to make the hike up the portico to the Basilica but since we were only
in Bologna 2 full days we opted to take a tram that left near to where our hostel was. We had the option to get off and explore the Basilica for an hour so I did that. The Basilica itself is breathtaking and so are the surrounding views of the forests and city below. That evening we explored more of the city center and shopped in some of the local markets. We ended up at a cute restaurant on a busy side street for dinner. I enjoyed a calzone, 0.5 liters of wine, homemade tiramisu, and a latte all for just under 20 euro! What a deal. We all grabbed some fresh strawberries on the way back to the hostel and relaxed because we had to be up early to catch the bus back to the airport that morning. Overall it was a wonderful trip. I would highly recommend Bologna as a weekend trip to anyone wanting to experience an authentic Italian city with a young flair.
Upon arriving in Bologna on Friday morning we took a quick inexpensive bus to the city center to find our hostel. We arrived in the city around 10:30 AM and check in time wasn't until 12:00 so we found a great cafe with a very friendly waiter to grab some lunch and enjoy the sun. Check in was a breeze and the hostel was small and privately owned by two lovely women. One of the women gave us very helpful maps of the city and pointing out all the must see places to eat, tour, and party. We then set out to explore the city. After a few hours of picture taking and getting lost in the beautiful architecture we set out to a local bar for an Apertivo. Apertivo is a before dinner drink and appetizers to entice your appetite. You buy a drink of choice and then for one extra euro you get a full plate of appetizers! I naturally got Prossecco and everything was delish. Afterwards we headed back to the hostel to get ready for a night on the town! The night life in Bologna is great because it is a university town so there is always a fun place to go and get a drink and meet some locals. We went to a fun bar called Soda Pop, if you like to dance definitely go there if you're ever in town!
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