If I say Michelin starred restaurant near Bologna your first thought will go to Massimo Bottura’s Osteria Francescana.

And I can say you’re right because #1 restaurant in the world is a worth-a-plane place.
But it’s not the only Michelin star that you should check out if you are in Bologna.

It took me some time (and money) but here are 3 very different places that have more than a star in common.

Savigno is a small town inside Val Samoggia, about 25min from Bologna, surrounded by woods and hills full of vineyards.

Since 1934, Amerigo offers the best products of his land in a family trattoria opened by Alberto Bettini‘s grandparents.
​
You won’t find any fois gras or caviar there, but only the best local and seasonal products like mushrooms and truffles (black and white), river fish like salmerino del Corno alle Scale or deer in a cuisine that celebrate tradition in combination with innnovation.

The location is very warm and cosy and it is inspired by a vintage style  with old coffee machines and liquor posters on the walls. A jump back to the ‘30s!
At the entrance there’s a small shop to buy some products, I recommend their liquors (China China or Marasca) or Saba (cooked grape must).

Prices 
50€ à la carte, 60€ fixed-price menu

I suggest you
On the first Sunday of the month, Savigno hosts the antique market. Go for a walk and take home some vintage souvenirs

One dish not to miss
Amerigo’s egg. A sort of soufflé, soft as a cloud usually served with truffle when available, I ate it with asparagus

Via Guglielmo Marconi, 14-16, 40060 Savigno (BO)
Tel. +39 051 670 8326
Email: info@amerigo1934.it
www.amerigo1934.it

Agostino Iacobucci is a Neapolitan chef who moved to Bologna in 2008 to bring the only Michelin star of Bologna city centre.

​The setting of this elegant restaurant is the eighteenth century’s caffè chantant, called Teatro Eden, renovated for the occasion.
In Iacobucci’s cuisine you can find his origins by the usage of top-notch quality ingredients, like spaghetti of Gragnano or buffalo cheese. The chef looks far from Bologna’s cuisine, creating an original fusion between the two regions.

His savory babà is a pleasant surprise and “Naples meets Emilia” (tortelli stuffed with neapolitan ragù, Parmesan mousse, Piennolo’s tomato coulis) is a dish who talks by itself.
Everything dish is a surprise at I Portici and even if 2017 just started, I can tell that I will remember this place for my top year ranking.

Prices
84€ (meat menu), 90€ (fish menu), 110€ (tasting menu).

I suggest you
Ask to eat inside the old ice cave used by the pope. A wonderful and intimate location to eat by candlelight.

One dish not to miss
Buffalo milk ice cream, peppers and raspberries with caper powder

Via dell’Indipendenza, 69, 40121 Bologna
Tel. +39 051 4218562
Email: ristorante@iporticihotel.com
www.iporticihotel.com/ristorante-i-portici

UPDATE 2018:
From March 1st 2018 Iacobucci is no longer the chef of I Portici. Emanuele Petrosino took his place. One more reason to visit it again soon.

​It’s not easy to find a woman chef with a Michelin star.

Along with his brother Massimo (whose service will offers you the best Pignoletto I ever had), Aurora Mazzucchelli is the only starred woman chef in Emilia Romagna and she keeps her star from 2008 with firmness.

The restaurant, renovated in 2016, has now a modern and elegant style, anyway you will feel at ease.

​The combination of local ingredients and excellent products creates dishes like their famous Macaroni al torchio, smoked eel, raw oysters and spinach or the turnip ravioli, goat cheese and balsamic bubbles.

In this way Aurora shows her bravery and her skills.

Prices
Menu 65€ (5 courses) 85€ (8 courses). 

I suggest you
After lunch visit Rocchetta Mattei, an astonishing castle not far from there

One dish not to miss
​Parmesan cheese tortelli with lavender, nutmeg and almonds

Via Porrettana n.291, 40037 Sasso Marconi (BO)
Tel. +39 051 846216
E-mail: info@ristorantemarconi.it
www.ristorantemarconi.it

Ok, it’s about 1,5h far from Bologna, but I promise it does worth the efforts.

We’re in the bassa, the flat humid area near Po’ river where you go to follow one myth: culatello. A heavenly cured meat, caressed by the fog raising from Emilia land.

Massimo Spigaroli gets the best from it, like for its guinea-fowl covered by culatello and cooked in clay.
Or just try it pure, just to taste how the aging changes its flavors.

If you haven’t had enough great culatello at our Parma food tour, that’s the address you should write on Google Maps.

Prices
90€ (Tasting menu)

I suggest you
Try also the Hosteria del maiale, for a cheaper experience dedicated to the pig.

One dish not to miss
Podium of Culatelli from “White Pig” aged over 18, 27 and 37 months 
​
Strada Palazzo due Torri, 3, 43010 Polesine Parmense PR
+39 0524 936539
www.acpallavicina.com

The story of San Domenico began in 1970 with Nino Bergese.
​People used to call him “the king of chefs, the chef of the kings” for his noble background. 

Flowers, abat-jours, leather sofas and baroque music create the warm atmosphere of a time when eating out was a luxury habit. Those times have gone, but 40 years later the 2 Michelin stars are still shining.

A pristine classic cuisine that picks up local ingredients like red potatoes, pigeon and asparagus and elevates them with the skills and precision that only study, repetition and experience can build.

The dish to wait for? 
Uovo in raviolo with butter, Parmigiano Reggiano and white truffle. When Anthony Bourdain was in Bologna he went there to watch the full process. Not hard to say why.

Prices
Menu from 160€

I suggest you
Go on Wednesday if you’re born after 1970. They make the same menu for a cheaper price.

One dish not to miss
The pigeon

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If I say Michelin starred restaurant near Bologna your first thought goes to Massimo Bottura’s Osteria Francescana. And you’re right because the #2 restaurant in the world is a worth-a-plane place. But it’s not the only Michelin star that you should check if you are in Bologna. It took some time (and money) but here are 3 very different places that have more than a star in common. They’re all places you won’t forget easily.

Savigno is a small town inside Val Samoggia, about 25min from Bologna, between woods and hills full of vineyards. Up there from 1934, Amerigo offer the best products of his land is a vintage style family trattoria created by Alberto Bettini’s grandparents.
You won’t find any fois gras or caviar there, but only the best local and seasonal products like mushrooms and truffles (black and white), river fish like salmerino of Corno alle Scale or deer in a cuisine that celebrate tradition looking forward.
​The location is very warm and cosy and you will be back to 1930′s with vintage coffee machine and liquor posters on the walls. At the entrance there’s a small shop to buy some products, I recommend their liquors (China China or Marasca) or Saba (cooked grape must).

You pay: 50€ a la carte, menu of 60€
My tip: on the first Sunday of each month Savigno hosts the antique market to bring home some vintage souvenirs
One dish not to miss: Amerigo’s egg. A sort of soufflé, soft as a cloud usually served with truffle when available, I had them with asparagus

Via Guglielmo Marconi, 14-16, 40060 Savigno (BO)
Tel. +39 051 670 8326
Email: info@amerigo1934.it
www.amerigo1934.it

Agostino Iacobucci is a Neapolitan chef who moved to Bologna in 2008 to bring the only Michelin star of Bologna city centre. The restaurant is set in the elegant location of an eighteenth century’s caffè chantant, called Teatro Eden, renovated for the occasion. In Iacobucci’s cuisine you can find his origins by the usage of prime quality ingredients, like Spaghetti of Gragnano or buffalo cheese, that look far from Bologna to innovate the tradition. His savory babà is a nice surprise and “Naples meets Emilia” (tortelli stuffed with neapolitan ragù, Parmesan foam, Piennolo’s tomato coulis) is a dish who talks by itself.
Everything dish is a surprise at I Portici and even if 2017 just started, I can tell that I will remember this place for my top year ranking.

You pay: 84€ (meat menu), 90€ (fish menu), 110€ (tasting menu). Go straight to the menu
My tip: ask to eat inside the old ice cave used by the pope. A wonderful and intimate location to eat at light candle
One dish not to miss: Buffalo milk ice cream, peppers and raspberries with caper powder

Via dell’Indipendenza, 69, 40121 Bologna
Tel. +39 051 4218562
Email: ristorante@iporticihotel.com
www.iporticihotel.com/ristorante-i-portici

​It’s not easy to find a woman chef with a Michelin star. With his brother Massimo (that will make you drink the best Pignoletto I ever had), Aurora Mazzucchelli is the only one in Emilia Romagna and she keeps her star from 2008 with firmness. The restaurant had been renovated in 2016 and now the style is modern and elegant but you will feel at ease. The combination of local ingredients and excellent products generates dishes like their famous Macaroni “al torchio”, smoked eel, raw oysters and spinach or the turnip ravioli, goat cheese and balsamic bubbles so Aurora doesn’t lack of bravery and skills.

You pay: menu 65€ (5 courses) 85€ (8 courses). This time again, go with that
My tip: after lunch visit Rocchetta Mattei, an astonishing castle not far from there
One dish not to miss: Parmesan cheese tortelli with lavender, nutmeg and almonds

Via Porrettana n.291, 40037 Sasso Marconi (BO)
Tel. +39 051 846216
E-mail: info@ristorantemarconi.it
www.ristorantemarconi.it

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