Bologna doesn’t look very green at first sight.

But like our best food, parks and gardens are not exhibited.
They’re hidden behind old gates or they look at Bologna’s skyline from the hills outside the city walls.

Don’t be lazy, wear you jogging shoes and go look for them.

Opened in 1879, Giardini Margherita garden take its name from the same queen of the famous pizza. 
​
During its glorious days, you could have found there a lake with renting boats, a cafe chantant, a funicular railway and a zoo for lions. 
Now most of these things are gone, but Giardini Margherita still is Bologna’s largest and most important park.

Why visit it
For a picnic amongst students and locals during spring weekends or for an aperitivo at Le Serre (former greenhouses).

Info
Viale Giovanni Gozzadini, 40136 Bologna

The University area hides one of the oldest botanic gardens in Europe. 
2 hectares, +5000 plants including a selection of carnivore, 2 greenhouses with tropical and succulent.

Why visit it
For a breath of fresh air inside the city walls or if you’re looking for original things to do in Bologna with your kids.

Info
Via Irnerio 42, 40126 Bologna

Tired of porticoes, towers and taverns? 
Impossible, but in case you can escape to the wild nature without renting a car. 
​
Villa Ghigi is a huge park on the hills behind Porta San Mamolo. 
Fondazione Villa Ghigi organizes educational activities for school, birdwatching and interesting trekking.

Why visit it
To have a wide view of Bologna and digest all the food you had around the markets.

Info 
Via San Mamolo, 40136 Bologna

Rent a bike and ride to this park on the feet of San Luca Basilica.
You can visit the old Chiusa: a Middle Age sluice to deviate and adjust Reno river and provide water to Bologna.

Why visit it
Because you can take the bike path that starts from Certosa Cemetery and follows an open canal till Casalecchio. Then you’ll deserve a lunch stop at Sfoglia Rina.

Info
Via dei Mille 9, 40033 Casalecchio di Reno BO
www.parcodellachiusa.it​

Hey, do you know that Bologna had a harbor? 
We’re far from the sea, but until 1889 small boats used the harbor to move goods and trade with the markets of the center.

This park arises from its rests and unveils the canal still flowing underground.

Why visit it
Because in June, during Biografilm festival, Cavaticcio becomes a place for street food of Bologna, with live concerts and a vibrant atmosphere.

Info
Via Azzo Gardino, 40122 Bologna

Take a deviation from Via Saragozza to enter the gate of Villa Spada park.
Not enough?
Ok, climb the 300 steps and arrive at 300 scalini, a nice place to relax with a glass of wine and get the best view of San Luca Basilica.

Why visit it
Because in the park you can also visit one of the strangest museums in Italy about upholstery and one of the libraries of Bologna.

Info
Via di Casaglia, 3, 40135 Bologna

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Summer in Bologna is like a chocolate box, sorry Forrest. Rich and tasty, but ends always too soon.
Here’s my guide for the best places to enjoy and never miss any crumb of it.

You’ve drunk all the water of Nettuno fountain.
Jump between the shadows of the porticos.
Spend a full day through crypts and ice caves (yes, we have a lot of them).

But it’s hot, still.

Summer in Bologna can be very hot.
The good news is that you can find an escape in the green. 

Giardini Margherita is our Hyde Park.
People jogging in the evening, a small lake and a light, unexpected breeze.
From 2014 it also hosts my favourite place to spend a summer night in Bologna.

Le Serre dei Giardini Margherita are former greenhouses brought back to life by Kilowatt association. Photos hardly describe the atmosphere of this place. Enjoy one of the best aperitivo in Bologna, listen to live music or just relax between rosemary and thyme. 

Rudere is the next big thing.
Literally translated as “the ruin”, Rudere is another example of regeneration of a forsaken place. Free-grill, live music and craft beer on a hill with a view on San Luca Basilica. Not bad, uh?

Not exactly a place for aperitivo, but once you’ve tried Scaccomatto agli Orti then it’s hard to not talk about it.
An oasis of peace and harmony hidden behind a gate.
A secret vegetable garden where you can have dinner under fig trees.
A chef, Mario Ferrara, who greets you with a smile and surprises with his dishes.
Fixed menu that changes every evening. Be sure to book in advance.

Info

Le Serre dei Giardini Margherita
Via Castiglione, 134, 40136 Bologna
leserre.kilowatt.bo.it

Rudere
Via Gaibara 1, 40136 Bologna
www.rudeosteria.it
Tel. 051 235944

Scaccomatto agli Orti
Via della Braina 7, 40124 Bologna
Tel. 051 263404
www.ristorantescaccomatto.com

When I was 8, I used to wait for the new collection of Panini soccer stickers.
When I was 20, for the new Radiohead album.
Now, for both of them still, but also for the program of Sotto le Stelle del Cinema.

From mid-June to August 15th, Piazza Maggiore becomes a cinema. The best cinema I’ve ever seen.
 
First Cinema Ritrovato Festival brings back to life old masterpieces, restored by the lab of Cineteca di Bologna.

Then Sotto le stelle del cinema enlightens the biggest screen in Europe with old Italian movies, the hidden gems you’ve missed in the last season, and some unique events like silent movies with an orchestra. 
All movies are in original language, with English subtitles if Italian. 

June is also the month of Biografilm Festival: a month of previews, small productions and documentaries that enrich the park of Cavaticcio day and night. After the movie, you can have some street food in a park and enjoy live music near the old Cavaticcio canal. 

If you speak a bit of Italian, or you’d like to learn it, Arena Puccini is another open-air theatre to consider.
Not only because of the selection of movies, mostly last season highlights.
The park around it called DLF (former after-work railway area) now hosts beach-volley playing fields, a nice restaurant and the great pizza of Pizzartist. 

Info

Cinema Ritrovato
June 23rd – July 1st 2018
Piazza Maggiore, Bologna
festival.ilcinemaritrovato.it

Sotto le stelle del cinema
July 2nd – August 15th, 2018
Piazza Maggiore, Bologna
www.cinetecadibologna.it

Biografilm Festival
Parco del Cavaticcio, Via Azzo Gardino, 40122 Bologna
Tel. 051 219 3111
www.biografilm.it

Arena Puccini
Mid June – first days of Sept
Via Sebastiano Serlio, 25/2, 40128 Bologna
www.cinetecadibologna.it

Live music in Bologna is a big thing.
Name a rock star, a pop idol or a jazz master and you can be sure he made a walk under the porticoes.

The most important clubs move their stages outdoor during summer.
Botanique offers a wider range of concerts, but it’s also a place to get a beer and relax sitting on the grass.

Jazz lovers, we don’t forget about you. 
Via Mascarella, the street of jazz, closes for pedestrians in summer and becomes a living room.
During Salotto del Jazz Festival, hosted by Cantina Bentivoglio and Bravo Caffè, Moustache and Cinema Odeon, you can relax with a glass of wine and a dish tagliatelle al ragù while the brushes are drumming.
 
Enter the old gate of Palazzo Re Enzo in Piazza Maggiore for Round Midnight Jazz Club. A temporary jazz club with live concerts and jam session after midnight. With a view on Neptune’s fountain. Not bad, huh? 

Info

Botanique
June 16th – July 22nd, 2018
Via Filippo Re, 40126 Bologna
www.botanique.it

Bravo Caffè
Via Mascarella 1, 40126 Bologna
Tel. 051 266112
www.bravocaffe.it

Cantina Bentivoglio
Via Mascarella 4/b, 40126 Bologna
Tel. 051 265416
​www.cantinabentivoglio.it

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Happy students, curious tourists, tired workers: everybody wants to have aperitivo.
​But what is exactly aperitivo? And which are the best places to have it in Bologna?

The word aperitivo has different meanings. These are the ones you should be aware of:

• A time of the day
  ​​If you say: “Let’s meet for aperitivo!” you mean that you’d meet your friend just before dinner. Time can change according to where you are, in Bologna it’s from about 6pm to 8pm.

• A kind of drink
  Ask a barista for an aperitivo and you’ll get an low alcoholic sweet drink. It can be a cocktail or a liquor. Spritz is the most famous, vermuth was the origin, Aperol, Campari, Crodino or Cynar the classics.
• A way of eating
  ​There’s no aperitivo without food. Even a few chips and olives or something more.
  ​Amongst students, aperitivo means a cheap dinner where you pay slightly more for the drink (6 to 8€) and then you have an all you can eat buffet to attack. Most of the time the quality of the food is poor: lunch leftovers, overcooked pasta, salty appetizers to make you drink more. Quality aperitivo exists, but you always pay what you get.

Ex Forno MAMbo
Museum of Modern Art isn’t only a must visit during you staying. Just next door this fashion bar with vintage sofas is my first choice for aperitivo. Good selection of pure origin coffee. Sunday brunch from 12:30 to 3pm. 

Ex Forno MAMbo
Via Don Giovanni Minzoni, 14/E, 40121 Bologna 
exforno.com
Tel. +39 051 649 3896 

Serre dei Giardini Margherita
THE place to have aperitivo outdoor. Drink a spritz sit between rosemary and sage in the renovated greenhouses.  
​After aperitivo, you should have a proper dinner at the Vetro restaurant. 

Serre dei Giardini Margherita
Via Castiglione, 134, 40136 Bologna 
Tel. +39 370 333 6439
leserre.kilowatt.bo.it

Mercato delle Erbe
One of the best food markets of Bologna is a place for shopping in the morning and to eat and drink in the evening. 
Find a table inside to enjoy a slice of pizza at Mozzabella, a gourmet piadina at Sfarina or a fish tagliere at Vini e Sapuri.  

Just outside in Via Belvedere you can get a drink at Bar Senza Nome or the best cocktails of Bologna at Bizarre. 

Mozzabella
Via Ugo Bassi, 23, 40121 Bologna
Tel. +39 051 484 1969 

Sfarina
Via Ugo Bassi, 23, 40121 Bologna
sfarina.it 

Vini e Sapuri Via Ugo Bassi, 23, 40121 Bologna
Tel. +39 320 189 1408 
www.viniesapuri.com

Bar Senza Nome
Via Belvedere, 11, 40121 Bologna
Tel. +39 392 516 2896 

Bizarre Tel.
Via Belvedere, 4/a, 40121 Bologna
Tel. +39 347 097 7547
www.bizarrebologna.com​

Mercato Albani
Another market, but far from the movida of Mercato delle Erbe.  A long hallway with food stalls and a few bar that at night becomes alive.   At Sbando you can choose from a good list of wine and pay for small tapas (1€ each).
​On Friday and Saturday night the atmosphere is lively and a bit alcoholic. Surely authentic.  

Sbando
Via Francesco Albani, 40129 Bologna
Tel. 375 502 7838  

Via Mascarella and University area
The street of jazz in the middle of University area.  Get a drink and a read a book at Modo Infoshop bookshop.   
​Sit outside at LOrtica for a Bologna craft beer amongst students.   
​A few meters and you get a street food pizza at Pizzartist and a glass of wine at Rubik or Camera a Sud.   

Modo Infoshop
Via Mascarella, 24/b, 40126 Bologna  
Tel. +39 051 587 1012  

LOrtica
Via Mascarella, 26/B, 40126 Bologna
Tel. +39 051 587 6455
www.lortica.org 

Caffè Rubik
Via Marsala, 31/D, 40126 Bologna BO
Tel. +39 051 014 0660
www.cafferubik.com

Camera a Sud
Via Valdonica, 5, 40126 Bologna
Tel. +39 051 095 1448
www.cameraasud.net

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Summer in Bologna is like a chocolate box, sorry Forrest. Rich and tasty, but ends always too soon.
Here’s my guide for the best places to enjoy and never miss any crumb of it.

You’ve drunk all the water of Nettuno fountain.
Jump between the shadows of the porticos.
Spend a full day through crypts and ice caves (yes, we have a lot of them).

But it’s hot, still.

Summer in Bologna can be very hot.
The good news is that you can find an escape in the green. 

Giardini Margherita is our Hyde Park. People jogging in the evening, a small lake and a light, unexpected breeze.
From 2014 it also hosts my favourite place to spend a summer night in Bologna.
Le Serre dei Giardini Margherita are former greenhouses brought back to life by Kilowatt association. Photos hardly describe the atmosphere of this place. Get a drink and listen to live music or just relax between rosemary and thyme.

Rudere is the next big thing of 2018.
Literally translated as “the ruin”, Rudere is another example of regeneration of a forsaken place. Free-grill, live music and craft beer on a hill with a view on San Luca Basilica. Not bad, uh?

Not exactly a place for aperitivo, but once you’ve tried Scaccomatto agli Orti then it’s hard to not talk about it.
An oasis of peace and harmony hidden behind a gate.
A secret vegetable garden where you can have dinner under fig trees.
A chef, Mario Ferrara, who greets you with a smile and surprises with his dishes.
Fixed menu that changes every evening. Be sure to book in advance.

Info

Le Serre dei Giardini Margherita
Via Castiglione, 134, 40136 Bologna
leserre.kilowatt.bo.it

Rudere
Via Gaibara 1, 40136 Bologna
www.rudeosteria.it
Tel. 051 235944

Scaccomatto agli Orti
Via della Braina 7, 40124 Bologna
Tel. 051 263404
www.ristorantescaccomatto.com

When I was 8, I used to wait for the new collection of Panini soccer stickers.
When I was 20, for the new Radiohead album.
Now, for both of them still, but also for the program of Sotto le Stelle del Cinema.

From mid-June to August 15th, Piazza Maggiore becomes a cinema. The best cinema I’ve ever seen.
 
First Cinema Ritrovato Festival brings back to life old masterpieces, restored by the lab of Cineteca di Bologna.

Then Sotto le stelle del cinema enlightens the biggest screen in Europe with old Italian movies, the hidden gems you’ve missed in the last season, and some unique events like silent movies with an orchestra. 
All movies are in original language, with English subtitles if Italian. 

June is also the month of Biografilm Festival: a month of previews, small productions and documentaries that enrich the park of Cavaticcio day and night. After the movie, you can have some street food in a park and enjoy live music near the old Cavaticcio canal. 

If you speak a bit of Italian, or you’d like to learn it, Arena Puccini is another open-air theatre to consider.
Not only because of the selection of movies, mostly last season highlights.
The park around it called DLF (former after-work railway area) now hosts beach-volley playing fields, a nice restaurant and the great pizza of Pizzartist. 

Info

Cinema Ritrovato
June 23rd – July 1st 2018
Piazza Maggiore, Bologna
festival.ilcinemaritrovato.it

Sotto le stelle del cinema
July 2nd – August 15th, 2018
Piazza Maggiore, Bologna
www.cinetecadibologna.it

Biografilm Festival June 1st – 24th 2018
Parco del Cavaticcio, Via Azzo Gardino, 40122 Bologna
Tel. 051 219 3111
www.biografilm.it

Arena Puccini
Mid June – first days of Sept
Via Sebastiano Serlio, 25/2, 40128 Bologna
www.cinetecadibologna.it

Live music in Bologna is a big thing.
Name a rock star, a pop idol or a jazz master and you can be sure he made a walk under the porticoes.

The most important clubs move their stages outdoor during summer.
If Covo Summer Club is the Mecca of indie-rockers, Botanique offers a wider range of concerts, but it’s also a place to get a beer and relax sitting on the grass.

Jazz lovers, we don’t forget about you. 
Via Mascarella, the street of jazz, closes for pedestrians in summer and becomes a living room.
During Salotto del Jazz Festival, hosted by Cantina Bentivoglio and Bravo Caffè, Moustache and Cinema Odeon, you can relax with a glass of wine and a dish tagliatelle al ragù while the brushes are drumming.
 
Piazza Verdi is the most controversial square of Bologna.
Coen’s brother would say that the heart of University area is not a country for old men.
A​ stage for concerts and public conferences tries to change its mood, by bringing some great musicians like trumpeter Paolo Fresu. Keep an eye on it.

Info

Covo Summer Club
June 7th – July 14th, 2018
Viale Zagabria 1, 40127 Bologna
Tel. 051 505801
covoclub.it

Botanique
June 16th – July 22nd, 2018
Via Filippo Re, 40126 Bologna
www.botanique.it

Bravo Caffè
Via Mascarella 1, 40126 Bologna
Tel. 051 266112
www.bravocaffe.it

Cantina Bentivoglio
Via Mascarella 4/b, 40126 Bologna
Tel. 051 265416
​www.cantinabentivoglio.it

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If you follow this blog you know how much I love Bologna and I can suggest you things to do in town for about a year. But Bologna is also in a strategic position in Italy, so if you’re looking for a daytrip by car or train, in a less than one hour you can be in a lot of different amazing cities of Emilia Romagna and not only. These are my 5 favourite places to spend a day outside Bologna between art, culture and great food.

I’m deeply in love with Ferrara. I’m bounded with this small city for many reasons. It was there in Piazza Castello where I’ve seen Radiohead for the first time and other tons of great gigs during “Ferrara Sotto Le Stelle Festival” that takes place every summer. In Ferrara you have plenty of interesting things to see: Palazzo dei Diamanti, Castello Estense and San Giorgio Cathedral but is the structure of the city centre, redesigned by Ercole I to enlarge and protect Ferrara from the enemies, that is astonishing in its perfect proportion. Since 1995 Ferrara city centre is UNESCO heritage and it’s not difficult to understand why: rent a bike (Ferrara is one of the european cities of bike) and ride through tiny streets or on the city walls that fence the centre.

Where to Eat
Quel fantastico giovedi
A small and intimate restaurant to try some local fish dishes like eels or codfish.
quelfantasticogiovedi.it
Via Castelnuovo, 9 – Ferrara
Tel. 0532760570
Price 35€

Close to the sea, Ravenna is a city of art and fun. Visit the beautiful mosaics of San Vitale and Mausoleo di Galla Placidia and if you have the car consider to go to Sant’Apollinare in Classe or Marina di Ravenna to taste some local fish. Don’t expect the beautiful and clear sea of Sicilia or Puglia but summer nightlife is one of the most famous in Italy. While you come back to Bologna don’t forget to stop at Dozza, and hidden village full of street art and a nice middle age castle you can visit.

Where to eat 
Osteria del tempo perso
In this restaurant of the city centre full of jazz memorabilia you can have classics fish dishes and some great variations like shrimps with pasta kataifi.
osteriadeltempoperso.it
Via Gamba, 12, 48121 Ravenna RA
Tel. 0544215393
Price 40€

The city of Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale has a lot more to offer (even if is great to visit a real Acetaia) like the astonishing Cattedrale in Piazza Grande or Piazza dell’Accademia. If like me your passion is food like me Mercato Albinelli is a landmark, if you’re lucky you can find Massimo Bottura shopping fish and meat. If your passion is cars, well this is your city. At Ferrari museum you can see an impressive collection or even drive a real one. Last tip: look for Torta Barozzi, a  tasty chocolate cake invented in Vignola with a secret recipe.

Where to eat 
Osteria stallo del pomodoro
This place deserves a full post because I love their cuisine and the customer care and preparation. Classic modenese cuisine and some revisited dishes with local ingredients. A lot of attention for celiac intolerance, they also make 3 kind of gluten free bread.
stallodelpomodoro.it
Largo Hannover, 63, 41100 Modena MO
Tel. 059214664
​Price 35€

For children grown up in Emilia Romagna, Mantova is the most typical school day excursion. In this small city of Lombardia in fact you can follow the steps of Gonzaga’s Renaissance family and visit astonishing palaces like Palazzo Te: a villa designed and paited by Giulio Romano for the idleness and leisure of Federico II. I bet that entering Sala dei Giganti will leave you speechless!
Mantova’s city centre, UNESCO Heritage site, is a gem. Take the time to visit Sant’Andrea Cathedral, Bibiena theatre and the most popular Camera degli Sposi painted by Mantegna inside San Giorgio’s castle. One last tip: while you come back, stop on Mincio river shores to take a few photos of Mantova skyline during sunset. ​

Where to eat
Due cavallini
An old osteria close to the river harbour that started 50 years to serve food and wine to docker and workmen. It hasn’t changed much and there you can find real traditional dishes like tortelli with pumpkin or maccheroni with stew. Generous portions and simple wine like Lambrusco mantovano for an out of time place.

trattoriaduecavallinimantova.it
Via Salnitro, 5, 46100 Mantova 
Tel. 0376 322084
Price 30€

You all know Firenze’s landmarks: Uffizi, Duomo etc. But if you have already been there I reccomend a different daytrip inside a less touristic Firenze. Start your day with a visit of Mercato di Sant’Ambrogio, a real local market close to Santa Croce Basilica where you can taste some great street foods. For lunch you can stop at the most popular San Lorenzo indoor market to try lampredotto and buy some cantucci cookies at Il cantucciaio di San Lorenzo.
Then move outside the crowded streets and walk around Santo Spirito and Borgo San Frediano neighbourhood. It’s an area full of students, small shops and nice restaurants, and if you come in spring I reccomend to visit Boboli Gardens. 
With high speed train Firenze is just 35min from Bologna, so consider to sleep in the cheaper and less touristic Bologna and just move there for a day.

Where to eat
Da Rocco
Inside Mercato Sant’Ambrogio you can meet Rocco, the crazy and funny owner of this small restaurant that will put a 2l bottle of red wine at your table when you sit. Food is simple and not fancy, with the classic of Tuscany cuisine like chickpea soup, ribollita or lampredotto (cow’s stomach). You’ll pay a lot less than expected, that’s why you have to wait in queue for a few minutes.

trattoriadarocco.it
Mercato S. Ambrogio Firenze, Piazza Ghiberti, 50122 Firenze
Tel. 3398384555​
Price: 15€

[Photos: Caspar Diederik, Alessandro Grussu,Fr Lawrence Lew, Alessandro Bonvini, Augusto Mia Battaglia, Eric Pascolo]

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