Bologna is called La Grassa — the fat one — for good reason. It is the culinary capital not just of Italy but arguably of Europe: ragù was invented here, mortadella was invented here, tortellini were invented here, and lasagne verdi as we know them were codified within a five-block radius of Piazza Maggiore.
One day is not enough. Two is a good start. Here's how we walk it.
§Morning — the Quadrilatero
Start early, around 9am, in the medieval market grid just east of Piazza Maggiore. Tamburini for a small tasting board of mortadella, culatello, and Parmigiano aged 36 months. Then Paolo Atti & Figli, family-run since 1880, for fresh tortellini you can watch being folded in the window.
Coffee break at Terzi — the best espresso in the city, no argument.
§Lunch — a proper trattoria
Skip anything with a menu in four languages. Real Bolognese trattorie print on a single sheet of paper and change it every day. Trattoria Anna Maria for tagliatelle al ragù made by the founder herself (she's 80 and still rolls the pasta by hand); Trattoria di Via Serra for tortellini in brodo that will genuinely change your idea of what soup can be.
Order half portions of two pastas if you want to try more — no waiter will mind.
§Afternoon — the university quarter
Walk off lunch through Via Zamboni and the arcades of the world's oldest university. Duck into Osteria del Sole (opened 1465) for a glass of Sangiovese — you bring your own food, they pour the wine. It's the most Bolognese thing you can do.
§Evening — aperitivo, then dinner in the hills
Aperitivo at Camera a Sud, then take a taxi 15 minutes up into the Colli Bolognesi for dinner. Trattoria Amerigo dal 1934, an hour outside the city in Savigno, is worth the drive from October to January for their truffle menu. In summer, Nonno Rossi in Casalecchio does the best crescentine and cured meats you'll ever eat.
End the night with a glass of Nocino — the local walnut liqueur, drunk at midnight after St. John's Eve — and a long walk home under the arcades. There are 40km of them. You won't see the sky and you won't get wet.