The many nicknames that Bologna has earned over the centuries reflect central tenets of the city's identity. La Grassa ("the fat one") celebrates its legendary food culture. La Dotta ("the learned one") tips its hat to the University of Bologna, founded in 1088. And La Rossa ("the red one") nods both to the city’s terra-cotta rooftops and its left-leaning politics. Together they sketch a portrait of a place where food, history and ideas mingle beneath miles of graceful porticoes. Come hungry and curious: this is a city made for savoring, strolling and lingering longer than you planned.
If you came to Bologna in search of "authentic" spaghetti bolognese, you’re out of luck. The name is a misnomer. Spaghetti Bolognese is about as Bolognese as roast beef and Yorkshire pudding, and Bologna’s fiercely traditional trattorias don’t serve it. Instead, the city prides itself on a vastly superior meat-based sauce called ragù, which sees slow-cooked minced beef and pork added to a soffritto (sautéed onions, celery and carrots), enlivened with a liberal dash of red wine, and simmered for hours.
