BUY
VIA DELL’INFERNO: Old-school artisans
have settled in this cobbled street in the
former Jewish quarter. Cosetta Corticelli
and her father hand-make classic women’s
shoes while opposite, leather-worker Yanjia
Chen crats delicate earrings, bags and
luggage tags from Italian leather at I XII Bo.
corticellicosetta.it yanjiachen.blogspot.it
ALTROMERCATO: Stufed with all things
Fairtrade, from maia-free Sicilian rice to
cooperative-grown pulses, Bolivian alpaca
scarves to headbands made from saris.
Ceramics, jewellery, stationery and chocolate
— it’s all here. altromercato.it
LA SALUMERIA DI BRUNO E FRANCO: This is
a one-stop shop for Bologna’s best food:
a counter of fresh pasta, hand-rolled that
morning by Franco’s daughter, plus the
region’s best prosciutto, salami, oils and
condiments. la-salumeria.it
FORMAGGERIA BARBIERI: The Barbieri family
have been selling cheese in the Mercato delle
Erbe food market since 1968. Alberto lets you
sample over 100 cheeses, including Tuscany’s
best pecorino and parmesan aged for 52
months. facebook.com/formaggeriabarbieri
LIKE A LOCAL
ORDER THE UNUSUAL: Forget tagliatelle
al ragu. The two must-try dishes here are
tortellini in brodo — tiny, hand-twisted
pasta illed with parmesan and various pork
meats, swimming in broth — and cotoletta
alla petroniana, a breaded veal schnitzel
wrapped in prosciutto and soused in melted
parmesan. A tip: in Bologna, it’s necessary to
book the best restaurants a week ahead.
HIDDEN MASTERPIECES: In the Quadrilatero,
pop into Santa Maria della Vita to see
the harrowing, breathtakingly modern
Compianto — lifesize terracotta sculptures
of the Deposition by 15th-century Niccolò
dell’Arca. Another striking work is in Santa
Maria della Pietà: the Miracle of the Loaves
and Fishes by 16th-century female painter
Lavinia Fontana.
BACK TO SCHOOL: For a taste of Europe’s
oldest university (founded in 1088), follow
the students to the Archiginnasio and pop
into the all-wood Anatomical Theatre where
two layed-skin statues hold up the lecturer’s
chair. If that’s not gruesome enough, the
Palazzo Poggi Museum has wax casts of
embryos and adults mid-dissection.ZZZ
SLEEP
UNA HOTEL: Right opposite the
train station, about a 20-minute walk from
the centre, this trendy hotel has brightly
coloured, travel-themed rooms and a pretty
outdoor terrace that’s open April to October.
Doubles from £69, B&B. gruppouna.it
ART HOTEL COMMERCIANTI: You’ll
ind everything from a display case of
Renaissance pottery to medieval beams in
the 38 rooms of this 12th-century building,
a former guild premises round the side of
the Basilica of San Petronio. Get a room
overlooking the basilica — the chants on
a Sunday morning loat up through the
window. Doubles from £130, B&B.
art-hotel-commercianti.com
GRAND HOTEL MAJESTIC GIÀ BAGLIONI:^
Bologna’s fanciest hotel has Luca Giordano
artworks on the walls, a strip of Roman
road by the breakfast room and a lobby
of gleaming marble. The louncy, fabric-
smothered rooms are over the top and
not ive-star-sized, but it’s worth it for the
outré experience. Ask for a room high up
overlooking the cathedral. Doubles from
£266, room only. duetorrihotels.comTwin towers // Bologna’s
Asinelli and Garisenda
towers dominate the skyline.
Dante even mentioned the
Garisenda in the Divine
Comedy and you can climb
the Asinelli, but with 498
steps, it’s best attempted
before a heavy meal
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: A bartender
at Agricola e Vitale in the Piazza Santo
Stefano; panoramic view of Bologna from
the top of Torre Prendiparte; Paolo Atti &
Figli bakery; Piazza MaggioreApril 2020 153BOLOGNA