Bologna, Italy May 2024 5/5 My wife and I have a long list of places we’d like to visit around the world. But a memorable honeymoon stop in Bologna in 2018 made an impression on us and keeps calling us back. And so we returned in May 2024.
While Bologna isn’t exactly unknown, it doesn’t make the itinerary for most tourists visiting Italy. It’s the capital of the Emilia-Romagna region and home to one of the oldest universities in Europe, which keeps it youthful and vibrant alongside its signature medieval architecture. Italy is overrun with tourists and it can be difficult to find authenticity amongst tourist trap restaurants and cheap knick-knack shops.
In Bologna, you can catch glimpses of the real Italian life. Breakfast in Bologna is a quick and indulgent affair consisting of a fresh pastry, strong espresso or cappuccino and the right amount of chaos. Near our rented flat and the Mercato delle Erbe is Bologna’s oldest pastry shop, Caffè Pasticceria Gamberini, which has been providing sugar and caffeine fixes for more than a century.
It’s a lively, no-nonsense spot where I started each morning standing at the bar with a messy pistachio cornetto washed down with a cappuccino. I’d watch the skilled baristas in their sophisticated white jackets churning out a dozen espresso shots per minute and shouting at the regulars, who seem to have an unspoken privilege of skipping the line. The indulgent kick provided sufficient fuel for each day of exploring Bologna.
Twe.