TRAVEL
A Visual Feast of Italy
FALL 2011
celebratedliving.com
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he iconicTwoTowersof centralBologna, one
of thebestpreservedmedieval cities in Italy,
are instantly recognizablebecause they tower
overPiazzadiPortaRavegnana, theheartof
thecity, and, surprisingly, bothareprecarious-
ly leaning. Lesswell-known than the towerat
Pisa,Bologna isactuallya townof towers, at
one time rumored tohouseseveral hundred,
but nowadays limited to fewer than 20. Al-
though it is rarely recognized thesedays for its richarchitectural
pedigreebeyond itsstoried25milesof porticoes (thanks toanob-
scure13th-centuryzoningvariance),Bologna is renownedas the
EmiliaRomagna region’sculinaryepicenter.
The curedporkmeats suchasmortadella, salami, andpro-
sciutto— therearedozensof varietiesand cutsof prosciutto
alone—andvegetables, especiallyartichokes, zucchini, truf-
fles, and tomatoes, from the regionare soflavorful thatwhen
you taste them, youwould swear that the chef hadadded some
secret ingredient.Manymanage tofind their
way intoa richassortment of pastas, includ-
ing specialties suchas lasagnabechamel, tor-
tellini in
brodo
, orbroth,with sageand
passatelli
(thinunfilled tubes) that quaint
ris-
toranti
likeLaBottegadi FrancoandTratto-
riaLaBucaoften coat inheavydosesof butter
and cream. Then there is the famedmeat-
based
ragùallabolognese,
orbolognese sauce,
known throughout theworldand foundat every trattoriaand
osteria. Bologna isalso theepicenter forother Italian favorites,
including the city’shighly covetedParmigiano-Reggiano cheese
andbalsamicvinegar, the latterproducednearby in theprov-
incesofModenaandParma.Many local restaurantsareeven
known foradding
acetobalsamico,
agedbalsamic, like choco-
late syruponvanillagelato foran indescribabledessert. For
moreonBologna, visit informa.comune.bologna.it/iperbole/
turismo, 011-39-051-239-660,
