Bologna Private Food Tour with a Local Foodie: Bologna's Tastiest Treats
Description
You’ll follow your host as you eat your way around Italy’s food capital – Bologna! Browse through historic markets, salumerie (delis), bars and specialty stores and discover the Mercato di Mezzo, the oldest market in the city. Seasonal produce is king, and you’ll notice, smell and taste the sun-ripened fruit and fresh herbs as you wander from stall to stall. Round off your day at the Mercato delle Erbe - the perfect spot to indulge in an aperitivo as you soak up the warm terracotta atmosphere of this historic city and its friendly people. Within 24 hours after booking you'll receive a short questionnaire about your personality and interests. Based on your responses, you'll be assigned a like-minded host. Your host will communicate with you directly to suggest an itinerary to help you discover what makes the city unique. You will also agree on a meeting time and place. Your itinerary is flexible, so during the experience, you can always change your mind about what you want to do.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Join a host and discover Bologna’s incredible food culture whilst tasting classic Bolognese dishes and produce, like mortadella in the old Bologna food market known as Il Quadrilatero IMPORTANT: As this is a private and personalized experience, the places you visit may differ from those listed and these will be chosen by your host based on your interests and preferences
Browse through historic markets, salumerie (delis), bars and specialty stores and discover Mercato di Mezzo, the oldest market in the city IMPORTANT: As this is a private and personalized experience, the places you visit may differ from those listed and these will be chosen by your host based on your interests and preferences
Enjoy a classic aperitivo at the Mercato delle Erbe IMPORTANT: As this is a private and personalized experience, the places you visit may differ from those listed and these will be chosen by your host based on your interests and preferences
You couldn’t miss tasting tortellini al brodo - For some of the best tortellini in the city, head to Trattoria dal Biassanot IMPORTANT: As this is a private and personalized experience, the places you visit may differ from those listed and these will be chosen by your host based on your interests and preferences
After 7 tastings of Bolognese specialty dishes, end off your day with an organic gelato at Stefino Organic Gelato - if you’ve still got any room left! IMPORTANT: As this is a private and personalized experience, the places you visit may differ from those listed and these will be chosen by your host based on your interests and preferences
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Wheelchair accessible
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- We’ll be in touch within 24 hours after booking to find out more about your personality, tastes and interests so we can assign a like-minded Local who can create a bespoke experience for you.
Reviews(36)
Andrea was an incredibly personable tour guide. His in depth knowledge of the food in Bologna benefitted our tummies greatly. Throughout the day we nibbled on bread and cured meats, wine to wash it down. Tasted glorious balsamic at Gusti and then finished with traditional rice cakes and shortbread pasta cakes (this is not the correct name). We hardly had room for gelato but managed to rally and eat two sweet scoops at all. Don't sleep on booking this tour. You'll learn a ton, eat a lot and walk most of it off as you wander the city!
We’re so glad you had such a delicious and memorable way of discovering Bologna! It’s wonderful to hear how the experience combined incredible local food, fascinating insights, and plenty of exploration along the way — thank you for sharing this fantastic recommendation.
This was such a great experience! I learned about the origins of the food and the regions that they come from. I loved Antonia, she was a great host. Very flexible with my schedule.
Thank you for your wonderful review! We’re delighted to hear that you enjoyed the experience and learned so much about the origins of the food and its regions. It’s great to know that Antonia made such a positive impression as a host, and that her flexibility helped make your experience seamless. We’ll be sure to pass along your kind words to her!
The walking tour was great. Learned a lot about the history of Bologna and the present as well. Andrea was informative, funny and introduced us to some cured meats that we had not tried before. A nice way to spend the morning.
I'm so glad to hear you enjoyed exploring Bologna with Andrea! It’s wonderful that you got to learn, laugh, and taste something new all in one morning. Thanks for sharing this lovely feedback!
Nicola was a great guide and showed us true Bologna food gems that we would not have found on our own.
Thank you so much for your kind words! We're thrilled to hear that Nicola was able to share Bologna's hidden food gems with you—there’s nothing like discovering authentic local flavours with someone who knows the city inside out. We’re so glad you had a memorable experience! See you on your next adventure!
Our host, Antonia, was exceptional. She made our afternoon in Bologna a wonderful adventure. We sampled a variety of traditional dishes native to Bologna and received a great orientation to the food culture and an introduction to the history of the region. We highly recommend for a new visitor to the region. Thanks for a wonderful afternoon!!!
It’s wonderful to know that Antonia was able to give you a true taste of the city, both through its food and its rich history. Antonia is a passionate and knowledgeable host, and thank you so much for your kind words! We’re so glad we could be part of your journey, and we hope to welcome you on another City Unscripted experience soon! Thank you also for the recommendation.
Claudio was absolutely outstanding! From the moment we met him in Bologna, he was kind, attentive, and clearly passionate about creating a memorable experience. He thoughtfully tailored our time together to match our interests, weaving in fascinating historical details and vibrant touches of local culture. The food and wine selections were nothing short of incredible—each stop felt like a hidden gem. Claudio’s knowledge and warm personality made this experience truly special. Highly recommend!!
Thank you so much for your kind words! We are so happy you had such a wonderful experience with Claudio. His passion and attention to detail truly make a difference, and we’re so glad he was able to create a memorable day for you. We appreciate your recommendation and hope to welcome you on another adventure soon!
Be ready to eat and learn the history of Bologna! Andrea was great as a guide and his love of Bologna shined through.
Thank you for your wonderful review! We're so glad you enjoyed exploring Bologna with Andrea and experiencing the city's rich history and amazing food. His passion for Bologna truly makes every tour special!
An absolutely incredible tour given by Gabriele! Walking around the city we got to experience so much of Bologna’s history. Gabriele was very kind and extremely knowledgeable. We had many laughs and amazing food. His recommendation for our dinner later was absolutely perfect and delicious. We couldn’t ask for a better way to be introduced to this lovely city. 10/10
It's great to hear that you had a 10/10 day with Gabriele in Bologna, that you enjoyed many laughs and amazing food! We can't wait to host your next adventure!
It was excellent. Our guide Gabriele was incredible, very knowledgeable. He also told us a lot about Bologna.
Your positive review is incredibly valuable to us and Gabriele. Thank you sincerely!
We had a wonderful tour of Bologna with Nicola in mid-May 2024. Nicola is a PhD student studying history, and my husband and I were history majors, so this was a great match for us. We had a wonderful tour of the major sights in Bologna's main square, as well as the amazing shields and crests at the Archiginnasio Library. The tour was less food-focused as it was on sights until the last part of the tour, which was fine with us; we had Bolognese street food with Nicola of Mortadella panini as well as Tigelle - with a special local delicacy thrown in, pig lard mixed with parm cheese - not an every day eat but it was super interesting and we were happy to try it. Nicola has an extensive list of Gelateria that he loves and we went to one that had "whipped cream" gelato - it was unbelievable. If you love history and want some local street food flavor thrown in, this is the tour for you. Grazie, Nicola!
It sounds like you had a fantastic time exploring Bologna with Nicola! His passion for history must have made the tour even more engaging. Grazie mille for choosing our tour!
