Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
views through protective glass, and, in places, even a bit of fresco. Antique pieces
and Oriental carpets fill the lobby, vaulting and columns the breakfast room. The
polished woodwork and rustic touches extend down the twisting halls into the
stunning rooms, which have been carved out of the centuries-old structure and
vary widely in size and shape. Even the smallest, though, are welcoming. Most
of the beds are canopied or have iron frames; the fabrics are rich red, gold, and
blue; the TVs are flatscreens; and lots of rooms have beamed ceilings and inlaid
marble tables. “Deluxe” rooms (
€
190-
€
231) have small terraces overlooking San
Petronius.
€€€€
Charging the same rates as the Dei Commercianti is the relatively new
(it opened in 2003)
Novecento
(Piazza Galileo, 4;
%
051-7457311),
which
from the outside looks a bit like a turn-of-the-20th-century theater house on its
own quiet square a few blocks southwest of the main piazza. Inside, however, is a
sleek boutique hotel done in a full-bore repro of Secession style (the Viennese ver-
sion of Art Nouveau—very modernist, with lots of straight lines, simple curves,
and a restrained color palette).
DINING FOR ALL TASTES
There's a good reason it's called “Bologna the Fat.” Chubby tortellini are filled
with cheese and meat and topped with cream sauces. Heaping platters of grilled
meats are served without a care for cholesterol. Yes, you can eat very well in
Bologna—what is surprising is that you need not spend a fortune doing so.
RESTAURANTS NEAR THE UNIVERSITY
€
5
(Via Marsala, 2b;
%
051-235989),
an inviting
and award-winning shop-cum-wine bar on a side street just north of Piazza
Maggiore, you can stand at the bar and sip on a local wine while enjoying a sand-
wich or platter of cheese and mortadella. Simple, family-run
Trattoria Da Danio
(Via San Felice, 50;
%
051-555202)
consists of one brightly lit tiled room, usu-
ally filled with the clamor of families who live in this old neighborhood just east
of Piazza Maggiore (follow Via Ugo Bassi its length to Via San Felice). The
kitchen sends out good, substantial
servings of traditional Bolognese fare:
heaping bowls of tortellini topped
with bolognese sauce, delicious gnoc-
chi stuffed with spinach and ricotta,
homey chicken and pork dishes, and
the like. The weekday
€
7.50
menu
turistico
(single course with wine and
water), and
€
12
menu prezzo fisso
(pasta, main course, side dish, wine,
water, and cover), are great deals.
55
At the
Enoteca Italiana
“
First thing at Bologna: tried
Bologna sausage on the principle
that at Rome you go first to
St. Peter's.
”
—Herman Melville,
Journal of a Visit to Europe
and the Levant,
1857
€
-
€€
Trattoria Belfiore
(Via Marsala, 11a;
%
051-226641; Wed-Mon)
is a
series of narrow, high-ceilinged rooms on one of the old streets between Via
dell'Indipendenza and the university area, and as a result it attracts an incongru-
ous group of students and businesspeople who chatter noisily as friendly waiters
