Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Toward the back of the left flank of the church, with a separate entrance, is the
Oratorio di Santa Cecilia
(Via Zamboni, 15;
%
051-225970; daily 9:30am-
1pm and 2-6pm).
This oratory was frescoed with scenes from the lives of St.
Cecilia and her husband, St. Valerian, by the best artists working in Bologna in
the 16th century. These included Il Francia (who painted the best of the bunch:
the
Marriage of St. Cecilia
to the left of the altar and the
Burial of St. Cecilia
to the
altar's right), Lorenzo Costa (the two panels abutting Il Francia's), and Amico
Aspertini (the two scenes closest to the entry door on either side; he may have had
a hand in the four middle panels as well).
THE OTHER BOLOGNA
The Bolognese people just love to eat—and eat well. Life in Bologna revolves
around the kitchen, so to get under the skin of this city, forget the museums and
monuments. Take a morning to explore the gastronomic side of Bologna. Start
early, around 8am, to mingle with the market workers, professional trattoria chefs,
and home-kitchen master chefs out doing their morning shopping.
Bologna's
main-street market
lines Via Drapperie and Via delle Pescherie
Vecchie with fishmongers and fourth-generation grocers.
A. F. Tamburini
5
5
(Via
Caprarie, 1, at Via Drapperie;
%
051-234726; www.tamburini.com)
has stacks of
salami, pendulums of prosciutto, and cheap cafeteria-like
tavola calda
(pasta and
simple meat dishes,
5.50) in the back, and
Drogheria Gilberto
(Via
Drapperie, 5;
%
051-223925),
maintains shelves stacked to the ceiling with
chocolates, candies, liqueurs, marmalades, and preserves, and always offers free
samples (I scored brownies on my last visit). Also nip down Via Caprarie to
Paolo
Atti & Figli
€
3.50-
€
(Via Caprarie, 7;
%
051-220425; www.paoloatti.com),
purvey-
ors of Bologna's finest baked goods since 1880 under high frescoed ceilings.
My favorite stands, though, are the numerous
fruit-and-vegetable stalls
groaning under the weight of purple-fringed artichokes, crinkly bunches of
arugula, sleek indigo eggplant, pink pomegranates, orange zucchini flowers,
55
Ragù Straight from the Source
Don't just describe those fantastic meals to your friends back home; learn
to make them at a Bologna cooking school.
Gli Amici di Babette
(Via San
Felice, 116, scala G;
%
051-6493627 or 339-7011003; www.lacucinadi
babette.com)
offers more than a dozen 3-hour courses on breads, pastas,
pastries, and desserts for all skill levels for
€
65 to
€
80 per lesson (there
are also double-session lessons on historical cooking—ancient Roman,
medieval, Renaissance, and 19th c.—for
€
150).
La Vecchia Scuola Bolognese
(Via Malvasia, 49;
%
051-6491576;
www.lavecchiascuola.com)
does 4-hour courses on making fresh pastas at
€
70 a pop (or a 5-day course for
€
220).
Cookitaly
(
%
051-6448612;
www.cookitaly.com)
costs more, at
€
250 for one or
€
350 for two, but you
get a 6-hour lesson and learn to cook a three-course meal—
primo, secondo,
and dessert.
