Bologna: Where the GELATO is a literal life-changing experience…
I’ve done it again and taken a loooong hiatus from here. With the start of a new teaching year (and embarking upon an online master’s program), somehow I woke up this week and realized that next week is Halloween…and just how did that happen???? This summer was spent with visits ‘home’ to America, then returning ‘home’ to Istanbul– but not without adventures in between. This is the 1st of a few posts thinking back to summer trips…
After returning home from America, my roommate and I had planned a trip to Tbilisi (one of my fav places, read about it here if you want:Georgia On My Mind…) but through some kind of cosmic mishap or divine intervention, our flight was cancelled and with the refund we were offered a ‘same price’ flight to Italy. SOLD!
Before moving to Istanbul, my life’s dream was actually to live in Italy and I went so far as to even get a degree in Italian language alongside my other degrees. Obviously that dream evolved and led me to where I am now, but it’s never ended my love affair with Italy and all of my adventures that took place there in my twenties when I briefly lived there. Through most of those adventures, my best friend was also there, and we spent days traipsing through the Italian countryside eating gelato after gelato. I remember back then my best friend saying she wanted to have a gelaterria. As we would taste each swirled scoop, she would compare this one to that one and this flavor to the next. At the time it seemed like a sort or game or untouchable dream as we ate and ate.
As much time as I spent in Italy years ago, I had never been to Bologna…a completely magical city. It’s quiet. Everyone rides bikes. It has porticos and nearly every street is red or terra-cotta orange. It’s so picturesque you want to swoon. It’s also known throughout Italy as ‘La Grassa”, which translates literally to the ‘The Fat One’ because of THE FOOD!!
If you want to eat the best pasta and gelato of your entire life, GO THERE. GO NOW. JUST GET ON A PLANE. ARRIVE. EAT. BE FULFILLED FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE.
Upon arrival in Bologna we found a cute local cafe by our apartment. We were the only non-Italians in there and it was filled with little old men and over-sized bowls of pasta. You always know a place is good if it’s filled with old people and the decor isn’t fussy. Trattoria Amedeo in Porta Saragozza is a fantastic little restaurant, serving old school favorites and not needing to modernize them. Why change a good thing?
As pictured above, I ordered the Linguine Al Ragu (the closest thing you get to what we call ‘Spaghetti Bolognese’ in the states, only… that doesn’t actually exist in Italy). It’s probably the most traditional dish of Bologna and is perfectly buttery al dente linguine covered in a thick meat sauce. Everything is perfectly seasoned and melts in your mouth. My friend ordered to ravioli con burro e salvia (butter and sage). So simple, just 3 ingredients: cheese, butter, and sage-yet completely complex in flavor. We ate here at least 2 more times and every time it was a sure bet for just good perfectly made pasta.
We also began the ‘Gelato Journey’. We started out at Cremeria Santo Stefano, then, no exaggeration, after finishing the gelato we walked over to Sorbetto Castiglione and for round 2. Both gelaterias produced the creamiest gelato and the most intense flavors I’d ever eaten. It was hard to choose between the two and we decided we would have to keep comparing a few more times. My favorite flavor at Santo Stefano was the pistachhio salata (salted pistachio) and at Castiglione I loved the ‘dulce emma’ which had ricotta with fig jam and candied almonds.
I think back to those 1st few days in Bologna and it was just magical. After stuffing ourselves with good food we would walk around and explore the tiny alleyways, then head to Piazza Maggiore for an aperitivo (aperol spritz thank you!) on the square, looking out at the rows of chairs lined up for the open air cinema that played every night.
We took several side trips: one returning to where I had lived and studied abroad, one to visit great friends who will always remain like family outside of Florence, and then several to the surrounding towns outside of Bologna.
The most surprising side trip was our trip to Dozza– a walled Medieval hilltop town which in recent years local artists have begun painting murals all over the walls and is famed for having one of the best regional restaurants as well as a regional food and wine enoteca.
Ristorante la Scuderia is worth the hassle of figuring out how to get to Dozza (regional train to Imola, then taxi for 25 minutes). This restaurant is kind of like a little piece of paradise. Of course, in typical fashion, we proceeded to order everything on the menu without realizing that there was a certain way in which we were supposed to order our courses –thoroughly confusing the waiter in the process. When the cheese plate filled with homemade fig preserves came out before the pasta and the waiter presented it to us with a terrified look written all over his face, we understood our mistake. However, he was so kind about it so we went with the flow and began our meal of: a regional cheese and jam plate, fried zucchini sticks, fried polenta sticks with creamy cheese, and ravioli with butter and sage. All paired with a robust Sangiovese red wine… of course. It. WAS. AMAZING.
After eating, we went to have a look at the Enoteca, which is located in the old dungeon of the Dozza Castle. To our delight, we found that the Enoteca was basically a gigantic wine cellar…with wine on tap to taste! YES. On. Tap. You give the nice man a form of identity which he keeps at the register, then he hands you a credit card. You take this credit card over to the wine taps and press ‘fill’. For each wine you taste, the card is charged and then when you pay at the end you get your ID back. It’s quite possibly my new favorite place/activity on Earth.
We enjoyed this experience so much that it resulted in us buying 5 bottles of wine…not bothering to think about how in the world we would get the said wine home. The cliffs notes version of that end of the story is that we finally got that wine nearly 2 months later and nothing had broken –miraculously!
We also headed to Modena for a quick day trip to check out the city and see if we could find Bloom Gelateria which is becoming very trendy for its vegan and non-dairy flavors. I have to say, in the years it’s been since I studied and lived in Italy, the amount of vegetarian and vegan options has dramatically increased.
The vegan flavors at Bloom really shocked me. They were creamy, rich, dense, and didn’t taste at all different from normal gelato…and in fact were much better than some ‘normal’ gelato I’ve had in other parts of Italy.
Back in Bologna, we had a final gelato from Santo Stefano. On that last night, I had a combo of lemon sorbet, raspberry sorbet, and something called ‘cafe bianco’ (white coffee). To this day, I’ can’t tell you what was in the white coffee flavor, but it was awesome. It was like a mellowed out milky coffee ice cream. It was sweet and rich and creamy and it was the perfect way to end this spur of the moment Italian trip… or… at least I thought it was the ending…
That whole week we were in Italy, something was happening to my friend. She was still tasting and comparing gelato and dreaming up new flavor profiles, only this time she kept saying “I WANT to do this.” So, here we are, it’s almost November, and you may have already guessed it, but YES— at this very moment my friend is on a plane returning from a month long study at Bologna’s finest Gelato Training School: Carpigiani. This is how dreams come true... take an idea and keep going, because they ARE reachable!
2 weekends ago, I found myself back in Bologna to visit my friend while she’s on her new incredible journey. The weekend was spent with many trips back to Santo Stefano and even another trek out to Dozza for La Scuderia and the Wine Cellar Paradise. This time at La Scuderia, fried porcini (again paired with Sangiovese table wine) were the star. Of course we had to have the ravioli con burro e salvia again as well as the buccotini with pork cheek and carmelized onions.
The ‘return’ trip back to Bologna also featured a new gelato experience: granitas from Galliera 49. As soon as I arrived in Bologna, my friend was like ‘Good! You’re here! You have to eat this granita I discovered while walking.’ Never one to turn down a food opportunity, of course I obliged and soon we found ourselves with a full cup of granita (italian ice). Mine: mandolra and cioccolato con arancia (almond and chocolate orange). Imagine marzipan melted down to a marshmallow fluff consistency and Christmas orange chocolate smushed together in a cup. That’s what I ate.
On the last day there we walked all over Bologna exploring the antiques market set up in Piazza Santo Stefano and of course eating a final gelato at Cremeria Santo Stefano. After all my years of gelato eating and all the gelaterias I’ve been to, this one really is the ABSOLUTE BEST. The ‘gusto del mese’ (flavor of the month) was lemon-saffron-almond. I ordered it wanting to try something different. What I got wasn’t different at all but the most mouth watering nostalgic experience. It tasted exactly like a southern iced lemon cookie. It took me back to years growing up in the hot summers of the south and eating the lemon cookies. I actually kinda got emotional while eating this flavor, totally lost in memories. That’s the beauty of food…when it’s done right, it transports you through time and you are able to connect to past experiences.
For dinner we needed to eat quickly so I could catch my flight so we went to a place on Via Pratello. Pasta Fresca di Valeria Naldi serves up traditional pasta and is beloved by locals. You go in and choose from the menu of the day then stand in line and wait for yours to be cooked upon order. Once you get your little package, all the cafes and bars don’t mind if you sit down and order wine or snacks and eat your pasta there. The street was packed full of people at cafes and I realized that everyone was eating pasta from Valeria Naldi. Era perfetto. I went for the classic linguine al ragu as it was the best way to say ‘bye to Bologna. A glass of wine, fresh home made pasta, and in the company of my best friend after a weekend of gelato sampling and hearing all about what she’d learned at school= a moment to cherish forever.
Cheers Bologna, fino alla prossima volta.
On the drive back from the beach we pulled into the only real cafe we saw along the street. The sign said literally ‘Sea Front Beach Restaurant” with a smaller name below in Greek. Unfortunately I can’t tell you anymore information than this…but it was PERFECTION! We sat on the back terrace and asked if the fish was fresh (to which the look on the waiter’s face was answer enough for us to understand we were stupid to have asked) and we ordered fried calamari and a salad. Apparently the calamari came with french fries and assorted meze and our whole table was filled before our eyes. The calamari is UP THERE for one of the best I have ever eaten… it tasted exactly of the sea. Salty…fresh…crunchy…not greasy. The meze they brought out were pickled beets, hummus, tahini hummus (or so we thought), and olives. The fries were also incredible…hand cut, not greasy at all, and I suspect they were double fried. And… if there was ever a doubt that the seafood was fresh, while we were eating we watched a man spear a stingray right in front of us and bring it up to the restaurant…yup, that happened.
After breakfast (as the very meaning of the Turkish word means ‘coffee after’), a trip to Affan Kahvesi was the natural next step. I absolutely LOVE this coffee shop. I still remember the first time walking inside this building and being told to go see the back courtyard and the sharp intake of my breath as I saw the adorable courtyard covered in ivy vines. While the front shop is reserved for men
My favorite cafe was hidden a bit off the beaten path. 
‘Khinkali‘ are the dumplings. These are not dainty little dumplings. These are ginormous, half-the-size-of-your-face dumplings that you actually have to eat by picking up their nubby stems and then biting and quickly sucking out the soup broth inside. It’s juicy and savory and spicy and chewy and a complete total mess…but in the best kind of messy way. The most common filling is meat spiced with garlic and lots of cilantro. We would usually order lots of different things and just share it all- filling the table with various kacapuris and khinkalis and beet salads and roasted pork chops or sausages and roasted vegetables.
various different wineries that showed us the process. We also got to see the ‘cha cha’ process and taste that as well. ‘Cha cha’ is what’s made from the grape leftovers after the wine… and it’s pretty strong stuff. After a few glasses of ‘cha cha‘ everything tasted pretty good to me, but my two favorite wines were definitely the Saperevi(a dark nearly black colored grape), and the Kindzmarauli, (a naturally sweet cherry-like wine). The wine is rich and velvety, but also very easy to drink…as we experienced when our B&B hostess in Sighnagi kept bringing us up her homemade semi-sweet wine every morning for breakfast.
Looking back, I think those were my truly favorite meals in Georgia: the 2 breakfasts at Temuka B&B in Sighnagi. Each morning, the owner filled our table with homemade ‘kacapuri’ and ‘khinkali’, cucumbers, tomatoes, cheese, olives, coffee, fried potatoes, scrambled eggs, homemade ‘paczki‘- a kind of doughnut…and to wash it down with…WINE! Everything was delicious, but more than the taste, I think the fact that this woman opened her home to us and took such pride in sharing her traditions with us was truly the most special part. Sometimes she would sit and speak to my friend, who would translate back everything to me and her daughters. Then later in the evening, after we had gone touring and come back, she would always offer us some of the dinner she had made for her and her husband. One night she made us borscht, a dish I normally think of as Russian, but seems to have roots in many cultures. Hers was bright red and filled with carrots and beets, and tasted of warmth and love and health.
Each year I discover new things but I also have some well trusted favorites in terms of food too. We stayed at the same hotel as last year which is in the Psirri Neighborhood. It has become a kind of ‘tradition’ when in Athens to start the day off right by heading to Loukomades Cafe, serving ‘loukomades’ Greek doughnuts and coffee. I have to be honest and admit that I just go for the coffee. You can’t beat a perfectly made double cappuccino for 2 Euro!
The highlight of my trip this year though was an adorable new discovery, Little Kook Cafe. It’s also in the Psirri neighborhood and although we were on these very same streets last year, this must not have been open because I definitely would not have forgotten this! It’s just a little cafe serving cakes and coffee…but they had decked it out to epitomize every Christmas wonderland fantasy! The street leading up to Little Kook was covered in lights and the exterior featured Santas, trees, and giant nutcrackers! The inside had Christmas lights and ornaments stuck into every square inch of the wall and hanging from the ceiling. They had even covered the chandeliers to create a giant lit up bean stalk with ornaments hanging down. It was like walking into my childhood vision of the North Pole or something. We went there every night of our trip just to feel the Christmas spirit and to warm our hearts.
The food was out of this world good. On the menu, it seemed simple. ‘Stuffed peppers’, ‘Greek Salad’, ‘Fava Beans’. But these were not simple at all as the flavors were rich and complex. The food had lots of fresh herbs and spices… still clean and elegant and not overpowered by the seasoning, but at another level of flavor intensity. It’s the kind of place where when you take a bite, you know that these recipes are special. They are something that someone’s grandmother made and perfected and passed down. We ordered an assortment of meze that included grilled eggplant, spicy feta cheese, tzatziki, bell peppers stuffed with feta, fava beans with onions, and a Greek salad, along with their house white wine. Everything was delicious. Lots of fresh lemon and parsley were splashed over everything, and the spicy feta had crushed red peppers and tomato paste which made it savory and fresh. The eggplant was the star…smoky and seasoned with garlic, onions, and lots of lemon.
