A love letter to Bologna, Italy: the ultimate guide for curious travelers

Dear travelers,

In this guide you'll find more than just places to visit (although there are more than 300 of them!); you will find a love letter to the city that I've been proud to call home for more than 8 years now. I wrote this guide thinking of how I usually show Bologna to friends who come to visit: hoping that they will fall in love with this city the same way I did all those years ago. And they always do, much to my joy!

The itinerary you'll find in this guide was designed so that you have the flexibility to tweak and twist it the way you want, adjusting it to your rhythm. You can follow it step-by-step or take it as a general guideline, finding numerous amazing stories and legends that this city is full of! Besides, you can find all of my handpicked recommendations, from small, family-owned bakeries to traditional restaurants, from veg-friendly places to incredible delis. As a little bonus, I put together a small primer of the Bolognese dialect, a list of creative souvenirs to bring home (and where to buy them!), and some important information you won't find elsewhere.

So grab this guide and start discovering this city - with its quirks, myths, hidden gems, and the tastiest food ever - and be prepared to fall irrevocably in love!
This guide includes 313 places.

Table of contents

About the author

Meet Valeria — a writer, content creator, and the visionary behind Dramatically Expatic. With a background in TV, where she hosted her own program (think a bit more formal than her current YouTube adventures), Valeria now thrives on the dynamic and creative freedom of the web. As an expat in Italy for eight years and counting, Valeria holds a BA in Theatre and Film Studies and an MSc in Media Organization from the University of Bologna.

She has always had a huge passion for discovering new places, having traveled all around the world since she was a child, so there were no second thoughts when searching for her niche. As a professional storyteller, she loves sharing her thoughts and experiences, whether in written form (she has authored numerous articles on travel, lifestyle, and self-discovery) or through engaging visual content.

Stay in touch with Valeria on Instagram at @dramatically.expatic

FAQs

Why buying a guide if I can find many resources online for free?

If you follow me on YouTube, you know how much I share there - all the travel tips, exciting destinations, hidden places, recommendations - for free. By purchasing this guide, you help me fund Dramatically Expatic and keep sharing even more with you. But there's one more good reason why you should buy this guide: actually, you won't find most of this information online! I know, it's hard to believe, but the stories you can find in this guide were collected over the years through very extensive research, talking to the experts, and digging up the libraries (studying local books in Italian, no less). Unlike traditional travel guides, I'm not sharing dry historical facts here: I'm sharing true stories, human, real, and absolutely captivating, that will make the streets of Bologna feel alive. Everything I've written in this guide was felt and experienced by me firsthand, I've visited every single place I recommend, and I've walked the itinerary I created (many times).

How did you choose the places in the guide? Do businesses pay to be included?

After having lived in Bologna for 8 years, one would expect me to find the places I love most - and I'm sharing all of them here (no gatekeeping, ever!). None of the businesses I mention here has ever paid me for advertising (if anyone pays here, it's me, with all the years I've been a loyal visitor :)

Do I need to be online to access the guide?

Yes, either via WiFi or cellular service.

Why is this guide better than a PDF?

With Saltete, recommendations come alive. A single tap reveals hidden gems right around you, and you can glide effortlessly from spot to spot with easy, step-by-step navigation. No more tedious copying and pasting - just spontaneous (but well-informed!) exploration. 

Can I share this guide with fellow travel companions or friends?

Yes! You can give 1 person access to your guide.

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