Bologna may not be as famous as Venice, though it’s still very well known, mainly thanks to cuisine. If you’re headed there yourself, you may be curious what souvenirs or gifts you could buy there. Today, we’ll go over exactly that. Let’s take a look!
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Tarocco Bolognese
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Tarocco Bolognese is the ideal cheap gift from Bologna. It’s a local tarot deck, first mentioned somewhere around the 15th century. They’re traditionally used to play tarocchini, a popular card game throughout the region. Card packs cost a few euros each and will hopefully not bring Bolognina devils upon your home at the moment of purchase.
Lamborghini
Anyone landing in Bologna has likely noticed that the ‘Follow Me’ car looked a tad different than at your typical airport. Instead of your usual suspect, you get one of the latest models of Lamborghini. And it’s no wonder, as the Sant’Agata Bolognese nearby is the cradle of the brand.
On the off-chance you don’t randomly possess enough cash on you to just buy a Lamborghini, you can always opt for brand-related souvenirs and gifts on site, like clothes, books, posters, mugs, miniature models, key rings, notepads, backpacks, bags, suitcases and more. There’s also a Museo Lamborghini not far from Bologna, a great visit if you’re into that. Car fans can also enjoy memorabilia associated with another great brand nearby, Pagani.
Pellegrino Artusi’s cookbook
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The Science in the Kitchen and the Art of Living Well is one of the most famous cookbooks of Italy and perhaps the whole world. It was authored by Pellegrino Artusi, an Italian businessman and writer with majestic facial hair. The book was published in 1891, which Artusi actually self-published with his own saved up money, as no publisher wanted to aid him. It contains almost 800 recipes! Don’t worry if you can’t read Italian, as it was translated into Spanish, French, Dutch, German, English, Portuguese and Polish.
Tortellini
Italian cuisine tends to be strongly regional, with Naples being automatically associated with its pizza, for instance. What about Bologna? Among other things, you can find the famous tortellini pasta, traditionally stuffed with meat, cheese or other fillings. They’re sold both fresh, handmade and packaged. It’s not clear which town the pasta originated from, though we know it has been around for hundreds of years. You can buy it practically anywhere, though we recommend Paolo Atti in Bologna.
Mortadella
Italy’s famous for meats too, not just pasta. You may be well familiar with parma ham or the various Italian salamis, though we can also recommend one more: mortadella. Mortadella Bologna IGP is the most famous Italian sausage made from pork with additives, such as pepper or even pistachios. Of course, you’ll find plenty of other unique Italian meats in Bologna too, so go nuts if you’re into carnivory.
Lambrusco
There’s also no Italy without wine. You can buy all sorts of wines here, though we’d recommend looking for a local special – lambrusco. You can find it dry red, sweet and semi-sweet. It’s one of the most popular export wines from the area and costs close to nothing here.
Cheeses
We’ve got meats, wine and pasta covered. What else remains? Cheese. And what cheese should we look for in Bologna? Parmigiano Reggiano – it’s a cow milk cheese originating from the Emilia-Romagna region and you’ll find it practically everywhere in Bologna. Parmesan finds its way into a variety of Italian dishes, often used as a topping for pizzas and a cheeky addition to pasta dishes. Of course, you’ll also find other local cheeses, like Grana Padano, Squacquerone di Romagna, Formaggio di Fossa or Provolone Valpadana.
Majani chocolates
Finally, let’s meet our desserts. While in Bologna, we highly recommend you look for Majani chocolates. You can find all sorts of variants, including dark chocolate, nuts, pistachios, coffee and more. It’s one of the best cheap gifts you can buy in Bologna. Majani also produces hot chocolate and chocolate liqueurs.
Balsamic vinegar
Balsamic vinegar is also one of the staples of Italy – in Bologna, we’d recommend the traditional Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Reggio Emilia DOP. We recommend being wary of cheap imitations in shops, such as vinegar marked with BMV or TBV. Real traditional balsamic vinegar is produced from very specific grape varieties and aged for a very specific duration – it’s not that easy to replicate, basically. And the older the vinegar, just like with wine, the better it gets. And, sadly, the more expensive it is. As such, we recommend buying old vinegar in tiny bottles to get the taste and not go bankrupt.
Ragu
Bolognese ragu is perhaps the most famous symbol of Bologna – it’s what we know as Spaghetti Bolognese. The sauce is prepared with a mixture of meat, mortadella, bacon and celery, tomatoes, wine and carrots, so a bit different from what we’re used to. The cause is cooked for a long time and typically served with thin pasta and sprinkled with the aforementioned parmesan cheese. Of course, you can just eat the ragu on the spot or, if you want it as a gift, you can also use the ancient technique of stuffing it into a jar. Nothing tastes as good as cold spaghetti in a budget airline.
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