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Bologna: Food Tour with Pasta, Wine & Gelato Tastings

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Free cancellationTravelers' pick

1/11

Duration3h

GroupUp to 15

LanguagesEN

Mobile ticketAccepted

Eat, laugh & wander through Bologna’s flavors and traditions

You’ll wander Bologna’s old streets with a local guide, tasting tigella bread hot from the oven, sampling cold cuts and cheeses in a vintage osteria, savoring homemade pastas with regional wine, and finishing with creamy gelato at a beloved family shop. This food tour isn’t just about eating—it’s laughter echoing off stone walls and stories you’ll remember long after you leave.

Step-by-step itinerary

Meet guide at Neptune Fountain
Enjoy pre-aperitivo with Tigella
Sample cold cuts, cheeses, and breads
Eat homemade Tortellini and Tagliatelle
Try artisanal gelato at family shop

The Experience

“Wait, is that the Neptune Fountain?” I’d barely finished my coffee when our guide waved an orange umbrella near those bronze sea creatures. There were six of us—half still waking up—and she just grinned, said something about “tigella” (which I pronounced wrong immediately), then led us down a side street that smelled like bread and rain. I tried to keep up but honestly got distracted by a guy unloading crates of tomatoes—so red they almost looked fake.

The first stop was this tiny shop where the walls were covered in old family photos and the counter was stacked with warm tigella. I’d never tasted anything quite like it—crisp on the outside, soft inside, filled with cheese that melted just enough. Our guide poured us a splash of local wine (“just a sip for now!”) and told stories about her nonna making pasta every Sunday. Someone asked if it’s always this humid in Bologna; she laughed and said, “Only when you forget your umbrella.”

We wandered into one of those osterie where you feel like time stopped somewhere around 1968. The floor creaked under our feet. We tried mortadella sliced so thin it almost disappeared on your tongue, chunks of Parmigiano that crumbled between your fingers, bread that left flour dust on my jeans. More wine—red this time—and suddenly everyone was talking louder. Maybe it was the wine or maybe just Bologna working its magic.

I didn’t expect to fall for tagliatelle al ragù so hard—there’s something about fresh pasta that makes you rethink all your life choices (or at least your lunch choices). By the time we reached the gelateria—a tiny place run by two sisters since the ‘70s—I was full but somehow found room for pistachio gelato anyway. Still think about that creamy texture sometimes when I’m stuck in traffic back home.

What’s included

Your day includes more than 15 tastings across artisan shops and historic osterie: classic tigella bread as a pre-aperitivo snack, regional cold cuts and cheeses paired with both red and white wines, two traditional homemade pastas at a Bolognese restaurant, plus artisanal gelato at a family-run shop—all guided by a local host who shares stories along the way.

Good to know

Easy physical levelStroller friendlyInfant seats availablePublic transport nearby

Operated by Tours and the City