Après ce voyage, je ne servirai plus jamais de spaghettis à la bolognaise. Voici pourquoi

I had already seen it in my imagination: a small trattoria, blissful peace, a handsome waiter, a table covered with a checkered tablecloth and a plate with the desired dish on it. I didn’t know how wrong I was.

I like such trips the most: sun, phenomenal nature, rich culture, wonderful architecture, and a short direct flight. Thanks to the direct PLL LOT connection launched in March, you can get from Warsaw to Bologna in two hours. The journey here used to take much longer, but there was never a shortage of people willing to travel.

Bologna has been a dream of travelers for centuries, more precisely since the 17th century, when the grand tour, a journey across Europe for educational purposes by young aristocrats, became popular. Respected, wealthy families sent young men around the world to enable them to acquire refinement, learn languages, see works of art and architecture with their own eyes, and establish valuable contacts. This route often included Bologna, where the oldest university in the Western world has been operating since 1088.

They studied here, among others: Nicolaus Copernicus, Dante Alighieri, Umberto Eco and Albrecht Dürer. Luigi Galvani, who discovered the existence of electrical phenomena in animal tissues, lectured here (he was the one who experimented with the jumping dead frog).

In the atmospheric university building you can see several dozen Polish accents: coats of arms of Polish families, left by students as a sign of their education. To this day, Bologna remains an important academic center, with a population of 400,000. 100,000 people study in the city. students. Hence one of Bologna’s three nicknames: La Dotta (the scholar).

The second nickname is La Rossa (red), referring to the color of the roofs and facades of buildings in the historic center of the cityas well as to historical connections with the left. Indeed, the red color of the facade quickly catches the eye, as does the presence of residential towers built in the Middle Ages. Wealthier Bolognese families built them as defensive structures, and those still in use today house restaurants or accommodation.

Another characteristic point on the map of Bologna is the Neptune fountain, resembling a figure known from the Old Town of Gdańsk. With one important difference. The sculptor Giambologna wanted to give Neptune genitals appropriate to his impressive height, but the local church authorities forbade him to do so. So he solved it differently: if you look at the figure from the side, his index finger looks like an extension of his masculinity. Only the most attentive will notice this.

Galvani is said to have begun experimenting on frogs when he prepared them as a dish for his sick wife. Electroshock therapy made history, but Bologna is famous for other delicacies than amphibians. Bologna’s third term, La Grassa (the fat one), refers to the rich culinary tradition of the city and the Emilia-Romagna region.

The local shop windows are filled with local specialties: juicy tomatoes, truffle pastes, cheeses in all possible shades and shapes, mortadella and stacks of tortellini, which you can buy by weight to cook yourself or eat almost straight from the pastry board.

Father and son in the Ramaciotto family workshop move in silent dance, one kneads the dough, the other rolls it, the first prepares the stuffing, the second kneads miniature dumplings with the virtuosity of a pianist. Bologna legend says that once upon a time, the goddess of love, Venus, and the god of war, Mars, rented a room in the inn of a local innkeeper. The man, enchanted by the goddess’s beauty, peeked at her through the keyhole in the evening, but was only able to see her navel. Delighted by the sight, he ran to the kitchen and created noodles in the shape of the goddess’ navel. This is tortellini.

Two more elations (and amazements) awaited me in Bologna’s restaurants. First: crispy green lasagna made of spinach pasta, layered with ragù and béchamel sauce.

The second one happened to me when I was looking in vain for my favorite spaghetti bolognese. First, I learned that demanding it is like searching for Greek fish in Greece. Locals call Bolognese sauce al ragù. Secondly, expecting this sauce with spaghetti is as tactless as ordering a cappuccino in the afternoon. In Bologna, everyone knows that this type of pasta is not suitable for tomato sauce, which drains too quickly. “Our” spaghetti bolognese in Bologna is tagliatelle al ragù. I have remembered this lesson and will not repeat the old mistake again. But to eat this dish properly, I have to go back to Bologna!

Magda Żelazowska for Wirtualna Polska

Independent editorial opinion. The organizer of the trip was LOT Polish Airlines.