OTP’s 10 Favorite Spots, Shops and Eateries in Bologna, Italy
Photo by: allthebestkdg
Home to the oldest university in the world, cosmopolitan Bologna will have you itching to melt plastic. Don’t let your heavy backpack and student-sized funds weigh you down. OTP has combed the streets of Bologna for original places to spend your euros like a pro.
Like Urban Outfitters on steroids, popular Scout stocks everything, from bikes and backpacks to fishnets and fedoras. Walking alarm clocks and tulip-shaped USB adaptors quirk up your gadget needs and never-ending walls of jeans, in cuts and colors from every decade, get you up to Italian travel style standards. Although it is a chain, Scout’s vibe fits student-oriented Bologna perfectly.
OTP Tip: For cleaned-up and refurbished second-hand goods, look for “Surplus” tags on items.
Photo by: Jessi Hagood
Don’t you dare do Ramen in Italy. Off Piazza Maggoire, on a tiny narrow street, Via Pescherie Vecchie sells freshly made pumpkin tortellini, perfectly aged Parmesan cheese and succulent specialty meats. Locally grown fruit and vegetables are piled high to help you meet your 5 a day. Pick through the swirly pasta shapes to impress your hostelmates with more than just penne.
Your best white t’s covered in wine, cheese, a bit of that and a lot of this? When getting to a laundromat is harder than climbing Everest, Tezenis is the place to restock. The Italian version of American Apparel, this cotton kingdom chain has tees, skirts, leggings and dresses in every color. Fun underwear for both chicks and dudes are priced more reasonably than the famous Intimissi, so get sexy and cover your naughty bits, Italian-style. Guys, that means tighty-whiteys all the way.
Photo by: thinkretail
Bookworms fed up with the hostel book-swap (2003 travel guides don’t do it for everyone), head to Feltrinelli, a bookstore with a very respectable foreign section. Grab a new bestseller for train-ride entertainment, get inspired with Tuscan travel tales or pick up a genuine Italian cookbook to show off your newfound culinary skills back home. These guys mysteriously keep very late hours – the train station branch occasionally stays open until 2am.
If you’re planning on staying awhile, or just want some convenient sightseeing, it’s not a bad idea to invest in a bicycle. Fortunately, the city makes it ultra-easy to score a set of wheels. Every month in Piazza Puntoni (next to the university cafeteria) the city auctions off about 50-70 ‘orphaned’ bicycles. Your maximum price of 15 euro even includes a bike lock – handy, since bike theft is the most common crime in Bologna. The auction is sightseeing in itself – stop by and see the ridiculous things students do for a cheap ride.
Scaramagli is the place for obscure wines and imported chocolates. Known for carrying hard-to-find items, they specialize in upscale local products and random imports. We can’t guarantee Kraft Mac-‘N-Cheese or Hidden Valley Ranch dressing, but if you’re craving home-processed goodness (when Italian food gets just too fresh for you), it’s likely they have the next best thing.
Buying new clothes abroad is exhilarating but shopping brand name threads in Italy can be straight up unaffordable. Jesus was born in Bethlehem, fashion was born in Italy. As such, Italians take pride in their Fendi, Prada and D&G fashion creations. If you’re not willing to sell a kidney for a handbag, Italy is full of lesser-known, but equally fashionable, brands. Terranova or Calliope on Via dell’Indipendenza permit shameless credit card workouts.
Photo by: shoes2000
High fashion isn’t just for the women-folk. Your gym shorts and vintage (old and holey) t-shirts may pass American girl standards; to impress the fashion-conscious ladies of Italy, you need to step it up a notch. Gucci suits may not be backpacker (nor budget) friendly but a few nice button-ups and a pair of unwrinkled pants will get you far. When you don’t feel like trading a testicle for a cufflink, Celio is a great George Clooney copy-cat spot for guys.
Mario Batali, our favorite red-faced iron chef, recently opened Eataly, to share his love of quality Italian ingredients with the world (and we’re guessing, make a few post-iron chef bucks). The Disneyworld of Italian cooking houses a supermarket, café, restaurant and giftshop. Browse books in Italian, English, Spanish and French, then cut through the coffee shop for a snack on your way to the foodie-focused supermarket for gifts or indulgent treats. Items are a bit pricey but the quality is superb. If you don’t feel like beating your wallet with the broke stick, climb to the top floor for a light dinner at the restaurant while viewing the mayhem below.
Photo by: Mercato la Piazzola di Bologna
For anything and everything else miscellaneous, the trusty Mercato della Montagnola (also called La Piazzola) comes to your rescue every Friday and Saturday year-round, with a huge outdoor market which converges on Piazza VIII Agosto, trickling into surrounding streets and the Parco della Montagnola. Tablecloths and grandma-geared antiques share space with hand-woven tapestries and funky pipes begging to reside in a hippie love cave. Locals hit up the mercato to supplement their wardrobes and stock up on knick-knacks.
OTP Tip: This is a market, haggle with confidence!
Expensive and Italian may go hand in hand, but that doesn’t mean you can’t cheat the system a little. Stick to our choice cheapies from chain stores mixed with market finds and perfect the look (or taste) without the expensive reality.
Traveling is my only healthy addiction. The more time I spend living abroad, the longer the list gets of places I need to visit and adventures I want to undertake.
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