One of Bologna’s titles is “Bologna the Learned” due to their University which was founded in 1088. Because of the university there are a lot of museums in the city. On Thursday we decided to visit the Museo Civico Archeologico (Archaeological Museum). On the walk there we passed Piazza Maggiore where a demonstration was taking place. I’m not sure what this one was about, but clearly this group had enough of the Socialists.
We got to the museum an hour or two before closing, so we dashed through as many rooms as we could. We had no idea it was this large! There were so many pieces – and all of them were excavated in and around Bologna. Rooms full of ancient tools, jewelry, vases, tombstones, skeletons, etc. Some of the more impressive pieces were entire floor mosaics – lifted intact and displayed in the museum.
For dinner we tried our luck again at Trattoria Dal Biassanot. When we walked in on Sunday they were booked full, so maybe we’d have better luck on a Thursday. The host checked his book and said he had one table but needed it for a reservation at 21:45, giving us 75 minutes. We could make that work, so we had a seat. Beautiful restaurant. Only a few tables. Great menu and good prices. Cinzia started with the Sformatino al formaggio con porcini €6 (parmesan mousse with porcini) and I ordered the Lasagne Verdi €8 (the traditional green lasagna of Bologna). Both were wonderful. For our next course Cinzia ordered the Cinghiale in agrodolce con polenta €11 (wild boar with polenta) and I ordered the Guancialino di maiale alla cacciatore €11 (pig cheek). Both amazing, especially the pig cheek which I ended up sharing with Cinzia. Great meal. If you’re ever in Bologna give this place a try. Sorry, no photos, but you can check out some pictures on their website at: Trattoria Dal Biassanot.