Many tourists spend their Italy trips in the ancient city of Rome, the artistic city of Florence and the watery city of Venice. Others spend time drinking wine in the rolling hills of Tuscany or eating pizza in Naples. But not so many travelers realize that Bologna is known around the world for its exciting food culture and that the best things to do in Bologna all involve food.

We first visited Bologna in 2010. After stays in the more touristed cities of Rome and Florence, we opted to skip Venice, the third city in the Italian tourism trifecta, and instead headed to the more food-focused Bologna. Any city known as La Grassa (the Fat One) intrigued us for its nickname alone.