Bologna Alone cover

Italy · Available now

Bologna
Alone

A solo travel guide for women 50 and over
By Jennifer Brandt

Bologna announces itself by smell first: ragù, cured meats and Parmigiano. In the center, about forty kilometers of porticoes shelter your walks, with the counters at Mercato di Mezzo inviting a pause.

$6.99 ebook

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Ebook · Updated Q4 2026

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Where you might stay

  • BudgetAlbergo Centrale Bolognaeasy walk to square and market streets
  • Mid-rangeHotel Touring Bolognaquiet street and roof terrace
  • A treatArt Hotel Commercianticentral base with elevator and staffed reception

Two places to eat alone

  • TamburiniA busy counter lunch that moves fast.
  • Salumeria SimoniA calmer room near Tamburini.

SAMPLE

Bologna Awaits

Bologna announces itself by smell before it announces itself by sight: ragù, meat cooking slowly with tomatoes and wine and time, and the cured-meat-and-Parmigiano air of the market streets.

Bologna earned three names centuries ago, and they still fit. La Grassa, the fat, is the cooking. This is where tagliatelle al ragù was born, where mortadella is still studded with cubes of pork fat, and where every grandmother guards a sauce recipe like a state secret.

A free excerpt from Bologna Alone.

PRACTICAL SAMPLE

Market Eating

Mercato di Mezzo (Via Clavature 12), in the middle of the Quadrilatero, is more a food hall than a traditional market, with vendors selling hot prepared food and fresh pasta. It is loud and crowded at midday; buy pasta from one counter and a glass from another, then take any free seat.

Tamburini, Via Caprarie 1, is a deli with a restaurant counter attached: buy sliced mortadella, parmigiano and fresh tortellini to take away, or eat at the counter, which is always busy but moves fast and has grown pricier with tourism. Choose it for a counter lunch, or Salumeria Simoni nearby if you want a calmer room.

Mercato delle Erbe (Via Ugo Bassi 25) is a covered food market in the historic center, more local than Mercato di Mezzo, with several vendors serving prepared food at slightly lower prices.

A free excerpt from Bologna Alone.

Inside this book

  • Bologna Awaits
  • A City Shaped by History
  • Planning Your Escape
  • The Solo Woman’s Bologna
  • Where to Stay
  • Neighborhood by Neighborhood
View the chapter contents
  • Bologna Awaits
  • A City Shaped by History
  • Planning Your Escape
  • The Solo Woman’s Bologna
  • Where to Stay
  • Neighborhood by Neighborhood
  • Days in Bologna
  • Art, Culture & Creativity
  • The Pleasures of the Table
  • Evening & After Dark
  • Retail Therapy
  • Beyond the City, Day Trips
  • Conversation Notes
  • Practical Matters
  • Tastes to Take Home

BUY THE GUIDE

Bologna Alone

Bologna announces itself by smell first: ragù, cured meats and Parmigiano. In the center, about forty kilometers of porticoes shelter your walks, with the counters at Mercato di Mezzo inviting a pause.

$6.99 ebook

Buy the ebook, $6.99

Ebook · Updated Q4 2026

Instant download · Secure checkout by Payhip

THE GUIDE + YOUR OWN PLANS

Ready to settle your plans?

Piazza Maggiore, Due Torri or University Quarter: the kit helps you choose, then plans your first evening there.

See inside the Bologna kit →
A page from the free sample of the Bologna kitRead the free 3-page sample (PDF) →
Do I need the kit as well?

No. The guide stands on its own. The kit is a separate, optional pack of decisions, day plans and a booking list. Read the free 3-page sample to see whether it suits the way you plan.

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