Travelling to italy?

We get a lot of travel recommendations from friends, customers and community members looking for great places to stay, eat, and tour around Italy. We have compiled our lists to lead you to some of our favorite places we’ve visited. Reach out to our producers, and see if you can schedule a tour or tasting to sip on some of our favorite wines and hang with our friends.

Northern italy

Emilia-Romagna

Restaurants

Vâgh íñ ufézzí (Bologna) - Chalkboard menu, bad wine, outstanding food. A dream.

Ciao Kebab (Bologna) - sandwich spot skip the fries, get the Gerusalem kebab.

Trattoria Da Me (Bologna) - otherworldly crescentina fritta, lasagna on Sundays, tagliatelle al ragu that is heartstoppingly rich and totally satisfying.

Enoteca Al Risanamento (Bologna) - The pheasant black truffle crostini at this well-stocked wine bar was maybe the best thing I ate in Italy this year.

Il Rovescio (Bologna) - finally, a vegetable! Actually quite a few, and pretty interesting pizza, too. A few good wines, too.

Trattoria via Sera (Bologna) - This place veers pretty close to my idea of perfection. They rarely answer the phone. You have to be buzzed in. They sell two wines, Pignoletto and Sangiovese, both sfuso. The lengua is sublime, as are the tortellini. Good daily specials, too. Need to make a reservation ahead of time.

Osteria la Lumira (Gualtieri) - in the countryside near the Po River. They serve abundant ravioli in a beautiful wooded setting.

Da Pepen (Parma) - Really excellent panini, perfect for eating while you stroll around in search of your next gelato.

bakeries/cafés

Allegra (Bologna) - damn that’s a good croissant. Fine filtered coffee, too. There will be American tourists. But it’s worth the line.

Forno Brisa (Bologna) - they make good sourdough bread. The coffee that is a lifesaver if you are a homesick American that has been away from drip coffee for too long.

Café Pasticceria Gamberini (Bologna) - grab a beautiful box of marron glacé, get an Americano made by a bartender in a white vest. Old world to the hilt.

wine

Enoteca Storica Faccioli (Bologna) - A delightful wine spot with some food. The cheese board is great, as is the retail selection.

Caffe Rubik (Bologna) - walk there for an Amaro. Hang with dirtbag university students.

Drogheria dell’ Elefante (Bologna) - Why is Italy so much better? Why can fat old men smoking cigars and lesbian bartenders and sports ball fans and dogs all commingle in a tiny bar with space heaters out front and eat taralli and potato chips and drink cheap Americanos and it be straight magic?

Archer (Modena) - it’s a well-stocked wine spot with just enough food for an entertaining lunch. Great tinned ventresca with beans and raw onions, good lasagna, wines from all the vaunted natural producers in Jura, Alsace, Italy, etc. Champagne BTG is always endearing.

genoa

restaurants

ai Troeggi (natural wine and beer bar)

Z bar (college vibe)

Ostaia a Ribotta (great food)

Carmine (east side, fancy)

Cicale Bistro (east side, fancy)

Acciughetta (by the port, the best)

*Really what a person should do is wander in the area by the port that's all tiny winding streets packed with African restaurants, street life, loomed over by five-story houses that block out the sun.