Food Tour / Resturant Recommendations for Bologna, Tuscany, Rome

Bologna- Ristorante da Cesari was very good.

A restaurant recommendation: Locanda di Casalmustia in the beautiful little village of Castelmuzio. This was a fabulous experience for our group of ten people a couple of years ago. The building has a medieval tower. We were able to reserve the rooftop terrace on top of that tower. The terrace is very narrow, with a single table, seating just 10 (maybe 12?) people. When you have dinner up there, the restaurant refers to it as their "sky dinner." You have a 360 degree view of the beautiful Tuscany countryside all around you. Go at sunset! Stunning! To get up there, you have to climb three flights of regular stairs and then two flights of ladder-style stairs, then squeeze through a rather narrow door opening at the top of the second of those. It is worth it! The food was wonderful. The concierge at our agriturismo told us that the owner had discovered some very old, traditional Tuscan recipes, and she said the food in this restaurant reminds her of the delicious dishes her grandmother used to make. This was our best meal on a two week trip to Italy. And it was the best-view-while-dining experience I've ever had in my life. The smiling, outgoing young man who waited on us--making multiple hands-free trips up and down those ladders balancing plates of food on his arms-- was a delight. To top it off, the food prices were very reasonable. We did have to pay a fee for the use of the terrace, and there might be a minimum-number group size to reserve it. Therefore, it might not be not a viable option for a small group but it was a very memorable experience for our large group.

Tamburini serves very reasonably priced cafeteria style lunches at the back of its delicatessen. Don't let that description fool you, it was some of the best food I ate in Bologna. They have a nice enoteca with limited menu next door that's open in the evening. You can also buy delicious prepared dishes and deli items to take away any time they're open.

hey hey hawaii kathy
another local "hawaiian" here, family on hamakua coast big island and in kuliouou/kalama valley.
we're headed to paris, geneva and annecy france in september and gonna have great time like you. been to italy 4 times and will let you check these sites if interested.
eatwith.com
eatingeurope.com (eatwell10 may give you a discount)
amazing-italy.com
come&seeitaly.com (not foodie but maybe a tour to see barga and garfagnana near lucca)
oldfrascatiwinetour.com (read about us and blog) walk around village, stop at ceralli.it, family owned bakery/pizza oven shop. saw food special they have the "best" porchetta and nonna is 90 years old and still baking. bring a carry bag, you may end up buying her famous cookies or something else.
festivals-of-tuscany.com (if you have a chance, go to a wine festival, you are there during harvest/festival time. panzano in chianti has dario cecchini, famous butcher. in his shop demonstrates his showmanship and love of rock and roll.
bonappetour.com
withlocals.com (beautiful countryside day trip:castelli romani) a 30 minute train ride from rome and the fun begins. read this article italymagazine.com search lake nemi and it's wild berry
cookly.me look up bologna for food tour
town of calcata italy near rome, an abandoned village that "bohemian/hippie" artists began to claim, built their studios/homes in the caves. walk around the small village, a restaurant and artists may be selling their work. (planetd.com search "off the beaten path rome"
walk thru campo de fiori, sit in plaza , "free entertainment" lots of shops and cafes. maybe buy some cheese, meats, baguette, wine and take back to hotel/apartment. always pack a corkscrew in you bag, we bring from here and always prepared, cross bridge to trastevere, we had lunch at carlo mento, had pasta pizza and tartufo dessert.
piazza navona and pantheon area, relax and people watch, walk thru the mercatos (markets) so much interesting things to look at.
good luck and have a great vacation. some you may like some you may not but a wide variety
aloha
PS love love the verdict yesterday, what they deserve plus more!

In Bologna, we recently enjoyed and recommend Franco Rossi and Trattoria Gianni. Trattoria Gianni is in the Quadrilatero, which is full of food shops where you can get a meal or buy things to take away. For meat and cheese, Salumeria Simoni was great.