Foodie tour…recommend Bologna or Lucca

Bologna is supposed to the foodie place in Italy
Never heard Lucca referred to that way

The whole Emilia-Romagna area is particularly known for great food (Parma, Modena, etc.).

I've not been to Lucca so I won't cast a vote against it but if you go to Bologna I would recommend Trattoria di Via Serra. We had the best meal of our lives there. Pre-pandemic it was very hard to get a reservation. You may want to ask your host about making a reservation for you well in advance.

I’ve been to Bologna and am returning this September with my husband, to share those foodie experiences again with him. On my solo trip, I took a cooking class with Chef Luigi (https://www.bolognacookingclass.com/ ), in his unbelievably small apartment kitchen, same as any local. A native of Bologna, he takes you through the market, where he knows the best suppliers and products.

My food tour was actually done from Parma, where I’d moved from Bologna by train after 2 days. The van tour included Parmesan Reggiano cheese and Parma ham near Parma, and Balsamic Vinegar in Reggio Emilia.

Bologna! Absolutely and always Bologna for food. The Italian Days (https://www.italiandays.it/) day-long food tour is a fantastic experience for foodies but even if you just stay in town there is so much good food to be found. I used Italy for the Gourmet Traveler by Fred Plotkin as my guide for Bologna and every pick was great.

Lucca is a lovely town (I spent two weeks there studying at the Italian school) but I wouldn't call it a food-haven.

Lucca has it’s own cuisine, good enough but not on a par with Bologna and it’s surrounding region.
Bologna is a food center and the surrounding towns are must sees too.

Thanks to everyone for your advice. I’m finding that hotels in Bologna are limited in the historic center. Any suggestions?

They are not so limited, it may be a consequence of Covid. Or you are searching too far ahead. What site are you using?

As a side note, the Bolognesi are the only Italians who are 100% sure that Bologna is Italy's foodies' paradise. Keep this belief to yourself when in other cities.

🤣. The secret is safe with me.

I’m looking at hotel.com, booking.com and agoda I was wondering if Europeans use another site.

I’ve always used booking.com for Europe trips
Was looking for Bologna in September just last nite and saw plenty of availability
2 that I recall were Hotel Metropolitan and Hotel Internazionale both are close to train and walking distance to center

Do a search here on forum as well

I only know Lucca, and the food is fabulous, but Bologna is the famous food capital of Italy.

Bologna/Emilia-Romano for food. No question.

I always book directly with the hotel/pensione. A 3rd party often takes a percentage off the top and I would prefer that $ going to the proprietor. I have also found that I typically receive a better room when booking direct. I also have established a contact/relationship with them. This comes in handy in case you need to cancel or make changes. I had to cancel and rebook twice since Covid hit. Dealing directly with the hotel made this a breeze and they seemed grateful that I was still planning to come.

Great suggestion!

Bologna without hesitation

Booking .com is a great place to research/find accommodations, but whenever possible I do go to the actual hotel website and book directly.

The ABSOLUTE BEST FOOD TOUR - https://www.italiandays.it/tour-item/italian-days-food-experience-bologna-day-tour/

Took my son to Bologna and booked this tour. it's AMAZEBALLS. Don't eat breakfast before they pick you up. You eat all day. Samples of everything, great transportation in clean vans....and you top it off wtih a visit to an organic farm for home make everything, and all the wine you can drink.

My son still talks about this tour, we did it 5 years ago...it was the highlight of our week in Bologna...and we took side trips to Venice and Florence, and the Ducati factory...but the food tour was his favorite day...

Wow! That does sound amazing

I've been to both, and while Lucca does have great food, Bologna wins hand down!

I’m excited about visiting Bologna