New York Times Bologna Article

Thought provoking article.
Here is a quote:

Since the 13th century, Bologna has been variously known as La Dotta
(the learned) because of the university, La Grassa (the fat) because
of the fertile land that surrounded it and La Turrita (for its
towers). At times it was also La Rossa for the color of its walls and
because of its past as a Communist Party stronghold. One of the oldest
standing towers, the Garisenda, was built in the 12th century and
together with the Asinelli Tower next to it forms the non-mortadella
symbol of Bologna. Now the Garisenda, which has tilted worryingly for
centuries, might be in danger of falling down. The whole area has been
cordoned off so that tourist buses, normal buses and cars can no
longer get near it, and supports have been installed while a plan to
safeguard it is hatched

For centuries the learned, the fat and the towers of Bologna were in
beautiful harmony. Now the students have been uprooted, and the tower
is in trouble. The fat alone reigns supreme. Must we really travel
like this? [Ilaria Maria Sala is an Italian journalist.]

So are the tortellini in the paper cones fried in lard?

We were in Bologna just a couple of years ago - 2022. We spent 5 days there, and had a wonderful time. I don't remember all the mortadella shops that the author mentioned; she said this started before Covid, but perhaps has increased dramatically since then. There were indeed a lot of tourists, including us, of course, but nothing like our experience in Florence this year, or Venice or Rome any year.

I did note this in the comments:

Europe is not just a playground for Americans, it is a living, breathing continent that is actively taking part in globalization. It’s unfair to expect Europe to remain “quaint” so that we can feel transported to another time.

That was primarily, I think, in response to another American tourist who bemoaned all the other tourists spoiling his experience. Although I'm not sure we want to go down that rabbit hole again...

Back to mortadella: I do love it, but only had it once the entire time we were in Bologna. In fact, I was rather disappointed that I didn't see it on menus more often. We did have some wonderful food experiences, though, especially simpler pasta dishes in tiny trattorias.

I cringed when I read that article this morning. Guess we are late to the party. Our first visit to Bologna will be this November. We try to be well-mannered tourists where ever we travel but have witnessed over tourism lately. We live in Florida and experience crowds everyday - even in the summer months these days.

I’m really starting to investigate what to see and do in Bologna because I’m planning to go the end of March beginning of April next year. Reading this makes me a little sad because it’s all so believable and understandable. Businesses come and go and different markets are pursued. And of course, when I show up I’ll have no idea what used to be in the row of shops I walk by a year or two ago. I only know I’ll want to see the museums, the churches, eat good food and wander the plazas, and will plan accordingly. I think I have a trip report from Jane bookmarked, in fact. And I don’t feel picked on as an American or general tourist. This author is sharing impressions of a change to her home, very understandable.

We knew Bologna as the only city that we were ever pickpocketed successfully. Or, should that be pickpocketed unsuccessfully because we lost money? It was a wake up call back in 2011 that although being almost the only two people on a street, concentrating on taking a photo of a unique sign, we could be a target, My husband only lost €10, thankfully. And yes, the shops were very nice: hand-stationary, book stores, shops with beautiful window displays of today’s pasta or interesting-shaped rolls, etc.

As for the article, it’s a complex problem of supply & demand. I am not planning to travel less often in the future. I won’t even try to justify it by saying that I focus on supporting the small hotels and B&B’s because that’s the type of lodging I prefer, anyway. Maybe these article topics are ones I should just skip over…..

This author is not wrong to say people are coming to her home town only interested in bending the town to fit their pre-determined pleasure-satisfaction, which is junk food. They won't stay long enough to eat several honestly prepared meals, yet they claim on the internet they are foodies. So her not so subtle message is why are we letting people make pigs of themselves here, and turning our home into a pigsty?

Very well said——especially the last sentence/question.

We were lucky enough to visit and stay in Bologna long before it was very popular. We enjoyed many delicious meals and exploring the historic areas. This year we are venturing again to lesser known cities: Torino and Padova. If Trip Advisor is any indication of their popularity, we may have both almost to ourselves:)

It’s funny that a journalist originally from Bologna complains about the many foreigners coming to her native city when she herself is now based in Hong Kong, after having lived in New York, London, Beijing, Shangai, Tokyo, and a bunch of other cities around the world, from which she regularly reports for La Stampa (Turin based daily).

Somehow for some elitist globe trotters it’s always someone else who ruins the place for the locals.

We had hoped to spend a week there this year the last week of September but it is apparently a very busy week and prices for hotels and apartments were about 5 or 6 times what the same places cost in July -- so not this year. WE decided to go ahead and spend two weeks in Florence and will do a day trip from there although I know it is a town that needs more time.

We love Florence and stay a bit out of the center and are looking forward to visiting all our old favorites including some of the best gelato and the very best porchetta sandwiches in the world. But really bummed that we won't have that week in Bologna.

Almost every single expat I've encountered who is able to live in Europe being the interface for English speaking tourists cannot tolerate and feels threatened by concerns about tourism downsides.

What became clear to me after a recent trip to Poland is that English is now the de facto common language of Europe. Germans, Swedish, Dutch and Spaniards visiting Gdansk and Krakow were all able to function and feed themselves through interactions with the bi-lingual Polish- and English-speaking young people in the service industry.

There is a vibrant food scene there, but it doesn't consist of every shop or stall selling pierogi - which could be a parallel to the ubiquitous mortadella in Bologna. Instead, you would find numerous examples of every ethnic and national cuisine imaginable, often with creative mash-ups. In Rome it was apparent that there was little interest in providing any cuisine other than Italian [OK, maybe burgers; we finally found a Chinese restaurant in Trastevere for a welcome change of pace], so I wonder whether the "mortadella problem" is actually grounded in Italian culture. Why not banh mi or grilled kielbasa?

But isn't change inevitable?

I will give an example. I grew up in NYC (Queens). We moved into the house in 1960. My neighborhood was mostly white from a mixture of differrent European backgrounds. My brother still lives in the house.

The closest little shopping street had a small supermarket, two "candy stores," a delicatessan, a bakery, a movie theater, a Carvel Ice Cream stand, and a few other small stores. Today that supermarket is owned by Afghanis, the candy stores are gone, the movie theater started showing porn and now shows films from India, Carvel is gone as are most of the others.

Surrounding the area, it consists of mostly chain stores when none existed before. There used to be a local Bloomingdales. It then became Filene's Basement, then Kohls, and my brother just told me it is now a Lidl supermarket. The only two businesses still left over from my childhood are the local pizza place and the local bagel place.

There are now three hotels in the area when before there were none. (One was taken over by the city and is being used as a homeless shelter. The neighbors aren't happy.)

The bigger movie theater went from one big screen to six small ones. The bowling alley is gone. Horn and Hardart is now Hooters.

And the vast majority of my brother's neighbors are now Asian.

When people make more money, they move to nicer areas, buy nicer things and many also want to travel. And as travel gets easier, they go further. Instead of hopping on a plane to Florida, they hop on a plane to Italy or Spain or France or wherever. They then want to do what they read about or are told is wonderful (thank you, guidebook authors, influencers, TikTokers,) They want to do it quickly because they have so much they want to see in a short amount of time.

Some take tours that take them to 16 cities in 12 hours and they think they are actually seeing these places. On my first trip to Europe many, many, many years ago, I took a tour that encompassed 8 countries in 23 days. (It was so rushed we spent 1.5 days in Rome and never got to the Spanish Steps.)

Cruise ships get bigger and bigger and now dump thousands of tourists at one time in places that just can't handle the load.

I don't begrudge anyone the desire to travel or to see the top places. But perhaps, it's also time to look at those places not as popular as most and visit them.

It's important to see Rome. But it may also be as rewarding to visit Riga.

There are literally thousands of non Italian food restaurants in Rome, of all types of cuisines from around the world.

I’ve eaten in Bologna multiple times, but never saw a mortadella restaurant. But I did eat horse (colt) meat at a restaurant in Bologna, another local specialty. Tastes great with Sangiovese.

Mortadella is an iconic cured meet of Bologna. And was so since three centuries, so is normally used as iconic. That is the reason why is called "bologna" in Italian and become "bolonee" in English. Means that is the only cured meet that can be found? No. Means that only in Bologna can be found of great quality? Absolutely no! (Mortadella is produced in the whole northern Italy).
But is an icon. For a tourist be in Bologna and eat mortadella is like for a tourist be in Rome and take a photo in front of Colosseum.
Is that wrong? In my opinion no, but of course both things are creating changes. And is true that in Bologna in the last 2 years has been opened several new shops who sell only mortadella sandwiches. Is the trend. Probably 90% of them will be closed in the next 3/4 years, replaced by something else.

In general when I read that articles about "how nice was my city in the past" I think of an old person who doesn't accept that the world is always changing, including the city where you were born. And has been so since ever!
And a person who complain about changes why doesn't complain that mortadella isn't anymore made like with old recipe? With pork liver, cheese, pepper, then everything fried and after covered with cinnamon and boiled in wine.
Food is always in evolution and Bologna food become important and famose thanks to that evolution!

Bologna has been a favorite city of. mine since about 2013. Since then it has become a lot more crowded with tourists that is true. It is still full of locals walking around especially on the weekend. I haven't seen the fried tortellini but then I am not looking for them. I usually eat with friends. I have seen LONG lines for a mortadella place but I didn't realize that there were now numerous places. Hotel prices vary dramatically since there are so many fairs/shows in the area and prices can double or triple when that happens but that is not unusual. I still take the train and spend the day on the weekend to walk around. I much prefer Bologna to Modena and I am equal distance to both.

In the battle between the world that constantly changes and those who would like the world to remain the same, I always place all my bets on the world. And I always win.

I love the NYT, but this article is the worst kind of useless clickbait IMO.

We're really looking forward to visiting Bologna in a couple of months. Mortadella will play no part in our enjoyment of the city. Bolognese ragu likely will, however.

I'm rethinking my plan to spend 3 nights in Bologna next spring. Maybe just spend a night or tow in Ravenna instead?

This article is timely and interesting, because I've been thinking about how to approach "food tourism" for our upcoming visit to Bologna in October (only for ~2 days, after Tuscany).

I know there are food tours within Bologna, and I tend to avoid those. I know there are food tours into E-R, where you can learn the provenance and craft of their signature foods. These full-day tours seem like a great option for food tourism--but they are long and expensive. There's also the DIY approach, where you rent a car and book your own visits (you might save money, but probably not time).

So, for those with time and/or budget constraints, what is a good way to experience E-R's gastronomy from Bologna, beyond walking Il Quadrilatero and eating delicious meals? Or is that sufficient? To truly learn about the signature products, do you need to visit Parma and Modena? (What I have in mind: In Porto, we found an olive oil shop that offered a seated tasting of local varieties.) It seems romantic to pop into Bologna's markets and shops, learning and sampling from the merchants. But I assume that's not reality.

Thanks for the fantastic insight. I have looked into Cesarine and am considering it while in Bologna or Tuscany.

I wish discussions like this didn't so frequently devolve into covert criticism and even ridicule of Americans. It's not a good look for those who do it.

Agree it is not a good look but maybe we have brought it on ourselves. Food for thought.

I spent a week in Bologna this October. I had read the NYT article and this thread back in August. After returning from Bologna, I was curious to re-read the NYT piece in view of my experience. Even in October, on nice weather Saturday and Sunday afternoons there were indeed masses of people in and around Piazza Maggiore, the two towers, and Via Rizzoli. At other times there were plenty of people but not hordes like those two afternoons. There were no crowds at all in any of the churches and museums I visited. Granted, I went into Basilica San Petronia with the welcome center walking tour on a rainy weekday so I don't know how crowded it was on the weekend. Sites away from the very center were quiet and pretty empty.

In the popular food market streets discussed in the article, I never saw anyone eating the cones of fried tortillini described in the article; neither did I notice anyplace selling them -- but I wasn't seriously looking for that.

On the walking tour, our guide drew our attention to a sign on a store in front of us, just off the main piazza. It said that they had gone out of business after 163 years (I think that was the number). The guide explained that the store had been a high end handbag store where for years she enjoyed looking at the handbags in the window. Her take was that it was part of a pattern of locally owned businesses that never recovered after Covid. She noted several examples of foreign investors buying out local ones and other ways locals were still suffering the aftermath of Covid. She said that although the tourist sector took a terrible blow from Covid it has recovered and grown while independent small shops haven't. Her observations echo some points made in the article but our guide didn't attribute the decline of traditional businesses to the growth of tourism the way the NYT piece does.

As a one time short term visitor, I am no position to judge the accuracy of either the article or the guide's perspective but I thought it was interesting to consider both as I try to think about what it means to be a a tourist or traveller at this time.

CD in DC, thanks so much for your first hand experience of Bologna and revisiting the NY Times article to compare and contrast. I visited the town perhaps 15 years ago and would not characterize the city as touristic. In fact I remember having a hard time finding much information about Bologna. It does sound like you had a wonderful visit and I'm glad for that!

We also visited Bologna for a week this summer. None of the article's sensational claims were evident to us. Bologna is a very cultured, historically rich city with much to offer the paucity of tourists we observed. For the record, we saw no fried pasta at all, and although there's plenty of mortadella to be found, no vendors shoved samples in our faces.

I haven’t been to Bologna since our honeymoon in 2009. It was beautiful and virtually empty of tourists then. I’d love to go back but probably not anytime soon.

I do think some of the “over” tourism of Italy, and Europe in general, is happening because compared to the cost to travel in the US right now it’s cheaper even when factoring in airfares, especially with my kids and all the free/discounted activities for kids. We are spending 16 days in Italy next month for the same cost as 9 days at Disney earlier this year.

You know you're right. Beloved Bologna was never any kind of hell. At least not last month when I spent 3 night there, and I've been to a few continents over the last few decades. There were outstanding meals to be had in west side and east side Bologna, and a lovely old-world museum, the evocative Museo Archeologico. Bologna remains as genuine as the RS guide wishes it to be.

There is much food in this discussion, and much thought. Change, of the right kind, is always good, whereas the bad kind of change is always bad. But what is good or bad is not always easy to agree on. Perhaps most people would agree that changes should be paced at a more ideal, and slower, tempo. Imagine a meat-free Bologna change. That would be something. The vegetarian travellers would finally get their easy travel, and be able to live in a relaxing dream world of wide-spread empathy, starting in Bologna. That's what I want. You may say I'm a dreamer.