One Of The Best Places To Eat In The World: Bologna

You going to book me? I might get a mug here. Is that gorgeous or what, eh? And I believe I can run a decent marriage. Download Veely now. I'm Kathy McCabe. In this series, we'll meet the authentic characters, uncover the hidden treasures, and discover what makes Italy the most fascinating country in the world. Join me as we dream of Italy. This is Bologna. Bologna for the oldest university in the Western world, founded in 1088. The red, not just for the famous red rooftops, but for the city's strong communist tradition. And the fat, well, that's for the food. Tortellini, ragu, mortadella. Bologna is where Italians come to eat. If that's not enough, Bologna's architecture will astound you. Streets laced with 18 miles of porticos. And the towers, forever reminding the Bolognese of their medieval heritage. Bologna may not be the most famous of Italy's big cities, but her charms captivate even the most seasoned traveler. The University of Bologna is conventionally considered the oldest in the Western world, founded at the end of the 11th century, that is, in the middle ages. At the time, Bologna was one of the most important European cities, very large, and attracted, along with many merchants, also many students. This is so relaxing. So biking in Bologna is a great idea because many of these streets don't allow cars. Yes, I think it's nice to visit Bologna on a bike because Bologna is a... It's not a huge city. No, it's not. So this is Piazza Maggiore. Yes. Is this the biggest square in Bologna? Yes, this is the biggest square, the most important, and it's bad luck to walk across it, so you always have to walk along the perimeter. And here we have San Petronio. San Petronio. You can still see that it's unfinished. It was supposed to be all marble, but the works were stopped, and now it's half marble, half bricks. Wow. It's stunning. Very civilized Bologna. We tried to. We tried. Tortellini is the most famous food in Bologna, and I am so lucky to be here with the Venturi sisters, Monica and Dani. So in Bologna, why do the Bolognese love tortellini? Because it's a very good kind of pasta. It's so rich. Every time you taste one, it's like going to heaven. And because it's full of tradition. It's very old. I mean, the first time we saw tortellini somewhere, it was after the fight between Bologna and Modena in 1325. What about you two? Do you fight? Like Modena and Bologna? Worse than Modena and Bologna. Black and white. The tortellini is sort of round. How did it get this shape? It was a cook during 1325, which it seems that they saw Venus. A statue or a painting? No, no, no, the real goddess. The real goddess. Of course. I didn't know she was in Modena. She was traveling. Oh, she gets around. So she saw her naked because she was taking off the veils. And so we decided to recreate, to produce the same wonderful belly button. We're making a pasta. I had no idea that tortellini was a belly button. But in Bologna or in the surroundings, everywhere, everything you eat is made because someone saw something of some women, the hair for tagliatelle, belly button for tortellini. There's something physical. It's always about a woman's body, isn't it? So the tortellini is no exception. We have a lot of customers from all over Italy, from Sicily to Piemonte, and just to have tortellini, only to have tortellini from us, from Bologna. What an honor. So how do you start baking the tortellini? And so we cut like this. We just have to make squares. So I know there's pork, but what else is in the filling? Pork, mortadella, parmigiano, and ham. So I'm going to practice. So we make a triangle. You go so fast. Yes. Use the thumb up in this part and just squeeze like this. You have to stretch it. And you just do this. You just wrap the finger. This is the belly button. Venus's belly button. Turned it into tortellini. Yes. My filling is coming out. When it's not good, you can eat it. You eat it? So you become Bolognese. You are a Bolognese girl now. Thank you so much, Monica, for teaching me. I made my first tortellini. And then you have to eat it. Bye. You are Bolognese now. So excited to be in this Lamborghini. We are producing these amazing cars. 18 cars per day. So handcrafted manufacturing. This is one of the best Italian brands. And I am one of the lucky few to get a tour of the factory floor. And to get a ride with Simone. You're a professional driver. I'm a test driver for Lamborghini. So some people say I have a dream job. But you have the dream job. I have the dream job too. So we are two very lucky people. Working for Lamborghini is really a special experience. You can really be proud. And you can really feel motivated on doing this job. The only factory on Lamborghini, the only plant, is here in Sant'Agata Bolognese. Which is in Bologna. Here we are producing the only Lamborghini in the world. This part of the region is called even Motor Valley. Because in 50 kilometers there is Lamborghini, Ferrari, Pagani. Our cars are leaders in performance. Our engine, 750 horsepower, is an amazing engine. So how fast can we go in this? More than 150 kilometers per hour. In how many seconds? Less than five. Driving a Lamborghini is an amazing experience. The sensation of basically high performance. So you can get really a feeling in the stomach while you are accelerating. The same sensation you can get with the Formula One application. Awesome. In the end, our customers, our clients, are buying a dream. Yeah, beautiful cars. Italians eat a lot of gelato. And I have to admit, when I'm in Italy, I eat it nearly every day. Carpigiani Gelato University teaches students from all over the world how to open and run a successful gelateria. I hope to open a gelateria next door to our bakery. Specifically, I'm interested in making sorbet drinks with alcohol, sorbet martinis. This is a career change for me because I want to become a gelato master. Master gelato artisan Luciano Ferrari is one of the professors. I'm ready to go to school. Very good. So you teach here at this university. Yes, I do. So it's a whole institute of higher education just for gelato. Correct. That might be my next career. Why not? Gelato is very simple, right? It is very simple. So basically, to make gelato, we need the water that is inside the strawberries. Your goal now is to plant everything inside a bucket. Then we are going to add also the strawberries. This way. And the sugar. All of this? All of it. This is why gelato is so fattening. Because it's this much sugar. Believe it or not, it's way, way less fattening than ice cream. It's actually half the fat of ice cream. And here there is no fat at all. So tell me, how is ice cream different from gelato? Ice cream is a product that is mainly made for long storage. Whereas gelato is meant to be fresh, made on a daily basis. What's the next step? The next step is to mix it up. Wow, it's just so light and airy. It is, it is. The magic of this process is that the sugar binds with the water, keeping the ice crystals small and smooth, making the gelato light and creamy. You can really taste the fresh strawberries. This is a very traditional gelato, very classical flavor. But I've got something new for you, which is a Parmesan cheese gelato today. Really? Yes. Let's taste it. You don't taste the cheese right away. No. Estupendo. I think this is the new trend in gourmet food. It is, it is. The most important ingredient to make gelato... Tell me. ...is actually creativity. Creativity. I like that. For many, living in Italy is a dream come true. I'm lucky enough to catch up with a childhood friend. Danny, it's so good to see you. You too, Cathy. I'm used to seeing you in New Jersey, in Springfield, where our parents still live next door to each other after many decades and decades. You taught me how to play baseball and football, and you had the treehouse. Yeah, the treehouse was awesome. I miss that treehouse. Seriously. I remember, like, it took years, but pieces of it would fall down. When I tell my Italian friends that I had a treehouse, they're like, really? Like the American dream. Yeah, they think it's something out of a movie. But now, here we are in Bologna, which is your home now. Yes. And why did you come here again? For a girl. Bologna is unique because the weekends, you know, you can go to the beach in the summertime. During the winter, you go to the mountains to ski. The university, that kind of makes it a young, and it keeps it kind of cosmopolitan. And it's just this kind of, I don't know. A dolce vita. A dolce vita, it really is. So how much wine do you drink when you live in Italy? Is that true? Are you drinking it at lunch and at dinner? Am I supposed to be honest here? Friends, you can tell me. I don't drink it at lunch because I just can't, you know. Although a lot of people do. Yeah. Dinner, yeah. I mean, there's a bottle of wine on the table at dinner. You're becoming an Italian Danny, or you are. Do I have an accent? You have Italian manners. But I do too. I notice the longer I'm here on a trip, the hands go crazy. Absolutely. It's addictive. I started two years ago putting together a wine company, my own brand of wine. We make it here near Bologna in Imola. And what grape is it? My wine is actually a blend of Sangiovese and Shiraz. Oh. So I'm dying to taste it. Okay, well. Salute. Cheers. Congratulations on the wino. Cin cin. Thank you. It's fruity. It has kind of a fruity nose on the tongue. You haven't given your mother grandchildren, but you've given her mood wine. Is this not the next best thing, right? I think so. It should keep her happy. Just as happy, if not happier. Exactly. Let's go to Savigno destination. I'm taking a day trip with my friend Alessandro Martini. We're headed to the tiny town of Savigno, about 40 minutes southwest of Bologna. Everyone is excited about your visit. Also, the grandma, the nonna, is very happy. She is a really Italian grandma. What does that mean? It means that when you're going to do something that she doesn't like, she's going to say no, too. She's a genuine grandma. I hope she knows I can't cook very well. Everyone will love you, especially because you're beautiful first, you're blonde, you're American, and you will be in trouble, I think, today. Maybe I'll meet my future husband. Here we are. Ah, Savigno. Welcome to Savigno, Kati. Are you ready? I've heard so much about it. We have a lot of things to do, but first of all, let's go to take a beautiful and traditional breakfast at Bar La Stella d'Oro. And after, we have the grandma that is waiting for us at the market because we're going to grab some of the fresh ingredients for making a ragu bolognese sauce. My favorite. And you are going to make pasta from scratch today. Of course you're putting me to work. I think if you give me enough coffee, I can do it. Yes. Buongiorno a tutti. Buongiorno. Look, they are starting already. May I introduce you, Kati? These are all my friends that are living in Savigno. Nice to meet you. It's fresh out of the oven. Yes, fresh from the lard. Not from the oven, because they are deep-fried in lard. Oh, boy. This is lard. My diet starts next week. Yes. Okay. You're going to take a piece. You're going to dip in the caffè latte. Okay. And you're going to enjoy. Eat, eat. Okay, okay. Roberta. Yes. You're good. Here we are, see? Every promise is kept. The bottle. Guys, cheers. We're late. See you later, guys. See you later. Cheers. Bye. You're welcome, you're welcome. Today it's a market day, so we can grab the real fresh ingredients that we are going to use, and we are going to meet Anna, the grandma that is going to show us how the real ragù Bolognese is made. It's the most famous thing here, I think. Yes, one of the most famous, I think, pasta sauce in all over the world. Roberto. Salve. Our veggie pusher for today. So what are we getting? Le carote. Carrots. Tre carotine, tre gambi di sedano. Quale colore? Dorata, gold. Gold. We're eating gold. They say that it has more paste. That's everything we need at the vegetables stand. At the vegetables, yes, but now what we need is the meat. The guido. Guido. It's one of the oldest butcher shops in Savigna. I'll take the onion. I'll take the rest. Ciao. Buongiorno, Guido. Ciao, Guido. Buongiorno. Come stai? Bene, bene. Let me introduce you. Kati. What do we get? It's a skirt steak. Pork neck. Okay, now it's time to mince the meat. Nona Anna's secret for the meat? Mince it twice. Kati, finally we are here. Do you dance and cook? Yes, that she can. Ballare e cucinare. La musica della cucina. Let's go. So she chopped it up. The celery. The celery, the carrots. Gold. The onions. The meat from Guido. Guido's meat. Yes, we have to pray because it's our... If you speak with 100 nonne, you're going to have 120 different recipes. 120? Yes. Every single nonna has a different tradition, different recipe. Do you want to taste? Taste it. You know what's so good? The prosciutto. It's got a kick. Yes, the kick. How do you say kick? Kick. Yes, kick. I like kick. Say kick. Kick. Allora, kick. Kick. Quanto dobbiamo aspettare, Anna, now? Un paio di ore, eh? Si. A few hours. Slow cooking. Slow food. Slow food, slow cooking. Slow food. I think that now it's a good time to go upstairs and to make some fresh pasta from stretch. And I want to see you in next channel. Oh, I don't know how it's going to go. Anna! Let's go make the pasta. Andiamo a fare la pasta. Sei pronta per fare la pasta? It's time for pasta. Look at Nonna Anna. Beautiful, beautiful. It's a mess, Alessandro. It's a mess. No, no, no, no. You're good. You're doing a great job. You make bread at home, right? Yes. No. No, you're not making bread. You're making pizza at home, right? When I call for delivery, that's why I come to Italy. Good job. So someone else can cook for me. La Nonna is coming to check. I need a Nonna to fix this for me. La Nonna is coming to check. Feel? Si, va bene. It's fine. She say that it's fine. Now we're going to rolling pasta. And for rolling pasta, we need the mattarello. Anna, she have their own mattarello. Mattarellato? That's a big mattarello. Power. Bye, mattarello. Yup. She's rolling it up. Questo coltello è molto importante. It's very important tonight. So this will be like, almost like our Excalibur, Excalimus, Excalimus. And for you, for making, for pasta making. Look how fast she goes. Oh la la. Really? Are you sure? Sei sicura? Twice. I can only do two. Twice. Okay, I hope I'm up for it. Mine's a little thick. Look at that. That was a lot of hard work. So I think we should go eat. Yes, of course. Let's go. Now all that's left is to taste the ragu in Tagliatelle. Joining us are Alberto Bettini and Marina Malavasi, the owners of Amarigo 1934, an unassuming eatery with a Michelin star. So the onion, we eat it with the ragu? Yes. This is a unique experience. Okay, I'll show you. Yeah, show me how to do it. First, tagliatelle. Okay. So prima. Prima. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten. Very easy. I missed that. How you feel now? Like magic. Better. It's like a medicine. It is. Bolognese medicine. Bolognese.