In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
[quote=Lisa C.;87614]My family and I need a hotel to stay in for 2 nights in Bologna before flying out at 7 am from the Bologna airport. We will be coming from southern Marche and will probably head to Ravenna and Faenza before going to our hotel. We would appreciate recommendations for a place in or near the historic centre. We will have a car unless we decide to turn it a day early. I have searched the Forum previously and had seen several people mention Tre Vecchie a few years ago but reviews I have read on-line have been mixed.[/quote]
This is a cracker!
[url=http://www.art-hotel-commercianti.it/]Art Hotel Commercianti - Sito Ufficiale - Hotel Bologna[/url]
Smack dab off the Piazza, but quiet, These days however we stay in a B&B about 10 minutes walk from the centre. Book parking when you book the room
If you are nervous about driving to your hotel, find a taxi and pay him to guide you in. I paid 5 euros cash for this & it was well worth it for the first time.
A car is a real hindrance in Bologna. The airport bus run directly from the centro storica, but a taxi is (was) only about €15. I would dump the car. Bologna is a super walkable city with excellent public transport.
Now don't get me started on the restaurants..........................:swoon:
(Don't forget the the "[I][COLOR="#000000"]Bologna[/COLOR][/I]" airport that Ryanair use is bloody miles away!)
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
Some years ago we used the Best Western Park Hotel:
[url=http://book.bestwestern.com/bestwestern/productInfo.do]Bestwestern.com, the World's Largest Hotel Chain[/url]
Was very cheap (90 euro per double room per night inc breakfast) but this probably depends on when you want it.
It's a twenty minute walk from the centre but to the North, and convenient for the airport.
As others say, don't drive in the city anyway!
They have some of the nicest modern rooms I've been in.
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
[quote=chrisnotton;87621]This is a cracker!
[url=http://www.art-hotel-commercianti.it/]Art Hotel Commercianti - Sito Ufficiale - Hotel Bologna[/url]
Smack dab off the Piazza, but quiet, These days however we stay in a B&B about 10 minutes walk from the centre. Now don't get me started on the restaurants..........................:swoon: (Don't forget the the "[I][COLOR="#000000"]Bologna[/COLOR][/I]" airport that Ryanair use is bloody miles away!)[/quote]
Hi Chris,
Thanks so much for the suggestions. Would you also happen to have the name of the b & b you have stayed at as well? Any restaurant recommendations would also be welcome as we haven't been to Bologna in 25 years. We're deciding what to do about the car as we will have luggage for 3 people. If we do keep it while in the city, it will only be used to arrive and to take us to the airport. We won't use it for the day we'll be spending in town. We're leaving from the Bologna airport on Iberia, to Madrid, on our way home to the States so we won't have to worry about Ryanair.
Lisa
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
[quote=Lisa C.;87693]Hi Chris,
Thanks so much for the suggestions. Would you also happen to have the name of the b & b you have stayed at as well? Any restaurant recommendations would also be welcome as we haven't been to Bologna in 25 years. We're deciding what to do about the car as we will have luggage for 3 people. If we do keep it while in the city, it will only be used to arrive and to take us to the airport. We won't use it for the day we'll be spending in town. We're leaving from the Bologna airport on Iberia, to Madrid, on our way home to the States so we won't have to worry about Ryanair.
Lisa[/quote]
Here is the B&B it is stunning, you can park your car in the street nearby.
[url=http://www.parkview.it/homeeng.htm]Parkview bed & breakfast Bologna[/url]
Restaurants:
TRATTORIA ANNA MARIA
Link:
[url=http://www.carli.com/OlioCarli/ita/gol/rs/rs_2002-06/rs_2002-06.htm]Fratelli Carli - L'Angolo dei Golosi - I Ristoranti[/url]
[FONT="Arial"][SIZE="3"]Review & address
[FONT="Arial Narrow"][SIZE="2"]Trattoria Anna Maria has been my favorite restaurant of all time across a couple visits and 2 decades. The atmosphere is very cozy and charming. Not fancy. Locals and people in the know, althouggh not a restaurant you'll find in many of the books necessarily.
The tortelllini en brodo, a perfectly prepared simple soup with the most delicate pork morsels, the tagliatelle al ragu (bolognese sauce) and the lasagna al forno are so good they set my standards for good Italian food and I've spent FAR more in several other cities in Italy and the U.S. and never come close. The lasagna al forno uses the same ragu (bolognese) style sauce. it has such nice rich flavors. You can taste the pork, beef, carrot, wine, and they blend together perfectly. The pasta is so thin it melts yet still incredibly flavorful. On my most recent visit, we ate there 3 times and that was not enough. The meat dishes for secondi are scrumptious too -- never had a bad one.
Go. You won't be sorry.
Trattoria Annamaria Di Monari Anna Maria
Via Delle Belle Arti, 17/A
40126 Bologna (BO), Italy
051 266894[/SIZE][/FONT][/SIZE][/FONT]
Our personal favorite & open on Sunday
[url=http://www.italiadiscovery.it/dettaglio_aziende_hotel_ristoranti_italia.php?regione=Emilia%20Romagna&prov=&idcomune=1267&idcategoria=114&id=630]Scacco Matto[/url]
[FONT="Arial Narrow"][SIZE="2"]Scacco Matto (63B Via Broccaindosso; 39-051/263-404; dinner for two $90), on a side street near the university. Chef Mario Ferrara celebrates his Basilicata heritage with dishes such as bonito stuffed with raisins and pine nuts, and his Japanese assistants prepare a sashimi plate of tuna tataki, smoked salmon, and fresh anchovies. Oversized tarot cards and antique board games (scacco matto means "checkmate") surround the restaurant, and Ferrara's brother, Enzo, sees to it that wineglasses are kept full. •
[/SIZE][/FONT]
If you fancy an envigorating stroll then head for the passaggio a san luca and take the porticoed stroll up the Madonna a san luca where you can see all of Bologna and eat at Vito San Luca Pizzeria. Actually we usually get a cab up & walk down :yes:
[url=http://www.vito.it/#]San Luca Vito Bologna[/url]
[IMG]http://cache.virtualtourist.com/123953-San_Luca_church-Bologna.jpg[/IMG]
&, oh yes, I hope you like gelati:
[url=http://www.davidlebovitz.com/archives/2006/10/molto_gelato_in.html]David Lebovitz: Molto Gelato in Bologna[/url]
One of my favorite places on earth!! Put on a few pounds for me :jiggy:
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
Chris,
Thanks so much for all of the helpful information. We look forward to trying some of your recommendations, especially the gelato!
Lisa
hi, we arrived in Bologna by car, without a hotel reservation & tried to swan into the Orlogio, which was full (and cost an arm & a leg anway). We then did a bit of a recce on foot & found [url=http://www.hotelroma.biz/eng/index.php]Hotel Roma - Since 1895 tradition of hospitality[/url] - it's by no means the best hotel i've stayed at design/faclities wise, but it was very well located in the historic centre and had an undergrond carpark and its rates seemed OK to us (by comparison anyway, and we were a bit stuck so we didn't shop around). Compare its prices to other similar hotels in the same area ... if it's as cheap or cheaper, then I can reccomend it as being clean & quiet enough but ideally located. Pay close attention to the info on car access on the website - Bologna is a no go for cars unless you get your hotel to enter your licence plate into the city's database as soon as you get there. Also, there are a couple of streets in the centre that you will be fined for driving on even with the hotel dispensation, so plan your route carefully if you end up taking a car and staying within the ZTL.