Bars in Bologna

Bologna is full of bars. Being a wealthy town, people are used to having colazione (cornetto e cappuccino), or simply an espresso at the bar.

The aperitivo, on the contrary, is more typical of Milan, where you can even have dinner without going back home. In Bologna it is instead a way to make you hungry. Over the last few years, some bars have tried to offer the same aperitivo as Milan, but there's no comparison. In Bologna, people want to sit down and eat, and they want to eat seriously, not just a simple slice of mortadella served in a tiny piece of bread. We may clearly state that in Bologna the real aperitivo alla milanese will never take place.

After dinner, the bolognesi and even more so the students, like to go out and sit down at a bar, or a pub, sipping some wine, beer or even grappa. In spring or summer it's great to stay outside; but in the winter it's rather cold. No problem: here is the way to make the winter warm outside. Somebody says it's not the best way to fight the energy wasting, but bars need to work.

I personally like to stay in when the weather is cold, but a lot of people don't: with such a view outside, they can't be blamed!