I have a kitchen utensil at home that I refer to as the ‘Carmelita’, for good reason.

It’s a hybrid of a slotted spoon and a colander which is perfect for scooping cooked pasta out of its water and straight into the awaiting sauce or ragu, and it brings back memories of a perfect weekend in Bologna, which has been voted the world’s food capital by readers of Condé Nast Traveller.

Carmelita is the name of a great lady and very accomplished chef and gastronome who took us into her kitchen when we visited this darling city, shared with us her love of good food and passed on some culinary skills in the process. Allow me to elaborate…

Lying in bed one Saturday morning, my partner making breakfast downstairs, I was watching BBC’s Saturday Kitchen and, in particular, a segment by my all-time food hero Rick Stein in Bologna, as I awaited the arrival of my smashed avocado on toast.

So inspired by Rick’s love for this seemingly magical foodie-heaven, I went directly on to the Ryanair website, booked some ludicrously cheap flights and shouted downstairs that we were going away the following weekend.

Where is Bologna and what’s it like?

Bologna is the capital of the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy and is the seventh most populated city in Italy, with around 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nationalities.

It feels relatively small and is served by Bologna Guglielmo Marconi airport, which is only 6km from the city centre. If you’re in visiting Tuscany, Bologna is less than two hours away. It’s just over half an hour by train from Florence, which to us felt like a louder and slightly uncouth cousin, by comparison.

The city has three nicknames, which sum it up perfectly:

• La Dotta (the learned one) for being home to the world’s oldest university;
• La Rossa (the red one) for its beautiful UNESCO-protected, terracotta-coloured, medieval buildings and its covered porticoes where you can gain shade from the sun or shelter from the rain. The city also has a history of left-wing, ‘red’ political leanings;
• La Grassa (the fat one) due to its reputation as being the culinary capital of Italy.

Despite its reputation for cuisine, you’ll find far fewer tourists here than in Rome, Milan, Venice or Florence. This city is a relatively hidden gem for food enthusiasts, plus we found it cheaper than the tourism hotspots.

Why is Bologna the food capital of Italy?

One of Bologna’s most famous offerings is ragù alla bolognese, which has led to the creation of (dare I say it in an article about the food capital of Italy)…one of the UK’s favourite dinners: ‘spag bol’. Only, here you’ll more than likely find the ragu served with tagliatelle, not spaghetti.

The Emilia-Romagna region also gave the world balsamic vinegar, mortadella, parmesan and parma ham. So, you’ll see why it has earned its reputation.

What is there to do in Bologna?

This is what brings us to Carmelita – the lady, not the kitchen utensil – a hugely-knowledgeable and lovely Maltese national who moved to Bologna in November 1996.

Carmelita runs Cook Italy, unforgettable cooking classes in Bologna for lovers of Italian food and Italy itself. She loves Bologna and that’s evident in her small and personal cookery classes, which we happened upon by a chance Google search for things to do in the city.

We booked a half-day cookery class with her and received a message to meet her in a café, close to the legendary ‘salumeria’ (aka deli) Simoni, in Via Pescherie Vecchie (as visited by Rick Stein). We met way earlier than we would normally like to get up on a weekend morning. This was, of course, to make the most of the food markets and their freshest produce.

We visited in March and there was still a nip in the air that morning in the dark, narrow streets in the shadow of Le Due Torri, the two wonky towers which tower above the compact city centre, despite the sun being out. This is where the picture postcard perfect food market spills out on to the streets, alive with colour and chatter.

You can book a half or full day cookery class with Carmelita, as well as market tours, and she also writes digital cookery books, with a following from all over the world.

We shopped like a local with Carmelita, looking at the very best cuts of meat, salami, vegetables, cheese and pasta, with several people greeting this very warm but formidable figure as she cut her way through the market with us in tow. She knew exactly what she wanted and the menu we were going to cook was inspired by what was available from the seasonal ingredients on sale that day.

With our bags packed with vibrant green leaves and cuts of meat wrapped in grease-proof paper, we headed to her kitchen, which overlooks a square and San Martino church. There has been a church on this site since 1217.

My partner made fresh egg pasta tagliatelle from scratch, with fresh broad beans, young Pecorino cheese and fresh mint, while I was in charge of an uncomplicated but delicious dish of pork chops with mushrooms and fresh asparagus.

When removing the pasta from the water (it cooked it what felt like seconds), Carmelita handed me the magic spoon-cum-colander and I vowed to get one as soon as I got home. They sell them on Amazon.

We chatted as if we had known Carmelita all our lives as we cooked under her watchful eye, then sat down and ate at her broad farmhouse-style kitchen table, overlooking the church, with a glass each of local wine. The windows to her kitchen were flung wide open and the early spring sunshine came tumbling in. What a life she has!

After lunch, we took Carmelita out for ice cream and coffee (she knew the best places to go) before we left, armed with recommendations for dinner, being told to mention that she sent us, wherever we decided upon.

We’ve stayed in touch with Carmelita and I’ve joined in some of her online cookery classes since our visit. If ever you find yourself in this characterful city, I strongly recommend you look her up (you can book via her website or find her on Instagram).

Where to stay in Bologna

We stayed in the charmingly-dated four star Hotel San Donato in the historic centre of Bologna, a few steps from the Two Towers and the breathtaking Piazza Maggiore (where we saw someone busking with a fluffy dog and pet rabbit).

The hotel had a sunshine-drenched terrace, which was the perfect spot for an Aperol Spritz and all the associated snacks you inevitably get in Italy. There is another blogpost in the making about that, for sure. Sometimes, you don’t need to eat after Aperol snacks, I’ve found!

One of the things I love about breakfast in Italy (and several other mainland European cities) is the availability of cake. The pistachio cannoli at the hotel’s buffet were crispy and crunchy on the outside, while gooey and nutty on the inside.

Where to eat in Bologna

Given this is the gourmet capital of Italy and, indeed, the world, we were not short of options for dinner. Two establishments which come to mind, recommended by both Rick and Carmelita were Simoni (the eatery, not the deli, which is a few doors down) and Ristorante Ciacco.

The former is inspired by the classic Bolognese delicatessen, here you’ll see the fourth generation at work since it opened in 1960, with their simple artisanal platters of cured meats, bread and typical gastronomy.

The latter has a history that dates back 50 years, housed in a 17^th century cellar, where wines from the surrounding hills were once stored. They still do some very fine wines, although in bottles and glasses now, not barrels.

On that topic, the most popular grapes from Emilia-Romagna include Malvasia, Lambrusco, Trebbiano, Barbera, Bonarda and Sangiovese.

What’s the weather like in Bologna?

This is always an important factor to me, when booking a trip away and, by picking carefully when and where you go, you can chase the sun and therefore prolong your summer.

That said, the weather in Bologna is a humid, temperate climate where summers are hot and damp, while winters are cold and chilly. It was a mixture of rain and sunshine when we visited in early spring. We were in short sleeves and enjoying mid 20 degrees C, while the local people looked at us as if we were mad and wore scarves and puffa coats, of course.

If you love food, go. The end.