Bologna, one of Italy greatest city, is only 80 km from my village, easy to reach for a day trip and a dose of art and culture. Just strolling around the old city, the portici, the churches and squares you have the feel that this is also a very liveable city, full of grand things but also little details.
I stopped in a cafe for my morning cappuccino in front of this church and I got an art piece!
Something to discover: a little window on the last canal of Reno gives you the illusion that you are opening a window on Venice!
The Nettuno fountain is beautiful during the day, and stunning at night!
What to eat in Bologna? Well, first of all I have to say that you eat well everywhere here, absolutely everywhere! But the best thing for me is fresh pasta, find any restaurant where they make their own pasta (and some are pretty low key) and you won't be disappointed! We had vegetarian filled pasta and gnocchi, all delicious!
For dessert I recommend this calorie bomb called tenerina, a semisoft chocolate cake, here with a mascarpone cream.
After making successfully a turmeric creme, a mousse and a semifreddo, I also made a Vegan version, topped with fruit (blueberries and passion fruit from my garden).
Mix 1 tbsp of cornflour with 2 tbsp of sugar and a pinch of turmeric powder. Slowly add 500ml or soy milk (or another vegetable milk of your choice), bring to the boil and simmer, stirring constantly, until it thickens. Pour into 4 dessert bowl (I use grappa/whisky glasses), and refrigerate. Before serving decorate with fruit (I used plums, nectarines, watermelon, blueberries and passion fruit).
What a lovely city, and the perfect place for a cake lover like me. So I am afraid to say that this is not exactly a Vegetarian guide, most of the photos are of sweet things! We stayed six days and every morning started with breakfast in a different patisserie, plus we had afternoon cakes too... being four of us we usually got a big selection and then shared, and always included at least one pastel de nata, Lisbon most famous custard flan.
It is a cover market, bus also full of shops, eateries and restaurants
Try the Port!
And the spectacular eclairs!
But the best thing for me is that here we found a restaurant for lunch that also served Vegans, but not the usual Vegan food that you find all over the world...
They made us a Vegan Bacalau A Bras! Bacalau (cod) is the national dish, and in this rice dish they omitted the fish and eggs, added veggies and lots of potato sticks, and as a modern twist they topped the lot with a yummy black olive dust. Highly recommended.
Those who ate cheese were equally happy, the cheese choice is excellent
Especially the famous Azeitão cheese, to be eaten with a spoon!
Jerónimos Monastery
Back to pastries! Since you will probably visit the Jerónimos Monastery, or Hieronymites Monastery, in Belém, you won't fail to notice the queue in front of the Pastéis de Belém, a must stop for the most famous pastel de natas around!
The monastery was beautiful, but personally I preferred The Lisbon Cathedral, also called Sé, which is the oldest church in the city and with beautiful tombs.
The Lisbon Cathedral, also called Sé
The Lisbon Cathedral, also called Sé
Tumbs in the Lisbon Cathedral, also called Sé
More photos! But be careful, lots of dairy and eggs here, and many cakes based on ovo mole, a concoction that reminded me of my grandmother sbattutino (egg yolk beaten with lots of sugar), something that she made us when we were a bit tired. Calories galore!! I also found some sweet potato cakes (Broas Castelares) that I used to eat in Japan (Portuguese merchants were among the first European to reach Japan). Really hard for Vegans though...
The São Jorge Castle was pretty, a nice walk up to digest all those sweet treats!
São Jorge Castle
I liked the tiles all around the city
Another place I liked was the aquarium
And finally, a must do is to go and listen to Fado. We went into one of the most famous Fado Houses, they had two vegetarian options, which we got, nothing special, nor were the salads, but you don't go to these places for the cuisine, you go for the music, and that was top!
On the last night we went to a Vegetarian restaurant, and there are quite a few, just check out the Happy Cow! But the majority seem to be Indian/Nepali or similar, which is ok when you are tired of eating cakes, or pasta dishes (as an Italian I can eat others' vegetarian lasagne if I am hungry, but up to a point). On night we even went to a pizzeria which had Vegan and vegetarian pizza, but what is the point? I wanted to have local dishes... In short, we were tired and hungry and needed to fill up, and the place was ok, a buffet style eatery I guess not different from any other similar eateries, so no need to name, just rest assure that there are plenty around if you really need a big Vegan/vegetarian feed.
What I liked best in Lisboa? Well, difficult to say, there are a lot of grand monuments and old buildings...
Plaza del Comercio
Padrão dos Descobrimentos
And charming details, although sadly many old houses are run down
Perhaps the best thing for me was the light, a city build up in different layers of colours which seem to reflect with the light of the Tagus River estuary... I think it was magical. Bye Bye Lisboa!
