Discover Bologna’s Hidden Gems: A Shopper’s Guide to Unique Finds in the Historic Center
There are many ways to shop in Bologna. The historic center is full of shops, boutiques, and markets that make it hard for shopaholics to stay away, even if they are just passing through.
And we’re not just talking about clothes. People looking for vintage, cheap, or designer clothes won’t be disappointed, but the same goes for food and wine. To make it happen, just walk around the small streets of the old Mercato Quadrilatero. This is also where our tour of Bologna’s most important shopping streets begins.
Where to buy traditional Bolognese delicacies
Today, the Mercato Quadrilatero is the place to go for products that are typical of Bologna. Since the Middle Ages, this part of the historic center has been known for its trade and craft activities. Many of the city’s trade guilds, called “Arti” (such as the Salaroli, the Beccai, and the Pescatori, to name a few), had their headquarters here, giving the area a unique and interesting feel that you can still feel today.
In the narrow streets of the Quadrilatero, you can find fruit, vegetable, and fresh food stands, as well as old shops where you can buy typical Bolognese products and well-known dishes.
Any examples?
On Via Caprarie, one of the main streets in this part of the city, Paolo Atti & Figli’s shop is at number 7. They are easy to spot because they are full of sweet and savory treats, mostly tortellini and tagliatelle, and have tags that explain what they are.
Atti has been a part of Bologna since 1868, and it is also on Via Drapperie 6 just a few meters away. Write it down if you want to take something tasty home from the city.
The same is true for Tamburini, which is right next door on Via Caprarie. Inside this delicatessen, which opened in 1932, you can find a wide variety of local cold cuts and cheeses, as well as dishes made by the local gastronomy, such as lasagne, tortellini, tortelloni, and many others, which you can also try right in the shop. In fact, Tamburini has a cafeteria and a wine bar where you can try the traditional flavors right away.
The Majani chocolate shop, which is a heaven for chocolate and bar lovers, is another staple of Bologna food. When you walk into the historic shop at 5 via de’ Carbonesi, you will be surrounded by the smells and tastes of a chocolate that has been made and sold in Bologna since 1796 and is the first solid chocolate in Italy.
Yes, because before 1832, this delicacy was only available as a liquid. The Majani family came up with a new way to eat it, which is how we all do it today. Try the famous Fiat cremino, the puff pastry, and the chocolate tortellini.
The fashion streets of Bologna
If you want to add to your wardrobe instead, the center of Bologna has many places where you can buy new clothes for all tastes and budgets. So let’s see what the best ways are to satisfy your shopping urges.
Via Indipendenza
This road is hard to avoid, especially if you get to Bologna by train. Via Indipendenza is well-known in the city for its shops, which line up under the arcades from one side of the street to the other. It is also an important route between the station area and Piazza Maggiore. Via Indipendenza is where you can find cheap clothing chains, big brands, shoe stores, perfumeries, costume jewelry shops, and a lot more.
A mile that is almost entirely devoted to shopping. On Fridays and Saturdays, the large moving market of the Piazzola (or Montagnola) sets up in the nearby Piazza VIII Agosto, making it even bigger. People who like old and used things will love this market, which has a lot to offer, from clothes to shoes, handicrafts to household items, and is sometimes compared to Porta Portese.
The clothing stores continue along via Rizzoli and via Ugo Bassi, which are perpendicular to each other. These streets also have big stores of other kinds, like the Feltrinelli bookshop and the Coin department stores.
Portico del Pavaglione
Those looking for the most well-known brands will have to walk along the Pavaglione’s long portico, where boutiques and well-known brands are located.
What’s it?
We are right in the middle of Bologna, right next to the Basilica of San Petronio, on the side that, so to speak, leads to Piazza Galvani. The name “Pavaglione” comes from the pavilions of the silkworm market, which used to be right on Piazza Galvani.
It was built in the middle of the sixteenth century by the architect Antonio Morandi, who was known as “il Terribilia.” Today, you can shop under the arches that connect via de’ Musei to via Farini at stores like Max Mara, Mandarina Duck, Fratelli Rossetti, Trussardi, and many other Italian and international high fashion brands.
Galleria Cavour
But that’s not all: the Galleria Cavour, a covered shopping mall just a few meters from the Pavaglione that has many more high-fashion shops (entrance from via de’ Foscherari), is also a great place for luxury shopping. Fans of big brands like Louis Vuitton, Emporio Armani, Gucci, Prada, Bulgari, Tiffany & Co., etc., must have this.
For a full tour of the shops in Bologna, you should keep going down via Farini, one of the city’s most beautiful streets, where you can shop under the beautiful frescoed arches of the portico of Palazzo della Banca d’Italia.
Via d’Azeglio
When you get to the intersection with Via d’Azeglio, don’t forget to take a walk down this nice pedestrian street, which is known all over the country for its historic clothing shops, great delicatessens with Bolognese products, and, last but not least, the Giorgio Morandi museum.
Via San Felice
If big brands and clothing chains aren’t your thing, don’t worry: Bologna has a different shopping experience for you: small, independent boutiques with creative and unique clothes. Your destination is reached via San Felice, which is one of the roads that connect the historic center to the old city gates and the ring roads. San Felice is a quiet street that is less busy than other streets in the historic center.
This makes it a good place to walk slowly and look more closely at the storefronts. Aside from clothing stores, this area has craft shops, goldsmiths, and shoe shops that sell high-quality shoes.
Via San Vitale
The last thing that can’t be left out is a focus on vintage clothing. In the past few years, a lot of retro-style shops have opened in the center of Bologna. These shops sell used clothes and accessories that can give your wardrobe a unique touch. The most vintage shops are probably on Via San Vitale, which is also a bit away from the busy center. Here, you can find rare and stylish items at the Broche Brothers, Friperie, and Zenobialand (the latter is on Via San Leonardo). Happy shopping!
