38. Bologna

Being in Bologna is like paying a visit to an Italian museum of food. That is not to say that the city itself is not remarkable; in fact, it's one of the best preserved of the old European cities. The distinctive brick architecture gives the entire city a reddish hue. But beyond the buildings and historical sites, its markets, food stores, and restaurants will make such an impression that you'll find yourself snapping photos of prosciutto and antipasto displays as well as porticos and church towers.

Bologna began its life as Felsina, a center of Etruscan culture, in the sixth century BC as. The Gauls changed the name to Bononia two centuries later. After another couple hundred years, the Romans took over. In 1249, Bologna won its independence from Rome in the Battle of Fossalta, taking prisoner the son of the Holy Roman Emperor. In spite of subsequent feudal wars, the city grew in wealth and was eventually taken under the wing of the papal states in the beginning of the sixteenth century. Napoleon and the Austrians were here briefly, and in 1860 it became a part of the newly formed country of Italy.

Now, with the history out of the way, let's discuss food! Fruit markets, with mouth-watering peaches and figs, are interspersed with butcher shops, which offer the choicest meats and leanest cuts. Pasta shops boast of the best tortellini in the region and fill their windows with mounds of eye-appealing samples. Today's catch is laid out on piles of ice for all to admire at the fish market, which is next to the baker, whose crisp brown loaves have just emerged from the oven. Coffee bars, the walls lined floor - to - ceiling with roasted beans, are next to pastry shops, where heavenly treats make mortals pause in wonder.

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