For our last night in Bologna, we had a very special dinner at Antica Osteria Romagnola (Via Rialto, 13a, 40124 Bologna BO). This place was recommended by our friend, Dominic, who had also recommended Donatello where we dined the previous night, and had a fantastic meal.
AOR appeared to be more of a restaurant for locals rather than tourists. First of all, Google maps said we had arrived when we were in a dark alley without any sign of a restaurant. Luckily we had the good sense to walk around the corner and realized we were previously behind the place. We were seated in a relatively small room with 5 other parties, all of whom were speaking Italian. Our server greeted us and immediately started talking in Italian. When we identified ourselves as being ignorant of his language he said he would try to tell us about the menu with the little English that he spoke. He then proceeded to tell us all the specials of the day in PERFECT English. We ordered the suckling pig for two which he told us cooks for 8 hours at a low temperature and then at a high temperature just before serving to warm the meat and make the skin crispy. Eight hours is a long time to wait for your meal but lucky for us they started the process long before our arrival. While we waited he suggested an appetizer to satisfy our hunger (Hunger? Something we haven’t experienced since we landed in Milan). The appetizer contained marinated tomatoes, Carmelized onions in balsamic vinegar, chickpeas (of all places you would think they would call them garbanzo beans in Italy) in a spicy marinade, black olives, and a mixture made with tomato, bread, and basil (a recipe from Tuscany). We also received bread, a spread made with ricotta and cream, and mortadella (“Not baloney!” according to our server.)
I enjoyed watching the server cut the mortadella which he did repeatedly. The slicing machine was purchased in 1927 and the restaurant opened in the 1600s. The video of the server slicing the mortadella can be found here. https://youtu.be/tlfGqmifPLk
For the main course, Patrice and I shared the Suckling Pig for two. The server brought us the platter and then handed us a canister of sauce saying, “This is what makes the magic happen”. Segovia, Spain is supposed to be the home for this dish but nothing I have eaten in Segovia compared with what we had at AOR.
After dinner, we asked the server if we could see the dessert menu. He told us “I am the dessert menu” after which he rattled off about 6 dessert descriptions. They all sounded wonderful but we opted to top off the night with “Apple Pie with a scoop of ice cream”. Here is the picture and you will have to tell me where is the pie. All I see is some cake.
This morning we headed to Venice by private car but first a stop at the Ferrari museum. Apparently, a tour of the factory is only given to car owners so we had to settle for the museum. It has been said that Italian sports cars are magnets for hot women. So if you are looking for a hottie consider buying one of these.
I have to confess that it was my Italian sports car that got Patrice interested in going out with me. Here is a picture of my beauty.
I never knew the 0-60 mph time for my Fiat because at 55 mph it would start vibrating as if it was about to collapse. I kept the car for 5 dangerous years. When I finally sold the car we celebrated by going out to the Palm restaurant in Beverly Hills. We almost spent all the proceeds from the sale of the car on that dinner. We saw Kareem Abdul Jabbar there that night. Do you think he would mention seeing us that night on his blog?
The Ferrari museum tour was interesting but I think I disappointed our guide when she asked if I was interested in Formula 1 and I replied, “No my wife breastfed all our children”. She showed us a lot of beautiful cars and talked about the various champion drivers from Ferrari. Unfortunately, I only remembered one of them. When she mentioned Nikki Lauda I asked “Wasn’t he the poor soul who had an accident and was burned beyond recognition?” She didn’t seem pleased.
After the tour, we were given two “Fan Experiences”. First, we got to drive a Ferrari simulation. It was very hard for me to get this old body in and out of the simulator but it was a lot of fun driving close to 200 km/h. I didn’t even get hurt when I drove off the track and almost crashed into the grandstand. I didn’t get hurt but I did get nauseous. Virtual reality rides are not my thing.
The other fan experience was to change a Ferrari tire. Patrice jumped right in and whipped that tire off and with a little help from me (very little) she got that tire back on. The drill used to loosen and tighten the nut was incredibly loud and I hate painfully loud noises. The guide asked if I wanted to change a tire and I told him, “No thank you, that it why I have AAA”.
We are at the hotel in Venezia (Venice) but I will give you an update tomorrow.
Ciao
Robert Reiss Travel Blog and Other Ramblings 