Innovation, liberal thought and rebellion – three characteristics linked by a common challenge to the status quo, have always characterized the spirit of Bologna and its citizens. Bologna was always a restless subject of Popes, kings and ruling dynasties and its medieval history is littered with uprisings, overthrowings and general disobedience to attempted foreign authorities. The city's university, the first of its kind in Europe, was always an engine of enlightenment and discovery, from the first principles of European Law and human rights to the invention of radio. And the Bolognese rejection of Mannerism, born of an innate pragmatism, founded one of the most influential schools of classical art. These three characteristics still manifest themselves today, in a different guise, running under the surface of modern life in Bologna and connecting the city to its past. Bologna's position at the forefront of Italian technology continues to this day. Twinned with Coventry in the UK, it seems apposite that Bologna and its environs are sometimes referred to as la terra delle moto – the land of motorbikes – due to the concentration of car and motorbike factories located around the city. That's about as far as the comparison can stretch, though. Apart from the significant difference in architectural beauty between Bologna and its Midlands relative, the factories in question are none other than Ducati, Ferrari, Lamborghini and Maserati. Personally I'd rather be sent to Bologna. Independent, specialist and small or medium-sized companies, these famous stables are also typical of the type of business to be found in Bologna, and different from the cumbersome conglo- merates further north. These industries have contributed to make Bologna and its surrounds one of the most affluent regions in the country – dubbed the 'Third Italy' between the industrial triangle in the north and the underdeveloped South. Bologna is also known for its innovation in the field of fashion, and in particular pronta moda or off-the-peg fashion. A quick glance in the clothes shops along via dell'Indipendenza will also reveal an experimental-grunge for young and trendy Bolognese more akin to London, and a far cry from the rigidity of Barbours, V-neck jumpers and brown brogues seemingly de rigueur elsewhere in Italy. It is said that many of the designs that end up on the catwalks of Milan started out as experimental ideas in Bologna. Remember, you saw it first here. Bolognese innovation in youth fashion has also translated into the city's bars, cafés and nightclubs. When it comes to concept bars and wacky décors Bologna has a greater selection than many Italian cities, reclaiming its former industrial zones and ware- houses, especially to the northwest, with some surprising results. Also contrary to the profoundly conservative currents running through the country, Bologna has a renowned and well-organized gay scene – a further statement of its emancipated attitude. The funky bars and clubs are packed with Bologna's arty-camp population, mixing easily with more red-blooded revellers. Many bars serve also as stages for the city's abundant artists, combining eating and drinking with short film projections, exhibitions, performance art, music, theatre and dance spectacles. Bologna and Emilia-Romagna also have a long tradition of music. Nearby Parma hosts opera productions to rank alongside those of La Scala or Verona, and Modena is birthplace of Luciano Pavarotti. Nowadays the city is, by Italian standards, a centre for jazz, hosting many international line-ups in its clubs and providing a forum for newcomers. Rock music is alive and kicking in Bologna, too. Birthplace of Lucio Dalla and Italy's only real rocker, Vasco Rossi, the city is a stop on the tours of many international pop acts. In 2000 Bologna was nominated a European City of Culture and like a latter-day patriarch, the progressive city council is very active in its support of artistic initiatives. The lengths of via Zamboni, the self-professed street of art and via delle Belle Arti are plastered with posters announcing the latest events going on in the city, from raves to recitals of poetry. Many of these local artists and performers are students, following in the lofty footsteps of such alumni as Dante, Boccaccio and Petrarch, but also of the enraged and engaged students who took Bologna's university into the political sphere. After the end of the Second World War, and as if in rebellion against the memory of its recent fascist occupation, Bologna became the centre of Socialism in Italy. From that moment on, and particularly during Italy's dark years of terrorism in the 1970s and 1980s, the city was a mouthpiece for a voice uncomfortable to a centre-right government accused by many, such as the journalist and film director Pier Paolo Pasolini, of creeping fascism. In 1977 Bologna's 70,000-strong student population took to the streets in a revolt that was their own local version of 1968. In 1980 the city became a target and received a vendetta from neo-fascist far right terrorists in the form of a massive bomb attack on the station, which killed 80 people. Things have changed a bit since those days of meaningful activism and anarchy. Nowadays the long hair is still there, the graffiti and the bicycles, but Bologna's seemingly eternally resting modern-day students could be accused of living the image of the artist-rebel without the belief and direction of their predecessors. Nor is the city these days considered such a bastion of protest and left-wing principles of philanthropy, austerity and abstention. Then perhaps this was always the city's alluring and ultimately workable paradox. Bologna is a land of plenty, totally devoted to epicurean pleasures, whose affluence, gluttony and famed corpulence, to say nothing of its fast cars and fashion, rather take the edge off its social conscience and belie the image of the starving student. If there are any partigiani (partisans) left, they are more than likely of the prosecco variety. Which brings us to the city's most famous ingredient – its food. Despite other regions' claims, Bologna's cuisine is the best in Italy. Cultivated, prepared, served and consumed with great pride and sensual pleasure but minimum ritual, food and wine have been Bologna's real religion since the city's foundation. Over this time the Bolognese have invented a tongue-twisting delicatessen and oral orgy of pastas, meats, cheese and sauces, from tagliatelle and tortellini to mortadella and squacquerone, to name just a few. And as they have invented them, so these dishes have passed into the region's tradition. But while today's chefs respect and vaunt their city's culinary heritage they also perceive their vocation as a process of development, a moveable or at least evolving feast, ripe for innovation. We're not talking fusion of Japanese with Moroccan food here, but specialities of the house, with subtle and significant nuances on traditional themes. The famed spirit of innovation and experimentation is expanding the territory of the city's gastronomic traditions, discovering new Dionysian delights to satisfy both gourmet and glutton.
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Bologna - £7.99
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