Shopping · Bologna · Italy
Shopping in Bologna
Shopping streets, markets and souvenirs worth the suitcase space.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Alex.J.Collins, CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answer
Bologna is best for food shopping — cured meats, cheese, fresh pasta and balsamic vinegar — plus Italian fashion under the porticoes of Via dell'Indipendenza and luxury labels in the Galleria Cavour. Best souvenirs: Mortadella and Parmigiano, Fresh or dried pasta and Aceto balsamico.
Key facts
- Shopping areas
- 4
- Markets
- 3
- Top souvenir
- Mortadella and Parmigiano
Where to shop
Via dell'Indipendenza and Via Rizzoli
The main porticoed shopping streets, with Italian and international chains between the station and the Two Towers.
Galleria Cavour
A shopping arcade off Piazza Cavour with luxury fashion and jewellery brands.
The Quadrilatero
Historic delis, pasta shops, cheesemongers and kitchenware stores in the medieval market lanes.
Via d'Azeglio
A pedestrian street running south from Piazza Maggiore with boutiques and cafés.
Markets
Mercato delle Erbe
The covered food market on Via Ugo Bassi, with produce, butchers, cheese and fresh pasta.
La Piazzola
A large general market of clothes, shoes and household goods in Piazza VIII Agosto, held on Fridays and Saturdays.
Mercato di Mezzo
A food hall in a historic building in the Quadrilatero, with counters selling pasta, piadina, cured meats and wine.
What to buy
Mortadella and Parmigiano
Delis vacuum-pack cured meats and hard cheese for travel; check your home country's import rules.
Fresh or dried pasta
Pasta shops vacuum-pack tortellini for a few days' travel; dried egg tagliatelle lasts much longer.
Aceto balsamico
Traditional balsamic vinegar from Modena or Reggio Emilia in small numbered bottles, or a less expensive IGP version for everyday cooking.
Pignoletto wine
A bottle of the local sparkling white from the Colli Bolognesi hills.
Pasta tools
Long wooden rolling pins (mattarelli) and tortellini cutters from kitchenware shops in the Quadrilatero.
Streets and markets worth a wander
Market · Piazza Maggiore and the Quadrilatero
Quadrilatero market streets
The grid of medieval lanes east of Piazza Maggiore has been Bologna's market district since the Middle Ages.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Food
- Shopping
- Free
- History
- Photo spot
Market · Via Ugo Bassi
Mercato delle Erbe
Bologna's main covered food market on Via Ugo Bassi sells fruit, vegetables, meat, cheese and fresh pasta to locals, and part of the hall holds casual eateries and bars where people eat at shared tables in the evening.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Free
- Food
- Shopping
- Free
- Rainy day
Food and drink to take home
Edible souvenirs travel best when they are dry or sealed: consider Mortadella Bologna, Crescentine and tigelle, Pignoletto and Lambrusco and Torta di riso. Salumerie in the Quadrilatero slice it to order; most wine bars serve it with crescentine or bread at aperitivo. Check your home country's rules on bringing food and drink back.
Shopping by neighbourhood
| Area | Price level | Character |
|---|---|---|
| Piazza Maggiore and the Quadrilatero | $$$ | The civic centre and the medieval market lanes of delis, fishmongers and wine bars |
| University Quarter (Via Zamboni) | $$ | Student life, Piazza Verdi and porticoed Via Zamboni northeast of the Two Towers |
| Santo Stefano and Strada Maggiore | $$$ | Elegant palazzi, wide porticoes and the Seven Churches southeast of the towers |
| Ghetto Ebraico | $$$ | Tiny medieval lanes of the former Jewish ghetto, now wine bars and artisan shops |
| Via del Pratello | $$ | A long bar street west of the centre with osterie, low prices and a local crowd |
| Saragozza | $$ | Residential quarter at the start of the portico walk to San Luca |
| Bologna Centrale and Via Indipendenza | $$ | Practical base between the station, the Montagnola park and the main shopping street |
Paying and bargaining
Prices are in EUR. Tipping is not expected, and a coperto is often already charged. Rounding up or leaving a few euros for good service is appreciated but optional.
- Greet shopkeepers with 'buongiorno' or 'buonasera' when you enter and leave.
When to shop
Shops and markets are quietest in January–February, August and November; the busiest months are the peak holidays.
- January: Arte Fiera — contemporary art fair (usually late January or early February)
- March: Cosmoprof — international beauty trade fair (usually March)
- March: Bologna Children's Book Fair — publishing trade fair (usually spring)
- June: Il Cinema Ritrovato — restored-film festival with free screenings in Piazza Maggiore (usually late June–early July)
- September: Cersaie — ceramic tile and bathroom trade fair (usually late September)
- November: EIMA — agricultural machinery fair (usually November in even-numbered years)
Staying near the shops
$$ · Best for first-timers, budget and shopping
Bologna Centrale and Via Indipendenza
Practical base between the station, the Montagnola park and the main shopping street
Questions travellers ask
+What should I buy in Bologna?
Mortadella and Parmigiano, Fresh or dried pasta, Aceto balsamico and Pignoletto wine.
+Where is the best shopping in Bologna?
Via dell'Indipendenza and Via Rizzoli: The main porticoed shopping streets, with Italian and international chains between the station and the Two Towers.
+What are the best markets in Bologna?
Mercato delle Erbe, La Piazzola and Mercato di Mezzo.