The Quadrilatero: Bologna's market district

The Quadrilatero is the cluster of tight lanes between Piazza Maggiore and the Two Towers, and it has been the city's market for the better part of a thousand years. Delicatessens spill mortadella and culatello onto the pavement, fishmongers pile crushed ice, pasta makers roll tortellini in the window, and wine bars set out stools the moment the sun drops. It is the single best place in Bologna to understand why people travel here just to eat.

Where

East of Piazza Maggiore

Best time

Tue–Sat mornings

Don't miss

Via Pescherie Vecchie

Cost

Free to wander

Why it's called the Quadrilatero

"Quadrilatero" just means the quadrilateral, the rough rectangle of streets bounded by Via Rizzoli, Via dell'Archiginnasio, Via Farini and Via Castiglione. The layout is Roman. The parallel lanes inside still follow lines drawn two thousand years ago, and the medieval guilds set up shop along them by trade. You can read that history straight off the street signs: Pescherie Vecchie for the fishmongers, Drapperie for the cloth merchants, Orefici for the goldsmiths, Calzolerie for the shoemakers. The trades have changed but the names stuck.

The streets that matter

Via Pescherie Vecchie ("Old Fishmongers' Street") is the heart of it and the most photographed lane in the city. Despite the name you'll find as much fresh pasta, cheese and salumi as fish these days, with crates of seasonal produce stacked under the porticoes. Via Drapperie runs parallel and is lined with cured-meat and cheese shops. Via Orefici and the little Via Caprarie round out the core. None of it takes more than ten minutes to cross, so the move is to wander slowly rather than navigate.

What to eat and buy

This is mortadella country, so start there. Bologna's pink, pistachio-studded sausage is sliced paper-thin and eaten by the forkful or stuffed into a warm crescentina. The classic local plate is tagliere, a board of mortadella, prosciutto, culatello, squacquerone cheese and tigelle or crescentine flatbreads, usually washed down with a glass of Pignoletto or Lambrusco. Look out for fresh egg pasta sold by weight, wheels of aged Parmigiano Reggiano, and tortellini made that morning.

If you want it handed to you ready to eat, several delis build sandwiches to order on fresh bread, and the covered Mercato di Mezzo food hall sits right inside the Quadrilatero with counters for fried things, pasta and wine under one roof. For a sit-down version of all this, our where-to-eat guide covers the proper trattorias.

Aperitivo in the Quadrilatero

Late afternoon the district flips from market to bar. Tables appear along Via Pescherie Vecchie and the side lanes, and the crowd spills into the street with spritzes and boards of cured meat. It is loud, social and very Bolognese. Tucked off Vicolo Ranocchi is the Osteria del Sole, in business since 1465 and one of the oldest taverns anywhere. It pours wine only, so you bring your own food, which is exactly what locals do with a bag from the shops a few doors down.

What's nearby

The Quadrilatero is wedged between most of Bologna's headline sights, which makes it an easy stop on any walk through the centre. The main square and the unfinished basilica are at one end, Giambologna's Neptune Fountain is right on the corner, and the climb up the Asinelli is two minutes east. The carved-wood anatomical theatre sits on the southern edge along Via dell'Archiginnasio. Foodies should also pair this with the bigger covered market on Via Ugo Bassi.

Getting there

From Piazza Maggiore, walk past the side of San Petronio and the market lanes open up immediately to your east. From the train station it's about a 15-minute walk south down Via dell'Indipendenza, or a couple of stops on the bus. The whole area is pedestrian and porticoed, so it's an easy add-on whether you're staying in the centre or just passing through. See getting around Bologna for buses and taxis.

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