Aperitivo

What a wonderful invention! You go out in the evening to have a glass of wine or a beer at a bar and what do you find? They feed you. Well, sometimes you need to pay a couple of euros in addition to the cost of drinks for the food but it’s still a terrific bargain. The quality varies as does the ambiance but it’s a great way to drink, eat and socialize. So a brief description with photos of some examples. First, and by far the worst, was Caffe’ Zamboni. Located a short distance from the twin towers on via Zamboni it is full of university students, there is a TV in every room showing music videos at a high volume, the service is bad and the food, while plentiful, is not very good. Claudia (the teacher) has promised that we’ll never go there again. Nearby there is another bar with a more mature clientele and better food. There are pictures of that one. As always clicking on a photo provides a slide show with bigger (and complete) photos.

One of the better ones is at bar 051, the number is the area code for Bologna. The weather has been nice so we can sit outside, it’s in a pedonale, pedestrian, zone so it’s relatively quiet, the food from the buffet is some of the best that I’ve experience at aperitivo and an excellent class of barbaresco can be had for 6 euros.

On a side note there is a very interesting establishment named Osteria del Sole. Originally osterie did not serve food. They only served something to drink and Osteria del Sole has maintained that tradition. They have a lot of wine, an decent bottle of chianti goes for 10 euros, and grudgingly serve beer. If you want a soft drink or water, forget about it or bring your own. The place has been in existence since Columbus was in knee pants. He was born in 1451 and Osteria del Sole started business in 1465. So there is no aperitivo at this osteria. I you want to eat something you bring your own – which everyone does. All ages are represented including old guys that have probably been going there for 50 years and sit around playing cards with their buddies. A real taste of history. I liked the sign on the front door. The translation is:  “entry prohibited for dogs that don’t drink wine or beer”.

A bonus photo. At the Irish pub where I often meet Vittorio (who has quite a fondness for beer) I decided on a whim to order a hot dog. The description was with fries but I never would have thought that they would also be IN the hot dog.