Bologna Food Tour and Enogastronomia Experience with Local Chef

Food Tour was outstanding. Darren is engaging, knowledgeable and a delightful guide. He was incredibly skilled at combining local Bologna history with each step of the food tour. The pastries at the first stop were plentiful and moorish. The variety of meats and cheeses at Italy’s oldest tavern was a true highlight of the day. The ragu tagliatelle at the next stop was a show stopper. Last stop was a delicious gelato with witty banter from the staff. Skip the walking tour and book a tour with Darren instead. All the history of a walking tour, but you get mortadella, pastries and wine instead. Excellent value for money and a spectacular way to spend a day. Highly recommend.

Our tour with Darren was perfect. Even more than we expected. Darren's goal was to make our tour personalized to our needs. He is so knowledgeable, personable and organized. He made our afternoon great. Arrive hungry, you will not be disappointed and you will learn so much.

We had a great time touring Bologna with Darren this winter! We were especially impressed with his flexibility during the holiday season when many restaurants and shops were closed, and with his ability to adapt to our needs as a primarily vegetarian group. He was extremely generous with his additional restaurant recommendations—many of which were standout highlights of our trip. He even made some reservations on our behalf after our food tour. He had fantastic restaurant recommendations and he helped us coordinate a last minute Balsamic tasting at an acetaia. We highly recommend spending some time with Darren when you travel to Bologna, he was so helpful and pointed us in all of the right culinary directions for the rest of our trip.

Darren’s food tour of Bologna was the highlight of our trip. Not only is he an expert chef, he is deeply knowledgeable about Bologna itself, seamlessly weaving the city’s history and culture into the experience. Over more than three hours, he guided us through tastings of wines, cheeses, pastas, and gelato—thoughtfully tailored for our vegetarian group—while orienting us to the city and its traditions. Perhaps most importantly, Darren set us up for success well beyond the tour. He offered excellent recommendations throughout Bologna and the surrounding region and even helped us secure reservations for additional local experiences. Every restaurant he recommended was outstanding. We left the tour better informed, well fed, and confident in how to make the most of our time in Bologna and Emilia-Romagna.

Darren gave us an amazing tour of food and food history in Bologna. Our family joined him eating our way among a variety of small cafes and restaurants. We enjoyed a great culinary experience together.

My family of 5 (all adults) had a great tour with Darron on our first day in Bologna. As a professional chef he knew all the best places, and sprinkled in Bologna history throughout. We tasted regional specialties of pastry, a digestiv, salumi board (meat & cheese), balsamic, wines, pasta and gelato. We learned about how each is made and the food guilds who determine quality and authenticity. It was a great way to start our trip.

Darren was a great tour guide. We got brilliant history, food, drink, venues and humour as part of the mix. My brother and I really enjoyed it.

Darren was such a wealth of knowledge, and we had such a great time. It felt like we had a friend in Bologna, and he shared so many wonderful tips about how to cook with all of the wonderful foods we were eating. Buonissina!

Our group of four (ages 21-69) had a lovely afternoon with Darren. We were only in Bologna for one day. Darren was an engaging and interesting tour guide. We had spent a little time wandering the streets ourselves before the tour and it was an interesting contrast to have his guidance and insights. We made multiple stops at local venues and learned about the history and industry of the city. Darren catered to our schedule when we had to end a little early to make it to our flight. Would highly recommend this tour - arrive hungry!

"What a fantastic experience we had with Darren! The walking tour through Bologna was a perfect mix of fascinating history and delicious culinary highlights. Darren had a wonderful way of telling the stories of the city's past, full of engaging details and interesting facts. In addition to the history, he led us past hidden gems: the small, local shops and eateries that tourists easily overlook. We tasted the best antipasti and delicious pasta in small, local restaurants, enjoyed Parmigiano Reggiano from a specialist, and finished with the most delicious gelato we have ever had. The extra explanations about Italian culinary traditions made the experience even more complete. Darren is an absolute must. An expert, enthusiastic guide who lets you taste the true soul of Bologna. Thank you for an unforgettable afternoon!"