Bologna Field Trip: All You Need to Know from Pasta to Experiences

If there’s one thing you take away from my study abroad experience, I hope it’s this — sign up for the IES Abroad field trips.  Seriously. These trips allow you to travel to new places and participate in activities that may already be on your bucket list at an affordable cost! The weekend following orientation, IES Abroad typically hosts several weekend day trips around your host country for you to sign up for such as a trip to the City of Love (Verona), a chocolate factory visit in Turin, or — in my case — a pasta making class in Bologna. What’s better than learning how to make pasta by hand? 

The day started off bright and early with a train ride to Bologna. As someone who plans on doing some traveling outside of the program, I found this to be super helpful because I learned how to get to and around the Milano Centrale Station with other study abroad students alongside an Italian Student Companion who was going on the trip with us (shoutout Matilde!). Being able to this definitely alleviated some of the stress I have about traveling around Europe for the first time. When we arrived in Bologna, we began with a walking tour of the city where we learned about its history, culture, and recommendations of where to go in the afternoon during our free time. Then, it was pasta time! 

This was by far one of my favorite experiences yet. The class was taught at Portici Academy, a culinary school in Bologna. We learned how to make tortelloni — a larger version of the tortellini, which the city is famous for — and a type of pasta noodle, garganelli. After we were done, the two chefs who taught the class cooked up our tortelloni for us to taste (this was my favorite part). 

From there, we had the rest of the afternoon to explore on our own. During this time, a few friends and I explored the flea market going on in one of the town squares. I highly recommend visiting and shopping at any market (flea, vintage, farmers) in whatever city or country you’re in! It’s a great way to find one of a kind souvenirs, cute clothes, support small businesses, and to familiarize yourself with the local scene. Here, I managed to find some trinkets for loved ones back home and a scarf for myself to wear around. If you do choose to visit a market, don’t forget to bring cash with you! Although some vendors may have a card system, most do not. 

If your fridge in your studio apartment is looking a little bit empty, Bologna has a street filled to the brim with local markets ranging from uncooked pastas to fresh produce to deli shops with local cheeses. During the walking tour, make sure to drop a pin when you enter the street or else you’ll forget where it is (coming from someone who couldn’t find her way back to buy tortellini). Another pro tip: if you’re looking for a place to eat, reach out to your Italian Student Companion or an IES Abroad staff member for recommendations. Each city and region in Italy has their own specialties when it comes to dishes, so definitely take a recommendation or do your own research beforehand. Don’t be like me and randomly look up a café on Google Maps. 

The IES Abroad field trips are great ways for you to not only travel around, but experience the culture of each city and have new experiences that you may not have had. They’re also a great way to meet and bond with people in the study abroad program as well as everyone is spread out around the city in different apartments. If you can, sign up for as many field trips as you can. If you miss the deadline, don’t worry! Plenty of people end up giving up their spot on a trip, so just keep an eye out for those text messages.