When in Rome, do as the Romans do. When in Bologna, ask for ragù, but absolutely do not ask for it with spaghetti. Despite a certain dish being Italy’s best-known export since the Roman Empire and Sophia Loren, a few years ago the then-Mayor of Bologna, Virginio Merola, launched a culinary-awareness campaign in which he described spaghetti bolognese as “fake news”. He had a point – a wider, thicker pasta holds the rich, meaty sauce far better.
I was reminded of this as I sat down to lunch in a packed trattoria with one of my favourite travelling companions. Only an hour earlier we had ascended and descended the iconic Asinelli Tower, right at the heart of the city, and (alas) now closed indefinitely while emergency stabilisation works are underway. We were in celebratory mood: he had done all 800 steps effortlessly on a new bionic leg, and I hadn’t needed the defibrillator at the top.
