Bologna Private Food Tour With 6 Or 10 Tastings

The experience didn't quite live up to the price tag. While the first tasting of meats (charcuterie) were good and plentiful, the subsequent portions were very small and felt more like light snacks than a full experience. I was hoping for more historical or local context about the area, but realized: that wasn’t part of the tour. Diego did give us some commentary when asked. Additionally, much of the tour involved visiting stores where we could have easily sampled items on our own without needing a guide. For the cost, I expected a more substantial and curated experience.

Diego is incredible! He is a wealth of knowledge and showed us some amazing spots. 100% recommend!

Diego was a wonderful guide. He is both knowledgeable and engaging, and we really enjoyed ourselves. I would highly recommend him.

Great guide. He has a lot of interesting anecdotes, knows the food scene well, and has excellent recommendations.

Really dissapointing and over priced experience. £98.96 per head for a 6 tasting tour and we only had 4 tastings. 2 of which were at what we would call fast food outlets and a ice-cream shop that the guide commented wasnt't one of the best. Also slot moved by 30 mins which limited our options as places were closing. Given this was advertised as a 6 tasting experience feel we should be refunded 2/6 of the ridiculous fee we paid (£33 x 2). Really poor experience. As a comparision we also did a wine tasting with 3 glasses of wine and multiple food pairings for 29 euro each. A significantly better experience from start to end.

This food tour was amazing! Diego was so informative and very kind. He took us to many different places and was super kind to the workers. I highly reccomend anyone to take the private tour with him. He was so nice and so knowledgeable for what Bologna has to offer.

diego was a little unorganized but very friendly he took us to several places we had missed thank you

This was a well thought tour right in the heart of the city center. It was the perfect blend of sight seeing, with several excellent stops for food tastings and wine. The guide was excellent and we had so much fun together! It was a perfect afternoon spent really getting to experience Bologna like a local. I am a female solo traveller and always look for experiences like this. 10/10 will be back when I’m in town again!

Our guide was knowledgeable and amazing. Obviously he was passionate about his country and the food of each region. A joy to learn from. Be aware that this is not a food tour with wine. No wine offered. Small tastings at 3 places. We went in thinking we were going to taste lots of different foods and wine and that is not what this tour was about. Interesting but misleading advertising.

Diego did an amazing job of showing us around old town, providing some history and some amazing food!

Booked this tour through Chase Travel. Was very excited for this tour taken that me and my husband only have 1 day in Bologna and want to explore the food scene there. They called me the day before the tour asking about my food restrictions. I couldn’t call back to that number so contacted Chase to reach back to them, mentioned to them that I am pregnant so can’t eat raw meat and drink wine but my husband would be able to eat everything. They said thank you that no other information needed, then hear nothing back… On the day of the tour, showed up at the required meet up place 15 mins early. Patiently waited until 11:15am (meeting time is 11am), NOBODY showed up! No communication whatsoever, no email, no phone call (even though they were able to call me the day before). Felt like this is a waste of our only 1 day exploring Bologna …. Good thing of booking through Chase is that they were able to get us the refund, however our valuable time in Bologna and the chance to book a reliable travel agent was ruined.

Advertised as six food and drink tastings. We had three food tasting (cannelloni, ham and cheese). We had one glass of Prosecco, which the guide wanted me to pay for originally. It did include vinegar tasting but I wouldn’t regard that as one of the six. Considering the cost and the delicious food you can get in Bologna at reasonable prices then don’t waste your money on this. I’ve asked Viator on two occasions what the tour should have included but no response! Worth noting that we are not hard to please, hence this was genuinely very poor and we were all disappointed!

We absolutely loved our tour and we loved doing it with Guiseppe. He was so knowledgeable and sweet! The food he chose was the best food we have had in Italy so far!

Request for Refund – Disappointing Food Tour Experience in Bologna Unfortunately, the experience fell far short of our expectations and was not reflective of the quality or authenticity we had hoped for—especially given the price ($250) and the strong culinary reputation of Bologna. Our guide arrived an hour late, which we were understanding about given his doctor’s appointment. However, the tour itself was underwhelming: The food selections were disappointing: the first stop offered dry, bland tortellini and meatballs that seemed like frozen appetizers from a fast food Italian counter. (First shop in the Market on the right, after you walk in the door) At the meat shop, we were given a few slices of prosciutto and ham with plain bread—nothing that felt curated or special. We were then taken to an uncomfortable location with “no video” signs on the door, where we felt distinctly out of place. We were served a very small glass of what seemed like very cheap wine. The highlights of the tour—visiting the balsamic vinegar store and the gelato shop—were led not by the guide but by store staff and vendors. The guide offered only minimal commentary and required prompting for basic context or history. Overall, the experience felt disorganized, lacked depth, and failed to showcase the rich culinary culture we traveled to Bologna from Milan to experience. It did not reflect the value promised by the tour description or the premium price point.($250 for 2 ) We were very much looking forward to this experience, and it’s disappointing to feel that our time and money were not well spent. Given the issues above, I believe a refund is warranted.

I waited at the designated place and no one came. I had high hopes for this tour I shoud've known better. I ended up cancelling the tour and got my money back.

I did this tour with Paulo. He made the tour fun. I liked most of the tastings. There are different ones with different styles of food. It was interesting and fun. A nice way to spend some time.

Fantastic experience! Frederik was very knowledgable about the food and also included history about Bologna during our private walking tour.

Frederik was great. He’s a Bologna native and really understands Bologna. He knows a lot of restaurant owners and where to go. He provides a bit of history as well. This is a good one to book as soon as you get in town

Frederick was a sweet and knowledgeable guide. Enjoyed his tasting choices and tour around the city. Even gave recommendations of other sites to visit in the city before our catching our train back to Florence. Thank you!

Our tour with Frederik was fantastic. It was just the three of us with him and Frederik reached out to us ahead of time and asked if we had any special requests. During the tour he shared the history of Bologna and the markets and shared the traditions behind the various stores and specialty foods. We had more than enough to eat and everything was delicious. It was a very special day and felt like we were traveling with another friend. We all recommend this tour very highly!

What an informative and delightful tour with Jason who is a wealth of information about the city, the culture, history and the FOOD! Soooo many great nuggets of advice and information. Our only mistake was not spending more time in Bologna!

Good tour for history of the food on Bologna y felt more like a walking tour for history than a food tour. Only tasted 4 food items and 2 of those were a cheese. Started in the market with lots of food that we passed by. My teenagers were bored and the food wand very good.

Loved Frederic and Bologna, he showed us lots of amazing food stops and taught us the history of Bologna. He really understood the culture which made it very interesting and fun.

Private food and cultural tour of Bologna with Federick. We received a taster for further cultural visits.

Paolo was wonderful to tour with, showcasing not only a vast knowledge of the city, but also history of the food and restaurants he showed us! Arrive hungry because these are not tiny tastings and you will end the day very happy and full! Special thanks to Paolo for working around my mobility issues and our dietary restraints. He was very accommodating and understanding! Grazie Mille, Paolo! Sono felice incontrarti!

I was very excited for this tour, I texted with Giuseppe and he was very receptive to my requests . He also made sure we hit the unique spots in Bologna only locals know. He really knows the city and made the tour feel like a friend was showing us around. He has my highest recommendation!

I didn't realize this was a private tour at time of booking. I can't emphasize how glad I am that I chose it. Frederik was so engaging and enthusiastic about showing us the foods and markets and offering tastes. He took us to out-of-the-way spots that added to our overall experience. He was in no hurry to get rid of us and our tour lasted longer than advertised. We loved our afternoon with him and highly recommend this tour. Every region has their foods that you won't find in any other. Consider that when you travel in Italy. Take food tours and learn about each region's specialties. You won't regret it.

Not only did Giuseppe introduce us to the special foods and places in Bologna, but by the time we separated, it felt like we were saying goodbye to an old friend. We won’t share where Giuseppe took us (you will need to do a tour with him), but we had an assortment of food experiences we would not find anywhere else, including gelato that will likely be the last we will ever have because there is no point in going back to the gelato we are used to elsewhere, and a stop in a place that is so unique we have not seen anything like it anywhere in the world. In addition to the food, Giuseppe shared local history and a passion for Bologna. It was a perfect way to spend an afternoon. When you meet Giuseppe, you will understand why his photo shows him holding a huge sheet of pasta).

Marco is larger then life, both in personality and stature. His knowledge of the food scence in Bologna and surrounding areas is matched with his love and passion for it. Lucky this is a walking tour, because we needed. Each meal was amazing. Marco was also adaptive with his itinerary, as we told him we had already done a city walking tour, so he took as to other locations in the city, which we didn't explore previously.

Fredrick was fantastic! So knowledgeable and had all the inside information from a local’s point of view. Really a great day!

We enjoyed our Bologna food tour with Jason. We sampled Parmesan varieties, had a Balsamic vinegar tasting, a chocolate and dessert sauce tasting, and tastings of a number of dishes typical of Bolognese cuisine. Alas, there is no wine tasting on this tour. Jason filled in food details and gave us a nice tour of city highlights. He is clearly In love with Bologna and its food! He also gave us a list of restaurants and sights that he especially recommends. We actually followed up on several sights the next day and they were definitely wort

Marco is a special character and we thoroughly enjoyed our day with him. He showed us lots of places the locals go, was full of great tips, very knowledgeable, and of course the food samples were spot on. We’d do it again just to peel a layer deeper. Thank you Marco!

Spending the morning with Giuseppe in Bologna was a huge treat! He chose to introduce us to the finest purveyors of all yummy things Bologna. He is charming and knowledgeable, and was so enjoyable to spend time with. We highly recommend you choose him as your local to explore this incredible city with its rich cultural and gastronomic heritage. Totally worth the price!

Frederick was an amazing guide. Loved seeing the city center aamd hearing about the local food scene. We are still thinking of the lasagna! Highly recommend this tour and Frederick.

We thoroughly enjoyed our food walking tour with Marco this week. Marco was an excellent guide providing us with a blend of information about regional produce and the history of Bologna. He is clearly someone who has a deep knowledge and love of local foods and wines. His manner was relaxed but his talk full of insight and humorous anecdotes whilst patiently answering our questions. The three hours of our tour passed quickly, and we particularly enjoyed the visits to the herb market where we tasted samples of balsamic vinegar and local hams, and the atmospheric Osteria Del Sole. This tour was not cheap, but Marco made it good value. Tom Sarah and Michael

I like that Giuseppe took us to the mercado delle erbe. It is away from the main tourist areas. There he connected us with authentic fresh pasta makers where we enjoyed fresh tortellini in broth and fresh tortelloni with butter and parmesan right there. He explained that there are fewer fresh handmade pasta shops and this was one of the best. We also visited an olive & grocery vendor, and a cheese & prosciutto shop where he purchased samples of foods we would consume later. Giuseppe used to run a pasta making business so he was very knowledgeable about this. He was very friendly and personally knew the vendors here. We witnessed Giuseppe helping out the roast chicken proprietor remove a rack of hot chicken from the rotisserie because her husband couldn't work that day. Giuseppe was truly knowledgeable and genuine.

Our tour with Giuseppe was exactly what we wanted in a food tour, a tour With Locals. Giuseppe shared his favorite foods, stories and himself. He was thoughtful and considerate, even cleaning the table before we had our first taste. Grazie Giuseppe!

The information regarding Bologna was much better than the actual tastings.. Jason provided us with a good starting point for exploring Bologna and also gave us a list of other things to do/see while we were there. Tastings were ok, gave us a sense of the local foods they were known for but certainly not exceptional, especially the first tasting which seemed like an assortment of fast foods ...

Hermes was very friendly and a pleasure to be with . His command of English was exceptional. Walking through the markets and smaller shops was a great way to experience the day to day lives of the Bolognese. We would not hesitate to do another tour with Hermes.

When I first contacted Giuseppe I explained that my wife had mobility limitations and we would would like to do a foodie tour but without much walking. He assured me this was possible, and I decided to give him a try. This was a fantastic decision! We booked Giuseppe several months before our vacation. A week before we left he sent a quick confirming email which was a nice point of reassurance. He had arranged for a private driver to meet us at the train station since we could not walk from the station to the customary tour meeting point. A day before the booking he emailed to confirm our train reservations. To my surprise, Giuseppe met us on the train platform! He took us to the private car, gave directions to the driver, and then followed us on his scooter. We went to the open market in the historic center, where he took us to various booths to sample a variety of local olives and giardiniera, watched proprietors make and cook for us several kinds of filled fresh pastas, discussed the wide variety of cheeses and hams available at a historic shop, choosing several to compare, and paired everything with his recommended local wine. He then cleaned a sampling table for us and we enjoyed everything while he further discussed the selections and answered any questions we had. He accomplished this within a circumference of about 25 yards! We then cut through the courtyard of the world's oldest university (started in 1088) as the quickest route to the city's main piazza. He offered an historical discussion that lasted just long enough to get us to a bar across the piazza for caffé and local dolci. When the tour was complete Giuseppe took us, at our request, to a nearby shop where we could buy Modena balsamic vinegar. He waited until we finished that shopping, and then led us a half-block to a major intersection where we waited while he called a cab for us to get us back to the train station. Giuseppe provided a highly creative approach and was attentive to our special needs beyond anything we could have imagined.

We paid nearly $300 for a regional food tasting tour that was supposed to be 3 hours. Fredrich only gave us 2 hours saying "he gives a quality tour" He took us for some mediocre gelato, a dessert that is not regional to Emilia Romagna. The rest of tasting was a few pieces of cheese and 5 pieces of meat with a glass of wine. Only 1 of us had wine. He did not substitute regional foods for diet restrictions as the tour promised. Substituting crackers and olives for pasta rather than available gluten free pasta was a lazy attempt. Looking back at the website the 2 previous tours made the same complaints about him. We came away feeling like we had dealt with a little con artist.

I'm a demo cooking instructor and my husband is reallly into wines -- Sarah curated a wonderful food and wine tour that met all our interests and expectations. She always managed to throw in wonderful stories and history tidbits about Bologna and we never would have found anywhere else. Loved her, loved the tour!

100 euro per person for a two hour walking tour with 6 food and drink tastings seemed like a lovely way to learn about Bologna. Our guide Jason was OK - knowledgeable about Bologna and provided us with a range of suggested restaurant and must see attractions. However the tastings consisted of: 1) free Balsamic vinegar tasting 2) and 3) tigelle - 1 each - counted as two tastings 4) Fried meatballs - 1 serve between us 5) Tortolloni - 1 serve between us 6) free sweet spread tastings If we had paid for this food ourselves, maybe 15 euro each? Not sure why this tour has such good reviews.

Luca is articulate, organized, personable, and passionate about his city and its food. He has spent years in the US and understands our peculiarities. He is flexible, and geared our tour towards foods we had not yet sampled. Highly recommend Luca!

We have been on many food tours in the US, Mexico, Canada, and throughout Europe. This was probably the worst and most disappointing. . One full hour into a food tour before we got any food or drink. During this time, we were in a mobbed market area of Bologna..constantly having to move around to avoid getting run over by crowds...no place to sit...our guide frequently repeating himself explaining facts about food products we don't get to eat or even smell. We had 1 real stop in the entire food tour...it was a meat shop that served food...it was not a restaurant. The owner served cold meats and cheese and the circular bread Bologna is known for. This was fine..but the only bright spot in the tour. The guide was well-aware that my spouse had a gluten allergy. His solution? Tell us where we can go after a $150 food tour to have dinner...because apparently this food tour company doesn't go to restaurants. Yes a food tour in Italy without any pasta. Maybe share that no warm food will be provided before taking $300 in exchange from tourists in exchange for $40 worth of food and the same 15 minute history lecture repeated 5 times. From the description: "Visit a variety of different eateries, and sample 6 or 10 [we booked the 6] local Shoreview along the way - from savory to set, and even local drinks. Potential views depending on the option of the tour that is booked in include torta di risotto (a local dessert), tortellini fritti, formaggio bianco (a local cheese), piadina (a local sandwich)." We had: 1 wine with water at the meat shop (no other drinks) No torta No tortellini - no pasta at all! No piadina Just formaggio with our meats Then seemingly as afterthought as we kept asking what was next... A taste of parmesean with balsamic (one bite) Chocolate salame Gelato The food tour guide also rudely and wholly unecessarily corrected an overseen text message to my mom "chocolate salami" as needing to be spelled "salame". It was explained to him that the recipient message would understand the spelling because that is the way it is spelled where they are. It was a disappointing experience. There wasn't enough variety in the food offered, there was enough food period....there was no pasta, and the tour guide seemed to want to get rid of us all along. Try someone else other than these guys.

We’re so grateful to Sarah for such an enjoyable time. The ten tastings of Bologna more than lived up to its name. We really appreciated how Sarah adapted the tour to the things we told her we liked, and the result was an afternoon that left us satisfied with the things we ate and drank as well as what we saw and learned of the city. The beautiful weather helped, of course, but that’s just a bonus. We peppered Sarah all kinds of questions, not just about the food, and she gave us great advice for the rest of our time in Bologna. Plus, she was so welcoming and friendly. We’re so happy we booked a tour with her!

The walking tour is good and had a number of tasting but not sure if totalled to 10. It was a Saturday and for the main trial of pasta, we had to try 3 places before we have it because there were long lineups in both of the better ones and ended up with one that can only have one type plus no where to sit down and eat. Guide should know better to plan ahead. Overall tour was fine.

Luca’s knowledge combined with his engaging personality was the perfect mix for our three hour food tour of Bologna. The tastings were comprehensive and his recommendations have proved to be flawless. Luca’s tour is the best way to introduce yourselves to Bologna and the foods peculiar Emilia Romagna.

We took this private tour on our first evening in Bologna so that we could take a deep dive into the local cuisine. Paolo was the perfect guide. He has curated an extremely well-rounded experience that truly showcases what this region offers - meats, cheeses, balsamic vinegar, pasta, pastry, and wines. Paolo is extremely knowledgable and incredibly passionate about his city and its amazing food. I highly recommend this experience.