Overview
Mortadella Bologna 2027 is the international festival dedicated to Mortadella Bologna PGI, the iconic pink sausage known as the Queen of Sausages and La Grassa’s most famous ambassador. Celebrated under the names MortadellaBò and Mortadella Please, the festival transforms Bologna and its world capital of mortadella, Zola Predosa, into a four-day haven of tastings, cooking labs, cultural talks and family entertainment.
Mortadella di Bologna PGI has a protected geographical status, meaning that it can only be called mortadella if it has been produced in Emilia-Romagna or other neighboring Italian provinces under strict regulations. The festival is a unique opportunity to fully experience mortadella in its region of origin, from historic recipes to modern interpretations.
The history of mortadella traces back to the ancient Etruscan city of Felsina, surrounded by oak forests that provided acorns for swine. The first real recipe was written by agronomist Vincenzo Tanara in the early 1600s, giving precise instructions for ingredients. The real turning point came on October 24, 1661, when Cardinal Farnese officially set out the rules for preparing this delicacy, a date now celebrated as International Mortadella Day.
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Once reserved for nobles and the wealthy, Mortadella Bologna became a democratic and popular product after the development of the processed meats industry in the 19th century. Today it is Italy’s most loved cooked sausage, made of crushed pork mixed with spices, cubes of fat called lardelli from the pig’s throat, and sometimes pistachios or black pepper, cooked for several hours at low temperature.
What Makes This Food Event Special
The Pink Queen Festival: Officially called MortadellaBò, the festival is a one-of-a-kind event that turns the center of Bologna pink, with decorations, a mortadella queen wearing a pink dress with white dots, and activities celebrating the sausage’s round pink appearance and white specks.
World Capital Of Mortadella: While events take place in Bologna’s Palazzo Re Enzo, the heart of production is Zola Predosa, just a few kilometers from Bologna, which proudly calls itself the World Capital of Mortadella. Here, producers like Felsineo Group, who moved here in 1963, open their doors and host the most pink and delicious festival in the world.
International Festival Since 2007: Since 2007, the city has been hosting the highly anticipated Mortadella Please Festival, or Festival Internazionale della Mortadella. Running for over 15 editions, it has become a benchmark for charcuterie culture, combining tradition with innovation.
From Tradition To Fab Lab: The program goes beyond tasting. It includes a Fab Lab where producers and foodies study new recipes and techniques for homemade mortadella, cooking labs, tastings and cultural conferences about the evolution of this specialty.
Family And Food Education: The festival includes a range of events for kids, shows on stage to entertain all the family with a huge mortadella sandwich in hand, and educational activities about how to pick the best mortadella, what cheeses accompany it best and which wines pair perfectly.
Food, Cuisine & Specialties
Mortadella Bologna PGI: The star is Mortadella Bologna PGI, made from pork that is first ground and then mashed into a paste using a large mortar, hence the name. It is traditionally studded with lardelli and spiced with grain and ground pepper. To bring out its rich flavor, it is best served at room temperature, either thinly sliced like prosciutto or cut into cubes.
Classic And Innovative Preparations: You will find mortadella served as thin slices with tigelle and crescentine, cubed in appetizers and salads, whipped into mousse, folded into tortellini filling, baked into rosette bread, grilled, and paired with Parmigiano Reggiano. Variants include mortadella with pistachio, with black pepper, and with black truffle.
Pairings: Local guides teach what cheeses accompany mortadella best, such as Squacquerone, Parmigiano Reggiano and Pecorino, and which wines match, including Pignoletto, Lambrusco and Sangiovese di Romagna. Bread pairings include rosé bread, ciabatta and traditional coppia ferrarese.
Street Food: The festival’s street food includes the giant mortadella sandwich, mortadella burgers, fried mortadella balls, mortadella and cheese piadina, and mortadella tacos reinterpreted by chefs.
Local Emilian Specialties: Alongside mortadella, producers showcase other Emilian cured meats, Parmigiano Reggiano, traditional balsamic vinegar, fresh pasta like tortellini and tagliatelle, and desserts such as torta di riso and zuppa inglese.
Chefs, Restaurants & Food Vendors
Top Mortadella Producers: The festival gathers all the best mortadella producers in the region, including Felsineo, Alcisa, Felsineo Group partners and artisan salumifici from Emilia-Romagna, Piedmont, Lombardy, Veneto, Marche, Lazio and Tuscany. Each offers tastings of their PGI products.
Famous Chefs: Cooking classes are held by famous chefs from all over Italy, interpreting mortadella across several days of tastings and demonstrations in the city centre. Previous editions have featured Michelin-starred chefs and hosts from Grand Tour Italia theme park.
Palazzo Re Enzo Hub: The core of the event is Palazzo Re Enzo in Bologna, hosting cooking labs, tastings, conferences and the Fab Lab where new recipes are tested.
Restaurants And Osterias: Bologna’s osterias and restaurants create special menus for the festival, featuring mortadella in traditional and creative dishes. Pop-up kitchens in Piazza Maggiore and Piazza Re Enzo serve lunch and dinner.
Mortadella Please Village: In Zola Predosa’s historic center and main square, the village includes food trucks, market stalls selling mortadella by the kilo, cheese and wine pairings, and family entertainment stages.
Food Experience
Tastings Of All Producers: You can choose to participate in a range of events, from tastings of all the best mortadella producers in the region to guided sensory evaluations where you learn to recognize texture, aroma of spices and quality of lardelli.
Cooking Labs And Fab Lab: Hands-on labs teach how to make rosetta with mortadella, how to whip mortadella mousse, how to prepare tortellini with mortadella filling, and even how to make homemade mortadella with new techniques.
Educational Talks: Conferences trace mortadella from elite product to popular icon, explain PGI regulations, animal welfare and sustainable pork farming in oak forests.
Family Entertainment: A huge mortadella sandwich, stage shows, music, and a mortadella queen create a festive atmosphere. Kids can participate in small workshops making their own panini.
Market And Take-Home: Vendors sell whole and sliced mortadella vacuum-packed for travel, along with cookbooks, aprons and pink gadgets. If stored well, mortadella can be kept for up to eight months.
Date & Schedule
Event Dates: October 2027 (Dates TBD)
Typical Schedule Based On Previous Editions: The MortadellaBò Festival is a four-day festival, while Mortadella Please in Zola Predosa runs over a weekend. Previous editions were held from October 11 to October 13, 2024 for the 16th edition in Zola Predosa, and from September 29 to October 1 for the 15th edition. The Bologna edition MortadellaBò has been held in early October at Palazzo Re Enzo.
Expected Daily Flow:
- Morning: Opening of producer market in main square of Zola Predosa and Palazzo Re Enzo, guided tastings of Mortadella Bologna PGI
- Midday: Cooking labs with famous chefs, street food service with huge mortadella sandwiches, cheese and wine pairing sessions
- Afternoon: Fab Lab workshops, family shows, conferences on mortadella history and PGI regulations, kids activities
- Evening: Aperitivo with mortadella and Pignoletto, stage entertainment, osteria dinners with special mortadella menus
The full program will be published on https://mortadellabologna.com/
Visiting this event? Don’t miss out on these amazing activities and local experiences while you’re here.
Location & Venue
Primary Venues: Palazzo Re Enzo, Bologna, in the heart of the historic center next to Piazza Maggiore, and the main square and historic center of Zola Predosa, the World Capital of Mortadella, just a few kilometers from Bologna.
City Context: Bologna, nicknamed La Grassa meaning the fat one, is the home of this famous sausage. The festival transforms the center of Bologna into a haven of mortadella-related activities, with tasting areas in historic palaces, courtyards and squares.
Zola Predosa: The small town in the Bolognese hills hosts the most pink and delicious festival in the world, with its main square filled with stands, stages and producer villages.
Accessibility: Both venues are walkable and accessible by public transport from Bologna center. Zola Predosa is reachable by bus and suburban train from Bologna.
Getting to the Event
By Train: Bologna Centrale is a major high-speed rail hub connecting Milan, Florence, Venice and Rome. From Bologna Centrale, take local bus to Palazzo Re Enzo in about 10 minutes, or bus line 83 or train to Zola Predosa.
By Car: Bologna is on the A1 and A14 autostrade. For Palazzo Re Enzo, park in central parking lots like Parcheggio Piazza VIII Agosto and walk. For Zola Predosa, follow signs to Zola Predosa center, with festival parking areas signposted.
By Air: Bologna Guglielmo Marconi Airport is 6 kilometers from the center, with Aerobus shuttle to central station. From there, connect to festival venues.
Local Transport: During the festival, shuttle buses often connect Bologna and Zola Predosa venues. The historic center of Bologna is best explored on foot.
Tip: Book accommodation early as October is high season for food tourism in Emilia-Romagna, with many food festivals happening simultaneously.
Where to Stay Nearby
In Bologna Center: Stay near Piazza Maggiore and Palazzo Re Enzo for easy access to MortadellaBò events. Options range from boutique hotels in medieval palaces to modern hotels. Expect to be able to walk to tastings, cooking labs and evening aperitivi.
In Zola Predosa And Hills: Agriturismi and B&Bs in the Bolognese hills offer countryside stays with vineyards and easy access to the Mortadella Please village. Felsineo Group area has several family-run properties.
Bologna Food District: For a full food tour, stay near Mercato delle Erbe or FICO Eataly World, which often hosts Mortadella Day celebrations on October 24.
Budget To Luxury: Bologna offers hostels, 3-star hotels, design hotels and luxury properties. Many include breakfast with mortadella, Parmigiano and fresh bread.
Booking Advice: Reserve well in advance for October, as the city hosts multiple food events and the International Mortadella Day celebrations.
Things to Do Before or After the Event
Bologna Food Tour: Join a Foodie’s Delight Tour covering Parmigiano Reggiano, balsamic vinegar and cured meats in one unforgettable day. Visit Mercato di Mezzo, traditional osterias and pasta labs making tortellini.
Mortadella Day: Every year on October 24, Mortadella Day is celebrated simultaneously in Rome at Palazzo Esposizioni and in Bologna at Grand Tour Italia theme park, marking the anniversary of Cardinal Farnese’s 1661 proclamation.
Cultural Sites: Visit Bologna’s Two Towers, Archiginnasio, Basilica di San Petronio, and the porticoes UNESCO heritage. Take a cooking class for handmade pasta.
Nearby Towns: Day trips to Modena for traditional balsamic vinegar, Parma for Prosciutto di Parma, and Ravenna for mosaics.
Other Festivals: October in Emilia-Romagna includes Chestnut Festival in Castel del Rio, Passatello Festival in Cervia, and Tartufo festivals.
Restaurants & Local Food to Try
Mortadella Specialties: Try mortadella with tigelle, crescentine, rosetta bread, tortellini in brodo with mortadella filling, and mortadella mousse crostini. Pair with Pignoletto sparkling wine.
Bologna Classics: Tagliatelle al ragù, tortellini in brodo, lasagne alla bolognese, cotoletta alla bolognese, and mortadella as antipasto with Parmigiano Reggiano and Squacquerone.
Street Food: During the festival, try the huge mortadella sandwich, mortadella and cheese piadina, fried mortadella cubes, and mortadella burger.
Local Restaurants: Osterias around Palazzo Re Enzo and in Zola Predosa offer festival menus featuring mortadella in every course, from antipasto to dessert.
Take-Home: Buy Mortadella Bologna PGI vacuum-packed, along with Parmigiano Reggiano, mortadella-flavored chips and artisan breads.
Dietary & Food Allergy Information
Pork: Mortadella Bologna is a pork sausage, made from pork meat and pork fat lardelli, so it is not suitable for pork-free, halal or kosher diets.
Gluten: Mortadella itself is typically gluten-free, but bread pairings, rosetta and some preparations contain gluten. Ask vendors for gluten-free bread options, which are often available.
Nuts: Some mortadella variants contain pistachios, while others contain black pepper. Plain mortadella contains no nuts. Check labels for pistachio version if you have nut allergies.
Dairy And Lactose: Mortadella may contain traces of milk proteins. Pairings with cheese contain dairy. Vegan options are limited as mortadella is meat-based, but vegetarian sides, salads and some pasta are available.
Communication: Vendors at Palazzo Re Enzo and Zola Predosa main square are knowledgeable about ingredients and can provide allergen information. For severe allergies, contact the organizer in advance.
Ticket Information
Entry: Entry to the festival villages in Bologna and Zola Predosa main square is generally free, with free stage shows and family entertainment. You pay for tastings, cooking labs and meals.
Tastings: Tastings of Mortadella Bologna PGI from various producers typically range from $5 to $10 USD per tasting plate, with tasting carnets for multiple producers from $20 to $35 USD.
Cooking Labs And Fab Lab: Cooking classes held by famous chefs from all over Italy and Fab Lab workshops have ranged from $15 to $40 USD per person in previous editions, including ingredients and tastings.
Special Events: Gala dinners and special pairings with wine at Palazzo Re Enzo have been priced at $35 to $70 USD per person in past editions.
Market Purchases: Mortadella by weight ranges from $12 to $25 USD per kilogram depending on producer and variant. Sandwiches from $6 to $12 USD.
Official Pricing: Final 2027 pricing will be announced on https://mortadellabologna.com/ and https://www.mortadellaplease.eu/
Official Event Information
Official Website: https://mortadellabologna.com/
Festival Sites: www.mortadellabologna.com for Mortadella Day in Bologna and www.mortadellaplease.eu for Festival in Zola Predosa
Contact: Tel: 02 8925901, Email: infom@mortadellabologna.com, Consortium: Italian Consortium for the Protection of Mortadella Bologna PGI
Social: Follow @MortadellaBologna and #MortadellaBO for updates, plus Mortadella Please social channels for Zola Predosa program
Related Events: Mortadella Day on October 24 celebrated in Rome at Palazzo Esposizioni and Bologna at Grand Tour Italia
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FAQ
Is Mortadella Bologna festival free to enter?
Entry to the main festival areas in Bologna at Palazzo Re Enzo and in Zola Predosa main square is generally free, including stage shows, market browsing and family entertainment. You pay for individual tastings, cooking labs, Fab Lab workshops and sit-down meals at pop-up osterias. This free-entry model makes it easy to wander, sample at your own pace and enjoy the pink festival atmosphere without a ticket, while premium experiences require advance booking.
What is the difference between MortadellaBò and Mortadella Please?
MortadellaBò is the name for the four-day festival in the center of Bologna, centered on Palazzo Re Enzo with cooking labs, tastings and cultural events. Mortadella Please is the International Festival held in Zola Predosa, the World Capital of Mortadella, focusing on producer village, street food and community celebration. Both are organized under the Mortadella Bologna PGI umbrella and often share producers and chefs, with many visitors attending both venues during the same weekend.
Can I buy Mortadella Bologna PGI to take home?
Yes, the festival market in Zola Predosa and stands at Palazzo Re Enzo sell Mortadella Bologna PGI vacuum-packed in various sizes, from small slices to whole pieces, suitable for travel. Producers offer plain, with pistachio and with black pepper variants, and can advise on storage. If stored well, mortadella can be kept for up to eight months, and many vendors provide insulated bags for transport, making it easy to bring the Pink Queen home.
Is the festival suitable for children?
Yes, there is a range of events for kids as well as adults, including small workshops, stage shows, a mortadella queen parade and giant sandwiches that entertain all the family. Cooking labs often have family-friendly sessions where children can make their own panini and learn how to pick the best mortadella. The open squares and pedestrian areas make it safe and enjoyable for families, with free entertainment throughout the day.
What should I pair with mortadella for the best experience?
To bring out its rich flavor, mortadella Bologna is best served at room temperature, either thinly sliced or cut into cubes, paired with soft cheeses like Squacquerone, aged Parmigiano Reggiano and warm breads like tigelle and crescentine. For wine, local guides recommend Pignoletto sparkling, Lambrusco, and Sangiovese di Romagna that balance the fat and spices. During tastings, producers will also suggest olive oil drizzles, honey and balsamic pairings to highlight different aromatic notes.
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