Tortellini from a silver tureen, waiters in white jackets and the trolley wheeled to your table: Bologna’s grand dining room since 1909.
Photo © Ristorante Diana
Visited by Holiplanet and rated at least 4 of our 5 criteria. Never paid for.How we rate →Why go
Diana began in 1909 as a café at Via dell’Indipendenza 24, with tables spilling onto the street and round the corner into Via Volturno. More than a century later the welcome is still formal and warm at once: white tablecloths, plates signed Diana in green script, a clock that has watched generations of Bologna families celebrate here.
This is where to taste the city’s recipes the way they were written down. Diana’s tortellini follow the recipe deposited at Bologna’s Chamber of Commerce in 1974, its ragù the one registered in 1982. Come hungry and stay long: after the pasta, the famous trolley rolls to the table with boiled and roast meats, carved in front of you.
Signature dishes
Six dishes that define Diana, from the official menu and the restaurant’s own photos.
Tortellini in capon broth
The dish Bologna dresses up for. Tiny rings filled with pork loin, mortadella and ham, following the recipe registered in 1974, arrive in a clear, golden capon broth, ladled steaming from the silver tureen.
Baked green lasagne
Spinach pasta sheets layered with slow-cooked ragù, béchamel and Parmigiano Reggiano, then baked at 200° for about half an hour. It is Bologna’s lasagne, green rather than white, and the plate many guests return for.
Tagliatelle with Bolognese ragù
Ribbons of fresh egg pasta under Diana’s ragù, the recipe registered in 1982: beef, pancetta, vegetables, a little tomato and red wine, simmered gently for about two hours. Simple, rich and unmistakably Bologna.
Roasts carved from the trolley
Part of the ritual that made Diana famous: the trolley is wheeled to your table and the roasts are carved in front of you by waiters in white jackets. Theatre and comfort, Bologna style.
Bolognese cutlet with mashed potatoes
Bologna’s own take on the breaded cutlet: golden and crisp, finished the local way with ham and Parmigiano Reggiano, and served beside a generous spoon of soft mashed potatoes. Hearty, old-fashioned and deeply satisfying.
Diana’s grand mixed fry
A festive platter in the old Bolognese style: crisp golden bites of meat and vegetables, ribbons of fried courgette and sugar-dusted sweet morsels, fried to order. Share it and taste a little of everything.
Photo © Ristorante Diana
Facilities and services
Gallery
Photo © Ristorante Diana
Photo © Ristorante Diana
Photo © Ristorante Diana
Photo © Ristorante Diana
Photo © Ristorante Diana
Holiplanet’s view
Visited by Holiplanet
?Holiplanet criteria · 5 of 5Diana is at its best for a long, traditional lunch. Start with the tortellini in capon broth or the green lasagne, then let the trolley come to you: the Gran bollito with green sauce is the dish to order here. Service is formal and unhurried, so allow about two hours. Book ahead, especially for dinner; for a table the same day, phone.
Bollito misto
Mortadella mousse
Galantina
Cotoletta alla bolognese
Grilled T-bone steak
Tortellini al ragù
Mortadella mousse in a Parmigiano basketGenuine photos taken during our visit to Ristorante Diana · Photo © Holiplanet
Practical information
Via Volturno 5, Bologna
Centro Storico, a few steps from Via dell’Indipendenza.
Hours from the official website:
| Lunch | 12:00–14:30 |
|---|---|
| Dinner | 19:00–22:30 |
Getting there
From Piazza Maggiore, about 7 minutes on foot (approx.): walk up Via dell’Indipendenza and turn left into Via Volturno. From Bologna Centrale station, about 12 minutes (approx.) straight down Via dell’Indipendenza.
The nearest official rank is by Piazza del Nettuno, about 6 minutes’ walk (approx.). Or call CoTaBo on 051 372727 or CAT on 051 4590, day and night.
Via Volturno is inside the camera-controlled limited-traffic zone (ZTL). Park at the Piazza VIII Agosto underground car park, about 5 minutes’ walk (approx.), and walk down Via dell’Indipendenza.
Many TPER city buses run along Via dell’Indipendenza. Plan your route with the TPER journey planner and buy tickets in TPER’s official ROGER app.
Around the restaurant
City Guide · Things to do
Bologna landmarks with their own Holiplanet page, nearest first.
Viewpoint
A little window onto Bologna's hidden canal
Library
Walk on glass over Villanovan huts and Roman Bononia
Monument
Bologna's town hall, with frescoed halls and a clock tower
Square
Bologna's living room, watched over by Giambologna's bronze Neptune
Market
Medieval guild lanes still selling Bologna's best food
Monument
The skyline's twin emblems, one leaning, both under watchful care
Basilica
Bologna’s great Gothic church, with Cassini’s meridian line
Museum
Guided tours inside Lucio Dalla's home on Via D'Azeglio
Church
Seven sacred spaces in one, Bologna's little Jerusalem
On the Bologna map
City Guide · Where to stay
Hotels, B&Bs and apartments with their own Holiplanet page, nearest first.
Unique stay
Sleep inside a 12th-century tower, sixty metres above Bologna
Hotel
Romantic 3-star hotel in the ancient Quadrilatero
Hotel
Palazzo Maccaferri hotel with a MICHELIN-starred restaurant
Boutique hotel
Romantic hotel born as a 14th-century tavern
Hotel
Welcoming guests 50 metres from Piazza Maggiore since 1875
Boutique hotel
12th-century building facing San Petronio's Gothic windows
B&B
Three cosy rooms with views over Bologna's rooftops
Hostel
A unique 99% handmade hostel in the University area
Hotel
Third-generation family hotel with the Terrazza Mattuiani rooftop
On the Bologna map
City Guide · Experiences
Tours, classes and guided walks with their own Holiplanet page.
City walking tours
Licensed guides' cooperative for Bologna city and themed tours
Bike tours
Guided bike and walking tours plus bike rental
Food valley tour
Parmigiano, balsamic and prosciutto producers in one day
Cooking class
Hands-on pasta class, small groups, near Piazza Maggiore
On the Bologna map
Straight-line distances from OpenStreetMap data (© OpenStreetMap contributors).
Questions
Booking is recommended, especially for dinner. Send a request with the form on this page; for a table the same day, phone +39 051 231302.
According to the official website, Ristorante Diana is open for lunch from 12:00 to 14:30 and for dinner from 19:00 to 22:30. For the latest updates, check the restaurant’s Google profile, linked in the opening hours section above.
Ristorante Diana is in our €€ price band: a starter or pasta plus a main course costs about €25–50 per person, before wine, based on the official menu. Seafood dishes and the grand trolley specialities sit at the top of that range.
Bolognese classics: tortellini in capon broth, green lasagne, tagliatelle with ragù, the Gran bollito with green sauce, cotoletta alla bolognese and roasts from the trolley, plus seafood. Vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free dishes are available.
At Via Volturno 5, in the historic centre, just off Via dell’Indipendenza. It is about 7 minutes on foot from Piazza Maggiore and about 12 minutes from Bologna Centrale station.
Diana opened in 1909 as a café at Via dell’Indipendenza 24, with outdoor tables on Via Volturno. Today it is one of Bologna’s historic restaurants, still serving the city’s traditional recipes.
