Villa Aretusi Closes, Bologna Faces Restaurant Crisis: Empty Tables and Tourists Sharing Dishes

Villa Aretusi will close at the end of September. The restaurant and banqueting venue that for years hosted ceremonies, meetings and gourmet dinners are switching off the stoves for good, after the restaurant Sotto l'Arco had already shut down months ago. Chef Alessandro Panichi confirms it to the Corriere di Bologna: «The owners made different choices and decided to sell. High-level catering is struggling today». Panichi, one of the most respected chefs in the region, will be leaving the city: «I haven't the faintest idea where I'll go, but I'll likely not stay in Bologna. It pains me, my family is here».

Vottero's Outburst

Chef Vincenzo Vottero, who recently returned to Bologna after an experience in the United States, also captures the moment: «Today you'd have to be mad to open a new venue in Bologna». According to Vottero, the Emilian capital has never had true fine dining, partly due to an already very strong gastronomic tradition, but today the situation is aggravated by the lack of high-end clientele: «If you keep the bill under 50 euros per person you can get by, above that no». The chef cites Villa Aretusi's closure and Max Poggi's change of direction, who opened Serra Sole, as signs of the times. Tourism also doesn't help upscale establishments, according to Vottero: «In August they said the city was packed with tourists, but where? On via Altabella I saw empty places». Among the difficulties listed are staff shortages after Covid, with wages deemed inadequate, and the rise in raw material costs: live lobsters, he says, have gone from 28 to 41 euros per kilo.

The Picture from Ascom and Confesercenti

The business associations also confirm the difficulties. Roberto Melloni, president of Ascom Bologna restaurateurs, confirms the sector's struggles: «The outdoor seating areas worked very little this summer, there was a significant drop in consumer spending that hit the center particularly hard compared to the provinces and the Apennines». According to Melloni, current tourism spends less: «They split dishes, they don't drink wine».

Massimo Zucchini, president of Confesercenti Bologna, points instead to very high turnover of venues: if in the past a business could survive an average of 3-4 years, today that period has shrunk. Among consumption trends, wine is collapsing, beer is holding up, spirits are disappearing. Melloni urges focusing on quality events ahead of Christmas to attract different tourism, also from the region.