Bologna, Italy

Bologna earns its nickname "La Grassa" (The Fat One) through culinary superiority: its 40-mile network of porticoed streets shelters more than 200 trattorias, many serving tortellini in brodo for under €12—half the price of a comparable dish in Florence, and 30% cheaper than the average meal in #5 Valletta at €17. If Italy claims the best food in Europe, Bologna sits at its apex, with a citywide average restaurant rating of 4.3 stars on Google, outperforming #5 Valletta's 4.1. The University of Bologna, founded in 1088, remains the oldest continuously operating university globally, attracting 90,000 students who fuel a nightlife that outlasts Rome's by at least two hours. A single mortadella sandwich from Tamburini costs €5 and weighs 300 grams—heavier than the average Portuguese pastel de nata by a factor of 20.