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A few weeks ago, I was at one of our local parks, Parco delle Caprette, one of many green zones within the Bologna suburb of San Lazzaro, 6km southeast of Piazza Maggiore. It's named such for a herd of goats that are inexplicably caged just off the main play area and, as a result, a strong smell not unlike goat cheese pervades on the northwest side of the park. But the inviting waft of Italian home cooking that beckons on the southeast side of the park is the reason we're here.

With the unmistakable bouquet of ragú in the air, my 4-year-old half-Italian son made the rounds – the swings, the near life-size replica airplane made of wood, the jungle gym, the goats. Suddenly, a trio of unconventionally excitable kids – clearly not Italian – began wreaking havoc around the coin-operated amusements. No parent in sight. It took a minute, but I recognized their unfiltered kid-speak as Northern England-accented English. Manchester? Liverpool? Uncommon in these suburbs, to say the least. My curiosity was roused.

We struck up a conversation, from which I discerned they were on holiday (in San Lazzaro?) and their parents were in a parked RV about 300m away. My American instincts kicked in, and I wanted to be sure their parents had given them such a long leash knowingly, so we wandered over. Dad jumped out of the RV, ensured me all was well, and I returned to my own responsibilities. Eventually, the parents joined us at the park and we struck up a conversation that ultimately – as always around Bologna – led to culinary pursuits.

"What do you recommend for dinner in Bologna?" the dad asked.

Join the locals at the ARCI

As I do this for a living, I had plenty of answers – I have coauthored nearly half a dozen ÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½ guidebooks on the subject – but then it hit me. The restaurant at the park, run by the  of the nationwide L'Associazione Ricreativa Culturale Italiana (ARCI for short; Italy's biggest nonprofit not run by the Catholic church) was the kind of local experience usually crafted only by Hollywood auteurs.

The cafeteria-style eatery, La Buona Tavola, features a daily-changing selection of Emilia-Romagna's world-famous specialties (lasagna, tagliatelle al ragú, tortellini in brodo, meatballs with peas) forged by a gaggle of nonnas and a team of supporting immigrants (Kenyans, Nigerians, Bangladeshi and so on) at ridiculous prices. A hearty serving of lasagna costs just (you won't find it for less than €12-18 at a traditional trattoria). The tagliatelle al ragú? Just €4.90! The coperto – Italy's restaurant service charge for bread, silverware etc – a mere €0.60 per person (compared to the standard €2.50-3.50 at trattorias)! And the food is outstanding.

This family of five (they call Huddersfield home, by the way) could likely have the most memorable meal of their trip for less than €50 – around 60% less than their typical spend at a restaurant – and not even have to deal with the incredible hassle of trying to park an RV in a medieval Italian city!

Expect a line

There's no ambience whatsoever – just institutional décor (read: none) and utilitarian accents (tables, chairs, a water station). But there's something immensely satisfying about advancing along the nonna-backed serving line, filling your tray with primi, secondi, side dishes and dessert, then sitting down in a room full of locals without a tourist in sight and tearing into delicious local specialties.

As a foreigner, it sticks with you. The food is the main event, but the show transcends epicurean accomplishments. The ARCI is no secret in town. During the week, lines are out the door before it opens (11:30am for lunch daily, 6pm for dinner except Monday). On weekends, it's mayhem! Lines snake around the courtyard and into the park in some cases. During the annual lasagna festival (; late September/early October), you might as well camp out the night before to get a top spot near the front of the line. But despite the fact that anyone can eat here – no membership needed – there's nary a tourist in sight.

What is an ARCI circoli?

ARCI is one of Italy’s oldest nonprofit associations, founded in Rome in 1957. The organization sponsors a network of social and cultural clubs around Italy called circoli. Rooted in pro-democracy, anti-fascism ideals, it united a national network of previously unaffiliated recreational and cultural clubs sharing similar political values. The Circoli San Lazzaro is particularly rooted in a sense of place: The sign outside the bar, in line with Bologna's historically leftist leanings, reads, "If you are homophobic, racist or not anti-fascist, please do not enter this bar!"

Over the years, it has hosted concerts by Patti Smith and Lou Reed, spawned spin-off groups often aimed at combating social exclusion and racism (ARCI Gay and ARCI Donna, for example), and established community hubs for food, recreation and sport. Concerts are still a large draw – ARCI San Lazzaro draws international acts for its annual Paradiso Jazz and Reno Folk Festivals, among others; and various cultural events fill its calendars.

The complex, consisting of said bar, the restaurant, a bocce court, an always-buzzing courtyard and various cultural spaces, is a multigenerational community gathering point unlike anything I have ever seen back home in the States. Morning to evening, it's packed with socializing retirees day-drinking while engaged in popular card games like briscola; simultaneously, Parco delle Caprette hosts a constant flow of stroller-pushing moms on maternity leave, toddlers unloading boundless energy after daycare, and post-work parents looking to somehow kill an hour or two after picking up their kids from elementary school. Everyone converges at the bar – pints of Nastro Azzuro or Aperol/Campari Spritzes for the parents, local pignoletto or sangiovese for the retirees. Eventually, everyone gets hungry, piling into the restaurant for the best deal anybody not from around here has any idea about.

There are circoli throughout Italy

San Lazzaro isn’t the only ARCI circoli in Italy where the food is worth the trip. Various circoli around Tuscany, Piemonte, Lombardia and Lazio rate expectedly high for authentic homestyle food tied to the region, but as with San Lazzaro, they so often fall outside a tourist's purview. They are frequently located beyond touristed areas and are almost always uninviting from the outside, usually looking like an uneventful local bar or a nondescript cultural center rather than any sort of alluring gastronomic haven. And therein lies its beauty! There are nearly 5000 cultural centers nationwide (though not all have a full-service restaurant).

If I'm being honest, trying to follow the intricate web of Italian politics while trying to maintain a handle on the equally befuddling American political landscape is above my pay grade. For me, ARCI is a place my partner and I can unwind with cocktails at '90s prices while burning a few hours of playground time feeding carrots to goats followed by a meal for the ages. It's a place where we see familiar places from our kid's preschool, joining the scrum for the same reasons. At any rate, anti-fascism seems like a reasonable stance to me.

You, too, can waddle into La Buona Tavola and feast on Emilian specialties done as well as anywhere – if not better – without breaking the bank (the kid does that for us already!). If you’re in town, bus 90 from Piazza Cavour in Bologna's city center will take you straight there in 30 minutes flat. 

Now pass the parmigiano, please!