No red in bolognese

A few years ago we spent a short week in Bologna. As a foodie, I was very much looking forward to enjoying what many call the best food in Italy. In particular, I love bolognese sauce. Always have.
First dinner, that's what I ordered. What I got was a very fine ground meat sauce, but without any tomatoes and, frankly, kind of bland.
OK, one restaurant doesn't make a trend.
Next meal (mid-afternoon lunch at an upscale spot) and AGAIN their bolognese sauce was ground beef and no tomatoes (much better than the first spot, but not what I was expecting)
Third try's the charm...another very different type of restaurant; bolognese sauce; no tomatoes - sauteed ground beef.
Baffled.
Returned home and opened by Giuliano Hazan Classic Pasta cookbook. !There are tomatoes! And "The dish is a staple in Emilia-romagna, the region where my family comes from and is almost synonymous with it's capital city" Well, that's what I thought!
Does anyone have any perspective on this disconnect?