Why do we love Emilia Romagna so much?
Emilia Romagna is home to some of the best food, and food products, in the world. It is home to Parmigiano Reggiano, Prosciutto di Parma, traditional balsamic vinegar, and more. It is the home to Slow Food and Fast Cars. It is home to amazing wines, including world famous Lambrusco, and some Italy’s secret wines, including Negretto and Albana.
It almost kills me when people tell me they are traveling to Italy and limiting their trip to Rome or Venice. There is so much more to see of the country than the primary tourist spots. I do understand the draw to those cities. I understand wanting to see the Coliseum, or the Bridge of Signs.
But, after Rome and Venice, where should you travel to in order to experience the REAL Italy? Where should you travel to in order to eat the best food in Italy?
I never knew how to make fresh pasta, but always wanted to learn. Yummy Italy offered us the chance to learn how to make pasta in Italy, and I welcomed the chance.
One problem: we were learning in the kitchen of a Michelin star restaurant, alongside a famous American chef. I was intimidated to say the least.
When you tour a region like Emilia Romagna for two full weeks, eating yourselves silly, you are bound to eat tons of great food. During our trip we ate truffles and artisan gelato, toured vineyards, and dined in the company of Michelin star chefs. So, when we heard that there was a fancy restaurant, with […]
I wondered if we were the only people driving around Emilia Romagna with a giant hunk of cheese in our trunk. In a region that is so passionate about food, though, I highly doubted we were alone in our cheese transport, straight from a cheese maker in Italy. It’s no secret that I love cheese, and […]
I often make it known that we are not museum people. We tend to skip most, if not all, “must see” museums in every town or city we travel through. Many people criticize us for this, saying we are missing something, or not learning from history. But, we know what we like and what we […]
I’ve always loved balsamic vinegar. Not just the stuff to add to a salad, but the thicker, aged traditional balsamic vinegar that I learned to drip over a nice parmagiano cheese. I thought I was pretty fancy, learning this little trick. I thought I was pretty cultured and worldly, understanding the difference between lesser quality […]
The slow food movement is taking off all over the world. People are talking about the concept of farm to table cuisine and attempting to learn about where their food comes from. There is a growing appreciation for what goes into quality food. In Emilia Romagna, Italy, though, they have been concerned about farm to table […]
I never imagined I would be sitting down for an amazing meal, at an organic winery, in the foothills of Bologna, to have lunch with an Italian winemaker. But, that is exactly what Yummy Italy organized during our day touring Emilia Romagna.
We pulled up to Corte d’Aibo, after a winding drive through the hills south of Bologna. The organic vineyard includes a series of buildings, including an old farmhouse that has been turned into an agritourismo, complete with guest rooms. The property overlooks vineyards, wheat fields, and fruit trees. On one side lies a biolake, a freshwater pool with a natural filtration system. On the other side, a rustic farmhouse restaurant, with a wrap around porch, overlooking the hillside.
I am intrigued by truffles. So, when Yummy Italy offered us a chance to go truffle hunting, I exclaimed (well, through email) “sign me up!”
One of the things I loved about Italy during our early trips – GELATO. All around me. Loads of it. In bright colors. All for next to nothing. Families enjoying gelato in Italy on a Sunday afternoon. Couples strolling arm in arm with a cone of gelato, sharing each other’s flavors. Then, I realized everything […]
We are not newbies to Italy travel. In fact, before this trip, we had been to over 15 cities and towns in Italy, from Rome to Milan to Venice, and loads of small towns in between. It is a place that has captured our hearts and our imaginations for years. But, we had never spent […]