Travel. Food. Emilia Romagna. Italy.

A Local’s Itinerary through One of the World’s Best Food Regions

This is both a privilege and a responsibility.

When you google “best regions in the world to eat”, four out of the five results that come up the first rank “Bologna, Italy” pretty high in their lists.

Now, I know that Bologna is not a region, but a city. Nevertheless, that said, I’m not only Italian, but from Emilia-Romagna, the region that hosts Bologna, hence one of the best regions in the world when it comes to food.

Since I am a hopeless foodie, I guarantee that it’s like living in literal heaven.

Obviously, it’s not like we eat strictly regional foods every single day (God bless Campania for pizza), but they certainly are an essential part of our diet and, as for myself, something that I keep into consideration when looking for a place to go out to eat, or for a destination for a daily road-trip along my region.

When it comes to delicious food and beautiful locations to look for in Emilia-Romagna, there’s, of course, plenty of choice, and it varies a lot from area to area, since Emilia-Romagna is really vast and geographically varied, hosting both sea and hills, and a lot of typical villages and cities, often of medieval origin.

The itinerary you’re about to read is based on my favorite locations, foods, and food-related vibes. It will bring you through several areas of the region and different types of foods and experiences.

Therefore, this is a collection of my very own personal opinions, and it does not necessarily reflect my compatriot’s opinions.

Without further ado, here come the goodies.

1. Piacenza Hills

Let’s start with my two favorite locations in the Piacenza Hills area: the Rivalta Castle (the red arrow on the left) and Castell’Arquato (the red arrow on the right). These are both medieval villages with medieval castles you can visit, and the cutest tiny alleys and little squares, with adorable sites to eat and have a cocktail (or an aperitivo, as we say).

These are places where you can enjoy wonderful views of the hills while sipping a glass of local wine or a Spritz, in front of a charcuterie and cheese board with Parmigiano Reggiano and Prosciutto di Parma.

2. Parma

Parma is a beautiful, typical Emilian city, rich with distinctive landmarks and delicious food. All you have to do is choose between the lots and lots of restaurants that offer local cuisine, and try fried dumpling (or gnocco fritto), tigelle with Culatello (a typical cold cut), Prosciutto di Parma and Parmigiano Reggiano, and then a plate of tortelli (stuffed with goodness such as pumpkin, herbs and butter, radicchio, ricotta, mushrooms, truffles, and many others).

In Parma, you can enjoy mouth-watering food al fresco, sitting in typical alleys and streets such as Via Farini, with flowers hanging from the walls and characteristic small shops (botteghe) all around you, or in beautiful squares, surrounded by ancient buildings, churches, or landmarks, as in Piazza Verdi.

3. Reggio Emilia

When it comes to the type of food and the looks of the city, Reggio Emilia and Parma are actually similar (but don’t tell them, because they wouldn’t agree). They both have cobblestone streets and characteristic squares dominated by historical buildings and churches, and they share a lot of foods, like the ones I talked about regarding Parma.

But I felt like Reggio Emilia needed to be put on this list because of the absolutely lovely Piazza Fontanesi, a cobblestone square in the city center. Here, you can eat al fresco in one of the typical restaurants that offer local cuisine, and enjoy a plate of cappelletti (these have different names depending on the area), rich stuffed pasta in hot chicken broth, accompanied by a glass of Lambrusco, the local red wine.

4. Bologna

During my bachelor’s years, I’ve had the pleasure to discover all of Bologna’s best corners and places to eat and drink. Regarding aperitivo, the best places to drink a glass of wine and eat a charcuterie board with mortadella and Parmigiano Reggiano are Piazza Santo Stefano, which overlooks a beautiful ancient church complex with gates covered in beautiful flowers, and Mercato di Mezzo, a tangle of alleys filled with small shops that offer cold cuts and drinks.

Let’s talk specifically about food: leaving out the already above-mentioned goodies, your visit to Bologna wouldn’t be complete without a taste of lasagne, pasta al ragù, and, to finish off, the typical dessert zuppa inglese. Zuppa inglese consists of various layers of deliciousness one on top of the other: biscuits soaked in liquor, custard, and chocolate cream.

5. Bologna Hills

These are my personal favorite.

I love to look for new places to eat around the Bologna hills, because of the breathtaking landscapes that can be enjoyed while sipping a cocktail and eating typical street food such as fried custard cubes, fried vegetable sticks, and fried sage.

Yes, we fry a lot.

On the Bologna hills, all you have to do is choose one of the many restaurants with a terrace, and relax in front of a wonderful sunset, immersed in nature, while tasting local delicacies.

6. Romagna Riviera

What better ending to our journey than some food by the sea?

Cervia, Rimini, Riccione, whatever location you choose you will find vast beaches and cozy beach clubs on the seaside where you can eat spaghetti allo scoglio while breathing in the sea air. Or, if you’re less hungry, you can try the typical piadina, flatbread filled with all kinds of goodness: sausage and onion (my favorite), cold cuts with mozzarella or squaquerone (the local soft cheese), and more.

Then, at night, head to the city center to have a taste of the local movida, and grab a cocktail to sip while walking through the characteristic streets.

We’ve reached the end of our itinerary.

Maybe, because of Covid, for now, you won’t be able to come to visit us, but I really hope that in the future (hopefully the very next future), if you ever come to Italy, you will remember this and come enjoy what my wonderful region has to offer.

I hope you will love it as much as I do!

© Francesca Dallaglio, 2021

#localdelicacies

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