Emilia-Romagna guide: what to see, plus the best bars, restaurants and hotels
Living as I do in Venice, I have always thought it a shame that relatively few among its daily invasion of tourists make it as far as the next-door region of Emilia-Romagna. It easily matches the attractions of more celebrated Tuscany and Lombardy and offers temptingly affordable options for eating out and accommodation.
Emilia-Romagna stretches from the wetlands of the Po delta down to the beach resorts of the Adriatic coast, and across fertile plains where the signature ingredients of Italian cuisine are produced. This is the ultimate foodie destination, where travellers can organise a whole gourmet tour around artisan producers of prosciutto crudo and mortadella, intense balsamic vinegar and Italy’s king of cheeses, parmesan. And in between eating and drinking, the magnificent cities of Bologna, Parma, Ferrara and Ravenna boast sumptuous Renaissance palaces, frescoed medieval and Romanesque churches, and unique Byzantine artworks which can all usually be enjoyed without queues or crowds.
Parma
The octagonal medieval baptistery in the Piazza Duomo, Parma. Photograph: Alamy
The must-see food producers are in the surrounding countryside, but the splendid monuments of Parma are worth a day’s sightseeing, too. Dominating Piazza Duomo is the immense Romanesque cathedral, which contains frescoes rivalled only by those of the adjoining medieval baptistery, whose bare, minimalist exterior contrasts with the incredible colours from 13th and 14th-century paintings that cover the interior.
Far fewer visitors discover the peaceful 10th-century Monastero di San Giovanni, just behind the cathedral, and the vast Palazzo della Pilotta, which houses a jewel of baroque architecture, the wooden Teatro Farnese.
South of the city, the Langhirano valley is home to some 500 authorised producers of the famous prosciutto crudo di Parma. Most are open to the public for tastings and purchases. A guide from one of Parma’s many specialist food tours takes me up into the hills to Salumificio Conti (Strada Fontana 2/A, Langhirano, contiprosciutti.it), for a behind-the-scenes look at the unique salting and ageing process.
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And on the plains north of Parma we visit a cheese-making co-operative, CPL Parma, near Baganzola village (Via Puppiola, 15, cplparma.it) that makes 25 cheeses a day. Individuals can’t visit, but as I’m with a guide I get to pull on plastic overalls and follow the whole process, from the churning of the milk to tasting cheeses that have been aged for 36 months (guided trips from Food Valley Travel, +39 0521 798515).
Hidden away in a Parma backstreet, the raucous Oste Magno (Borgo Angelo Mazza 12, +39 0521 232519) is the place to meet a colourful slice of local life and taste the surprising wines of the Parma hills, such as a generous €1.30 tumbler of sparkling malvasia with a hefty roast pork panino for just €1.50.
The serious eating, though, is further north on the grassy banks of the Po in villages such as Zibello, home of the prized, ultra-lean culatello hams. The formidable Signora Miriam has presided over Trattoria La Buca di Zibello (Via Ghizzi 6, +39 0524 99214) for 50 years, and most diners simply end up eating what she tells them to. She cures her ham in the cellar, and her dish of handmade tagliatelle with silky slices of culatello is unforgettable.
Parma has plenty of simple B&Bs such as Pio (doubles from €80, +39 3477 769065, piorooms.it), but it is worth splashing out on a sumptuous suite in Palazzo Dalla Rosa Prati (doubles from €90, suites €130, +39 0521 386429, palazzodallarosaprati.it) for the view over Piazza Duomo. There is a wide choice of rustic agriturismi in the Langhirano valley, and Azienda Agricola Cardinali (doubles €70, +39 0521 861465, agricolacardinali.it) also has a lively restaurant.
Modena
The balsamic vinegar is ‘sloshed on’ rather than drizzled at Osteria di Rubbaria. Photograph: John Brunton
Around Modena, visiting a balsamic vinegar acetaia is easily arranged. Daniele Bonfatti gives a fascinating free tour of his Acetaia del Cristo in San Prospero, 20km north of town, where this luscious vinegar is aged in tiny wooden barrels for up to 25 years, and there are a number of “celebrity barrels” reserved for the likes of Michael Douglas. The vineyards around here are where Lambrusco is made, a light fizzy red wine ideal with the region’s rich cuisine. Quality has improved from the days when Lambrusco was the typical trattoria tipple, and in nearby Nonantola, Cantina Gavioli (gaviolivini.com) has tastings and an extensive museum on the history of local winemaking and agriculture.
At Modena’s Osteria Francescana (tasting menus from €170, Via Stella 22, +39 059 223912), chef Massimo Bottura is snapping at the heels of Noma with third place in the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list. But I am just as happy driving a few miles out of town to Nonantola and the venerable Osteria di Rubbiara (Via Risaia 4, +39 059 549019). Here, the delightfully grumpy 80-year-old Italo Pedroni makes perhaps one of Italy’s finest balsamic vinegars and, in his Osteria, he theatrically sloshes it – no wimpish drizzling here – over plump tortelloni stuffed with ricotta. The never-ending €35 menu stretches over plates piled with guinea fowl then roast pork, chocolate cake and ice-cream.
Nearby, surrounded by its own vineyards, is the Garuti family’s agriturismo (doubles from €70, +39 059 902021, garutivini.it), where guests are invited up to the acetaia to taste balsamic vinegar, and to the winery where the family make a dozen Lambrusco vintages.
Bologna
A room at Hotel Touring, Bologna
Bologna is the undisputed food capital of Italy, but to work up an appetite there are plenty of sights to visit, beginning with an arduous climb up 498 steps to the top of the 100-metre Torre Asinelli, a 12th-century skyscraper. One reason Bologna is so lively is its huge student population: its university is the oldest in the world, dating back to 1088. Visitors are allowed into the old university library, where the ceilings are decorated with flamboyant frescoes, and into the dramatic 1637 anatomical theatre, where bodies used to be dissected.
The city is criss-crossed by some 50km of portici, stately arcades lined with cafes, bars and boutiques. Portico Cavour is for those looking for designer labels, while the Portico Nanni is the place to browse for Italian cookbooks.
Bologna is trattoria heaven, with huge portions of classic cucina casalinga (home cooking), such as handmade tagliatelle smothered with ragù bolognese that has simmered for hours, or tiny tortellini floating in a capon broth. I like the cheap and cheerful Trattoria Danio (Via San Felice 50, +39 051 555202), where a three-course lunch costs €12.50. Even at the more elegant Ristorante Biagi (Via Savenella 9/a, +39 051 4070049), where Signora Dina Carbone has been cooking for 50 years, an exquisite dish of tortellini in brodo costs €13.
The choice of wine at the modern Enoteca Italiana (Via Marsala 2/b +39 051 235989) is exceptional – it has more than 600 bottles, but I prefer the spit-and-sawdust Osteria del Sole (Vicolo Ranocchi 1/d, +39 347 9680171), which has been serving for 450 years, close to the medieval Mercato di Mezzo.
The Bologna hotel scene is not brilliant, but Hotel Touring (doubles from €110, +39 051 584305, hoteltouring.it) is a small family-owned property with a great rooftop terrace, while at B&B Benelli (doubles from €70, +39 051 252138, bb-benelli.it) Signora Roberta lets a spacious guest room in her flat and has lots of tips.
Ferrara
The terrace at B&B Locanda Borgonuovo, Ferrara
If Bologna is refreshingly untouristy, nearby Ferrara is really off the beaten track. The colossal Castello Estense dominates the town with its well-preserved Renaissance palazzi and one of Europe’s oldest Jewish ghettoes, but I also adore the Palazzo dei Diamanti, which hosts major modern art shows, featuring artists such as Picasso and Giorgio de Chirico.
And Ferrara takes the gold medal for ancient hostelries: Al Brindisi (Via degli Adelardi 11, +39 0532 471225), dating back to 1435, is in the Guinness Book of Records as the world’s oldest wine bar. I tried a rare natural wine, Mentuni dell’Emilia, from a vineyard on nearby seaflats. A great eat-in deli is Cusina e Butega (Corso Porto Reno 26, +39 0532 209174), serving the speciality salama da sugo, a rich cooked pork sausage with mashed potatoes that the waiter described as Ferrara’s haggis.
Ferrara’s Hotel Annunziata (doubles from €99, +39 0532 201111, annunziata.it) has been renovated as a hip designer address, and is located in front of Estense Castle. There’s a friendly welcome just round the corner in B&B Locanda Borgonuovo (doubles from €80, +39 0532 211100, borgonuovo.com), in a former convent.
Ravenna and the Adriatic Coast
Traditional boats at the Museo della Marineria, Cesenatico. Photograph: Katja Kreder/awl-images.com/Getty Images/AWL Images RM
The Romagna riviera runs along the sandy beaches of the Adriatic for around 70 miles, from Cattolica in the south, up to the Po delta on the Veneto border. It’s good to start in Ravenna, once capital of the western Roman empire, today a sleepy provincial town with eight Unesco world heritage sites of exceptional Byzantine mosaics. The Basilica di San Vitale is the one must-see that tour buses all stop at, but Ravenna is worth an overnight stay. With a free bike from the tourist office, it’s a fine cycle out of town to the tiny village of Classe, dominated by the immense Basilica di Sant’Apollinare, with its glittering Byzantine art. Back in Ravenna, mosaics are very much a living heritage, with numerous contemporary ateliers such as Marco De Luca at EmmeDi on Via Salara (marcodeluca-mosaici.com).
Down the coast at Cervia, the most southerly section of the Po Delta nature reserve includes some ancient Etruscan salt flats, where a subtle, perfumed salt is still made by hand. Then, before the brash resorts around Rimini, the little unspoilt port of Cesenatico makes a nice stop. Cycling fans head straight for the museum on Via Cecchini dedicated to the town’s most famous son, Tour de France and Giro d’Italia winner Marco Pantani. A picturesque canal in the centre is alive with traditional wooden fishing boats, from which the day’s catch is unloaded straight into the busy pescheria (market).
Rimini, Riccione and Cattolica, with miles of sandy beaches, bars, nightclubs and 1970s hotels, are the quintessential Italian holiday resort, part Costa Brava, part Ibiza, and not to everyone’s taste, particularly in the summer holiday season. Better to head up into the hills to discover quiet medieval hamlets like fortified Montegridolfo, a 50-minute drive from Rimini.
Nave gaze … the Basilica of Sant’Apollinare in Classe. Photograph: Alamy
Housed in a 15th-century frescoed palace, Ravenna’s Ca’ de Vèn (Via Ricci 24, cadeven.it) is one of the most beautiful wine bars I have seen, showcasing 80 wines from the region: light fruity pignoletto, albana whites and the rustic, potent burson red. A €4 glass is accompanied by a plate of local snacks, such as freshly baked piadina (flatbread) with chicken liver and prosciutto. The big name chef in Cesenatico is Stefano Bartolini, a star of the Slow Food movement. While his chic La Buca restaurant has a Michelin star, prices are more reasonable next door at the casual Osteria del Gran Fritto (Corso Garibaldi 41, +39 0547 82474), which serves gourmet streetfood dishes such as a panino with mackerel and pea purée, and octopus and parsley potato salad.
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Those who go to Rimini should avoid the beach bars and book a table at renowned seafood trattoria La Marianna (Via Tiberlo 19, +39 0541/22530) in the historic Borgo San Giuliano neighbourhood, immortalised by Federico Fellini in his 1973 film Amarcord. Its speciality is chewy passatelli, pasta made from parmesan, egg and breadcrumbs, topped with baby calamari, tomato and spinach (€12).
Set in a grand mansion in the heart of Ravenna, M club (doubles from €80, +39 333 955 6466, m-club.it) is a chic B&B with six plush rooms. Cesenatico also has a couple of cosy B&Bs around its canal. Casadodici (doubles from €89, +39 0547 401709, casadodeci.com) is a much better bet than the modern hotels at the celebrity beach of nearby Milano Marittimo (yes, the name means Milan-on-Sea). Lost in the rolling hills that look down on Rimini, a fortress castle atop Montegridolfo called Palazzo Viviani has been renovated by fashion designer Alberta Feretti (doubles from €92, +39 0541 855350, montegridolfo.com).
Car hire was provided by carrentals.co.uk; rentals from Bologna airport start at around £50 a week for a small car. Easyjet flies to Bologna from Gatwick from £73 return. Ryanair flies from Bristol, Edinburgh, Stansted and Manchester from £50 return. More information from emiliaromagnaturismo.it