Publishing project: APT Servizi Emilia Romagna Unione di prodotto Appennino e Verde Unione di prodotto Città d’arte, cultura, affari Unione di prodotto Costa Concept & graphic design: Empresa Creativa Texts: Lorenzo Frassoldati Translation: Link up, Rimini Photographs: Photo Archive of APT Servizi Photo Archive of Unioni di prodotto Appennino e Verde - Città d’arte, cultura, affari - Costa. Photo Archive of the following provinces: Piacenza, Parma, Reggio Emilia, Modena, Bologna, Ferrara, Ravenna, Forlì-Cesena, Rimini. Printed in April 2010 by Labanti e Nanni Industrie Grafi che - Crespellano (Bologna) Simply delicious! Intense fragrances and delicious fl avours. For all those who live in Emilia-Romagna, a region that enjoys an excellent quality of life, the culture of good food is synonymous with tradition, friendship and hospitality. To allow excellent balsamic vinegars, sweet hams and exquisite wines to “rest”, we have sacrifi ced hundreds of rooms, at times even entire farmhouses. It’s true that nature has given us fertile lands for growing wonderful products and perfect microclimates for curing and maturing them. However, the key to our success lies in the harmonious union between the work of man and the cycles of nature, between cultivation and production, between processing and distribution. Thanks to these wonderful synergies we have managed, over the centuries, to guarantee our children, Italy and the entire world excellent food and wine products. We are extremely jealous of these things, but have always shared them with friends, with guests, with everyone. That is why we have put together this small guide-book packed with suggestions for travels in our region discovering fantastic food and wine products to take home or give as gifts while staying in comfortable hotels or at relaxing holiday farms. We will show you ancient production techniques, teach you about wines and cheeses, take you to visit museums, cities and hills; you will become chefs and sommeliers and we will reveal all our treasures to you - from vintage cars to art collections. We look forward to meeting you, because we have something “special” for you to try. Massimo Gottifredi Andrea Babbi President Managing Director APT Servizi Emilia-Romagna APT Servizi Emilia-Romagna (Regional tourist board) (Regional tourist board) Index 2 Introduction 6 Map 8 Piacenza & surroundings 16 Parma & surroundings 24 Reggio Emilia & surroundings 32 Modena & surroundings 40 Bologna & surroundings 48 Ferrara & surroundings 56 Ravenna & surroundings 64 Forlì - Cesena & surroundings 72 Rimini & surroundings 80 Events calendar Piacenza & surroundings 9 - Piacenza & surroundings Events GUTTURNIO FESTIVAL Carpaneto Piacentino Last week in April A BIT OF FLAVOUR - UN PO’ DI GUSTO s Lower Piacenza area November To eat •Coppa piacentina PDO •Grana Padano PDO •Pancetta piacentina PDO •Provolone Valpadana PDO •Salame Cremona PGI •Salame piacentino PDO •Salamini italiani alla cacciatora PDO To drink •Colli Piacentini DOC •Emilia IGT •Terre di Veleja IGT •Valtidone IGT Marguerite of Austria commissioned The gastronomic delights of Piacenza plans for a lavish, fairytale palace; this are without doubt its three excellent was how Palazzo Farnese came about, a cold cuts; Coppa, Pancetta and Salami, palace-castle that has few equals in Italy all awarded PDO recognition. It also and the fi rst place to visit in Piacenza. It boasts quality cheeses like Grana Padano is equally unusual to fi nd two sculptures PDO and Provolone Valpadana PDO. that both give their name to a square; Excellent wines are produced on the hills Piazza Cavalli, the most beautiful open around Piacenza, in particular the red space in town. This is where the “Gotico”, wine Gutturnio and the white Ortugo. A the symbol of the city also known as typical dish is “pisarei e fasò”, an ideal the Palazzo del Comune, stands. Built way to use stale bread, and main courses in Gothic Lombard style, it is adorned like roast coppa and “picula ad caval”, with merlons and porticoes. Next to it minced horse meat with tomatoes, onion is the church of San Francesco, fi lled and peppers. with works of art, and Piazza Duomo, where attention turns to the Romanesque cathedral in pink marble (12th century). INFO: Piacenza Tourist Information Offi ce Tel. +39 0523 329324 www.comune.piacenza.it www.provincia.pc.it/turismo Don’t miss PPROVOLONE VALPADANA PDO & GRANA PADANO PDO Stretched and processed, then wrapped around itself and shaped; this is how curds are processed in the cheese factories that make Provolone Valpadana PDO. The stretching is a key moment in the processing of Provolone Valpadana: what comes out is a ribbon that is then wrapped around itself and fi nally, shaped to ensure it has no air bubbles. It is a versatile and modern cheese that is popular internationally and is much appreciated by connoisseurs. It can be sweet or strong, fresh or matured and mandarin-shaped or cylindrical. The other “must-have” of the area is Grana Padano, PDO Italian cheese that is a symbol of typicality and tradition in the world. This cheese owes its characteristic fragrance and aroma to the milk used to produce it, which in turn is linked to the fodder given to the milk cattle. 11 - Piacenza & surroundings Castel San Giovanni & Robiola Ponte dell’Olio & bread “with a stamp” In the area near Castel San Giovanni, Morfasso In Ponte dell’Olio, using wheat fl our, water, and other areas of the Apennines near Piacenza, natural yeast, brewer’s yeast and salt, “bread this fresh cheese is made using whole cow’s with a stamp” is prepared. It has this name milk or mixed milk. Sugar, salt, grappa liqueur because a small ball of dough is placed in the or dry white wine are sometimes added. It is centre of the loaf, like a stamp, thus giving it stored in glass jars under oil, becoming more its distinctive shape. The processing cycle for intensely fl avoured as it matures. this bread is checked thanks to keen awareness of the delicate microbiological processes that occur during proving and no chemical additives are used to prepare the dough. Numerous people come from outside the province to buy this bread that is excellent with all kinds of food. Worth trying COPPA PIACENTINA AND OTHER PDO COLD CUTS (Consortium of Typical Cold Cuts of Piacenza) Pig farming in the area around Piacenza dates back www.piacenzafoodvalley.com to a millennium before the Christian era. However, the tradition of butchering, salting and curing Every year in November, the lower Piacenza area pork meat to make tasty cold cuts was consolidated celebrates local fl avours in an event called “Un po’ di during the Middle Ages. Today Piacenza can boast gusto”. three wonderful examples of this ancient art; Coppa, Salami and Pancetta PDO. Pigs destined for these cold cuts come from the regions of Emilia Romagna and Lombardy, but the processing area is limited to the Province of Piacenza alone, where the climatic and territorial characteristics are fundamental for the unmistakeable fl avour that has made them famous. The hallmark of these cold cuts is a delicate balance between sweet and savoury, as well as the particular aroma that characterizes cured products. Info: Consorzio Salumi Tipici Piacentini Monticelli d’Ongina & garlic Monte Lazzarina & caciotta The product that symbolizes this village on the Caciotta farmhouse cheese from Monte right bank of the Po River is garlic for which Lazzarina is produced by mixing cow’s milk and Monticelli is the one of the capitals in Italy. goat’s milk; it is then seasoned for two days The most popular variety is called “Piacentino and matured for about a month. Production bianco” and thanks to the particular is typically centred on the Apennines of the environmental, climatic and geophysical Province of Piacenza and the fi nished cheese is conditions of the area, it has a fi rm white fl esh fi rm with a light-coloured rind. that is delightfully fragranced, rich in vitamins and mineral salts and exceptional in terms of aroma and duration (it can be kept from one year to the next). A toast GUTTURNIO & ORTRUGO DOC www.piacenzafoodvalley.it Piacenza has always been a land of wines. Gutturnio is certainly the king of local wines. It is a full-bodied red wine with evident tannins and a sharp, clear taste; the expression of a culture and territory. In 1967, Gutturnio was one of the first ten Italian wines to receive DOC recognition. The other wine that symbolizes the territory is the white wine Ortrugo, which has a light straw-yellow colour and a dry, sweetish taste. It is produced in both frizzante and spumante versions, but is also becoming popular as a still wine. Some of the most important wine cellars in the hills of Piacenza have set up an association called “Mosaico Piacentino”. Info: Consorzio di Tutela Vini D.O.C. Colli Piacentini (Consortium to Protect the DOC Wines of the Hills of Piacenza) 13 - Piacenza & surroundings The Apennines & autumnal produce Chestnuts, mushrooms and truffl es are typical products of the Apennines of Piacenza and in October several events are organized to celebrate them. In Bobbio there’s a mushroom and truffl e market. Info: Bobbio Tourist Information Offi ce [email protected] In Castell’Arquato there’s a Chestnut Festival. Info: Castell’Arquato Tourist Information Offi ce [email protected] In Pecorara there’s an event celebrating truffl es and other autumnal produce. Worth seeing THE GOTICO The incomplete Palazzo Gotico dominates the main square in the town centre, Piazza Cavalli - with its equestrian statues of Ranuccio and Alessandro Farnese. It was commissioned in 1281 by Alberto Scoto, head of the merchants and Ghibelline lord of the city, and was planned by local craftsmen. Built in Gothic Lombard style, its layout recalls the traditional town hall buildings of northern Italy, with a low portico for meetings and solemn French windows onto a balcony, lighting the single large upper room.