Emilia-Romagna, probably one of the best places to eat in Italy, took first place on Lonely Planet’s Best in Europe 2018 list. Indeed, much of this region’s charm has to do with its important culinary traditions, but there are also plenty of locations where to nourish the mind.
Among Emilia Romangna’s culinary hot-spots, the ones mentioned by Lonely Planet are: Bologna – the region’s capital of Etruscan origin and birthplace of ‘ragù’ (traditional meat and tomato based sauce) -, Parma – hometown of ‘Prosciutto di Parma’ and ‘Parmigiano-Reggiano’, also famous for its lovely architecture -, Modena – where the original recipe of the ‘Traditional Balsamic Vinegar’ was developed centuries ago, and where ‘Osteria Francesccana’, Massimo Bottura’s three-Michelin-starred restaurant crowned the second-best in the world in 2017 -, is located.
Borderline between food and entertainment, or better encompassing both of them, Bologna hosts ‘FICO Eataly World‘, the world’s largest culinary theme park. Opened in November 2017, ‘FICO Eataly World’ has more than 45 trattorie, Michelin-starred restaurants, bistros, street-food kiosks, and bars, as well as a nearly 30,000-square-foot market space and on-premises farms and factories dedicated to educating visitors on how food is harvested and manufactured.
In Ferrara, on the other hand, the place to visit is the National Museum of Italian Judaism and Shoah located in a complex of buildings that once housed a prison, which presents the history of Jewish presence in Italy from ancient Roman times until the Middle Ages. While in Rimini, the location not to be missed is the restored Cinema Fulgor, which also houses a museum dedicated to legendary film-maker Federico Fellini.
Ilona Catani Scarlett