EMILIA ROMAGNA
Between the length of the Po River and the tops of the Apennine mountains, the Emilia Romagna region proposes a great variety of landscapes, traditions and architecture. It is the land of hospitality for excellence where attention to tourism is a well founded tradition. It is a city of art and entertainment especially in the summer on the coast. This is the most highly appreciated area for tourism. After getting off to a slow start due to the ample traditional tourism offers, rural tourism is currently on the rise.
Tourists can truly find all that they desire here: culture, sports, relaxation, physical wellness, nature and spirituality as well as finding a warm welcome and great food.
If you love artistic tourism, this region offers you the possibility of visiting some of the most important cities, not only in Italy, but in the world. You have Parma, Piacenza, Ferrara, Ravenna, Modena and Bologna at your disposition as well as pleasant surprises like the Cathedral in Fidenza, with splendid sculptures by Antelami, Grazzano Visconti, the beautiful castle from the thirteen hundreds, Rocca di Vignola, the abbey of Nonantola and others. If you love the countryside, this land is your land. Its fertile plains, cultivated with care, provide a warm and embracing hospitality and an aura of peace. If you happen to be looking for livelier entertainment, the coast awaits you with all-inclusive hotels, clubs that are open all the time and the most modern amusement parks.
DON’T MISS THE FESTIVAL
The Palio of Niballo in Faenza (RA)
The Palio of Niballo in Faenza is a horserace held on the last Sunday in June. To retrace the origins of the festival, we have to go back in time to 1164. That year Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa hosted the lords of Faenza for a "quintana," which was fought with wooden weapons in observance of the ecclesiastical dictates that prohibited the use of weapons in tournaments. Since that time the Quintana has been a tradition in Faenza, and over time other tournaments were added that were held on holidays or during traditional festivals. Then the tradition stopped for a few centuries until 1959.
THE FESTIVAL TODAY. The festival begins on the second to last Sunday in June with a competition between standard bearers from the five contrada or town districts in Faenza in Piazza del Popolo. The heads of the five districts that will compete in the Palio the following Sunday take an oath to compete with honour. The event opens with a historical parade in the ancient costume of the orders of the Lords of the Manfredi from the fourteen hundreds. The people wind down the roads of the city and up to the municipal stadium where the competition takes place.
Five horsemen compete, one from each district dressed in the respective colours of their contrada.
The ring is horseshoe shaped and the "Niballo," which is a half bust with an eight centimetre disk at the end of the arm, is placed at the centre.
Two riders start and gallop across to the other end of the ring as fast as possible. The first to hit the disk wins his rival's shield. The competition is opened by the winner of the preceding edition who challenges all of the other contenders one by one. Then the other contenders challenge each other. At the end of twenty turns, the horseman who has won the largest numbers of shields wins. The winner receives the Palio silk banner, the second place winner receives a roasted pig, the third place winner receives a chicken and the second receives a crown of garlic. The last place receives a key and as tradition faithfully commands according to the classifications…the last one closes the door.
THE WINES IN EMILIA ROMAGNA
Whatever your tastes, in Emilia Romagna you will be contented, whether you prefer art and history, the quiet life in the country or wild entertainment. However if you are in Emila Romagna to enjoy the embrace of the territory, its rituals and traditions, then it is the fine foods that you want to discover. Here, without exception you will eat well all over, taste healthy foods and finally get a chance to appreciate the excellent wine produced in Emilia Romagna: Lambrusco.
The largest part of production takes place in the province of Modena especially in Sorbara, but all of the areas offer Lambrusco, which according to the production techniques may vary in flavour and bouquet a great deal.
Less well known, but greatly loved by enthusiasts, Malvasia di Candia is produced in the province of Parma - and it is a fabulous white. As for reds, try Barbera and Bonarda, which are perfect when served with two local products that are famous throughout the world: prosciutto ham from Parma and the super famous parmesan cheese.
The ancient Pignoletto, which is a traditional wine from the hills around Bologna, has recently gained new acclaim, thanks to a careful strategy of restoration and promotion. It is a dry white wine that is perfect for dinners including hearty classic dishes from the Emilia Romagna region. The famous Sangiovese is even mentioned in the popular songs dedicated to the region. Just like Lambrusco, Sangiovese varies from zone to zone. It is a dry and slightly rough wine and depending on the cantina where it was made, it improves with age.
THE FLAVOURS OF EMILIA-ROMAGNA
This is another region with a double name which can be explained when viewed on a map: it is the passage from Italy the continent to Italy the peninsula, which was historically under the influence of Rome. This is reflected in the different character assumed by each city over the centuries in this lively region of borders. Together with the differentiated character of the land, it has also contributed to the creation of different characteristic and traditional cuisine, which despite having common foundations, is clearly recognizable from one zone to the next.
PASTA and BREAD. All types of dough are made here from more refined to more rustic varieties with water, flour and salt (such as the traditional flatbread piadina romagnola). Very fine egg dough is used for the more elaborate filled pasta dishes or paste ripiene, which are the most famous part of the cuisine in Emilia-Romagna. Here you will find passatelli, which are fine spaghetti made from bread crumbs, heaps of parmesan cheese and egg, cooked in boiling broth. After boiling they are cut into the broth with a "ferro", which is a disk with holes in it mounted on the edge of the pan by two handles. A world famous favourite is tagliatelle pasta, which is served in the classic version which is made from flour and egg, as well as many other variations such as tagliatelle parmensi made with chestnut flour, or the green ones made with spinach and flour. Then we get to the true filled pasta shells with agnolini in brodo a traditional dish from Parma filled with a mixture of dry bread (not too dry) lots of parmesan and meat sauce made from a roast allowed to simmer for a very long time. The meat is not mixed together with the filling and it is served separately. Capelletti di magro are filled with ricotta, soft cheese and grated cheeses while the filling of tortellini is characterized by pork products including cured meats such as mortadella di Bologna, lonza and prosciutto crudo ham, as well as turkey breast and other traditional ingredients. Tortelli are larger in size, they are generally served without sauce and they can be made with a variety of fillings such as squash, crushed amaretto cookies and parmesan, ricotta and sage or ricotta and spinach alla piacentina.
This short list (which could once again go on and on) ends with lasagne verdi di Bologna, which is classic lasagne made with green spinach pasta and layered (with meat sauce, parmesan and besciamella sauce) and enriched with truffles. The triumph of laborious dishes is cannelloni ripieni di tortellini, an incredible regional specialty in which tortellini are wound together with prosciutto ham and mozzarella cheese, into rectangles of pasta dough to form cannelloni, which are then covered in besciamella sauce and parmesan cheese and baked in the oven.
SECOND COURSES. Of the many choices offered, veal cutlets in balsamic vinegar, scaloppine all’aceto balsamico remind us of one of the most precious DOC products in Emilia-Romagna. Balsamic vinegar is made from Trebbiano wine that is aged for years with the addition of spices and other secret ingredients, including cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, liquorice and coriander. Cotechini spiced sausage and zamponi salami-stuffed pig’s feet have become popular throughout Italy in their mass produced versions, especially with the lentils traditionally eaten for New Year’s. Those who are interested in discovering more unique flavours should try the rifreddo, a typical dish from the provinces in the region, made by layering, slices of turkey breast, roasted ham prosciutto and mortadella in a small cake pan. It is then flavoured with pepper and grated parmesan that has been mixed with a beaten egg. It is cooked in a double boiler and then cooled to room temperature and refrigerated.
Anguille or eels from Comacchio are cooked in many different ways: in a pan with oil, garlic, wine, tomato sauce; on a spit flavoured with bay; on the grill; or simmered in tomato sauce with aromatic herbs, wine, nutmeg, and tomato.
DESSERTS. One of the most original desserts is the torta di taglierini from Modena which uses the omnipresent egg-based pasta, placing the taglierini pasta in a form covered with puff pastry and melted butter and filling it with almonds and candied fruits. The version from Emilia Romgana is made from a special type of puff pastry that is an even more elaborate and it is used for the torta di rose. Rose cakes are made with rolls formed by a “stick" of dough around a centimetre and a half high that is covered with a mousse of butter and sugar and then rolled into balls.
