Holidays in Italy: not only the sea. Ferrari home and parmesan
Italy – is not just a beach holiday, but also an exciting journey in the “low” season, especially for lovers of antiques, cars and organic products. The trip by car through the province Emilia-Romagna is a terrific holiday weekend in spring or autumn. Routes and talk about things.
Holidays in Italy: not only the sea. Ferrari home and parmesan
In some Emilia-Romagna associated with Federico Fellini, among others – with the rest of the sea. But the beaches of Fellini’s films is not important in this part of Italy. Generally it is not clear how we could have done without the Parma ham and Modena vinegar, mortadella and without the bolognese Lambrusco and parmesan. It is fortunate that no “lamborghini” with “Ferrari” we used to do something. And they would not have turned on the light, do not be beautiful in Italy Emilia-Romagna.
One love two directors
Mostly Emilia-Romagna flat as a griddle, just to the south of the field turn into hills that with every kilometer path becoming higher and higher. This is, of course, loses her neighbor Tuscany. Emilia-Romagna – rustic, hard-working, hospitable and fertile. However rustic does not mean boring or uninteresting. See how it fascinated Fellini. And he is not one was in love with her. A native of Parma, connoisseur of women Bernardo Bertolucci took five hours on what to talk about his native land. More precisely, 5:00 18 minutes: so last film “The Twentieth Century”, the main character of which is, in fact, Emilia-Romagna.
It is flat, and it is on the flat part of a freak all the wealth which now, as a matter of course, enjoys the entire world. There was plenty in the fields of pasture, and therefore appeared parmesan here grew the most different kinds of grapes, so in a variety of developed and winemaking production of balsamic vinegar, and even these luxury fast cars there because the earth was flat: the lord made his Lamborghini tractors work in the fields of Emilia-Romagna, and dad Enzo Ferrari repaired train pulling boxcars in these fields with different products.
Points on a line, or Lambrusco with students
Built by the Romans direct Via Emilia, which is now called the highway SS9, divides the province in two. This line starts at the sea called Rimini and ends at a point called Piacenza. It is divided into segments of Parma, Reggio Emilia, Modena and Bologna. The ideal route is simple – stood on the Roman road and drove off, stopping in all the cities on the way.
Each of them is enough for the day, except in Bologna worth to linger, and to come here to better weekends to not only see the sights and eat at the legendary restaurant bolognese Il Pappagallo, but also to participate in parties with students the oldest university in Europe.
Once it sat at their desks and Dante, Petrarch, and now do not clear whether students are sitting at their desks. It seems most of the time they sit in the squares – right on the pavement or on the parapets, stairs, monuments: anywhere you can sit, smoke and drink. Friday evening, the center of Bologna, becoming one clamoring crowd. And there is no better place to have a drink Lambrusco. Or Pignoletto: fine barely sparkling wine with a light almond flavor and a delicate fruity flavor.
Holidays in Italy: not only the sea. Ferrari home and parmesan
Pentagram, or How lucky bride with vinegar
Via Emilia intrudes into the center of Modena. Passes the synagogue and the place that housed the ghetto, past Piazza Grande with the Cathedral, whose Romanesque bell tower makes tourists stopping for hours looking at decorating her bas – entirely unseen animals and plants. Remains behind the Palazzo Ducale, aka Palace of the Dukes Esta, which, because of the architectural rigor more suitable role of the military academy, means he currently is. And now, in front of the park “New Garden”, which is located outside the old town.
Border town inscribed in the pentagon outline boulevards. Here, all the houses are painted in different shades of ocher and terracotta and blue shutters windows closed. Houses stretch along the galleries or porches, so that you can walk in the rain without an umbrella in the middle and not get wet. And they say that the bars here – the number of inhabitants. Seems to be true.
Modena is known for producing balsamic vinegar. To see a simple, but extremely long process, it is necessary to leave the city on the Via Emilia and go to Villa San Donnino. However, vinegar – not the only reason to go off the main route. Villa – the stunning beauty of the Art Nouveau style pattern, which in Italy called “Liberty.” Here filmed several scenes of the legendary film Bertolucci’s “The Twentieth Century.”
A little strange, but terribly polite host David tells that real aceto balsamico should sit locked in the barrel, not seeing the light of day, for 25 years. Previously, every self-respecting man, when he was born a daughter, shell out big order: so that the wedding of 350 liters of boiled grape juice turned small barrel elixir dowry.
And then David will arrange a tasting, during which it becomes obvious why a small bottle of dark liquid with three sacred letters DOP of Emilia-Romagna can cost € 100. This uncharacteristically reticent Italian will make you relive the real flavor revolution, and in the end bring the ball tasting ice cream with three drops of aceto balsamico.
Parmesan and “lamborghini”
A stone’s throw from Modena is located and another remarkable place – Panini family farm with a myriad of neat neat cows giving milk for the perfect organic parmesan. Process and the flavors are not as in acetic economy. If aceto balsamico more Etruscans used to treat the common cold, the smell of hundreds of heads capable of parmigiano reggiano, on the contrary, runny or provoke migraine .
On wooden shelves along the walls of a huge hangar located chubby Kripen’ka cylinders and different shades of yellow. The older and more delicious parmesan, the darker and the more notches on its edge. Willingness cheese checked using the sound of the hammer with age it becomes more shrill.
Next to the cheese store located museum , owner of the farm where Signor Panini exhibits his collection of Italian cars, from tractors to Lamborgini bicycle, which moved during the Second World local guerrillas. However, a large part of the exhibition is dedicated to Maserati 30-70s. Needless to say that the firm Maserati was founded in Emilia-Romagna?
Holidays in Italy: not only the sea. Ferrari home and parmesan
Dogs, truffles and ecotourism
Near Bologna, in the village of Savino, you can visit the rustic gastronomic restaurant Trattoria da Amerigo , specializing in dishes with truffles, local pickers are literally looking dogs, performing every day dozens of kilometers on foot. In one of the rooms can easily go to a wedding or a local native celebrated grandma’s birthday, never leave from his farm on the town. Lovers of local color of this trattoria will be ecstatic, and the most interesting of them certainly a conversation with the owner, take the phone from him mushroomer supplying institution in truffles, and go with him the next morning in the forest. And after all these conversations with the locals, after many hours of walking, after a dinner that begins with parmesan flavored drops of vinegar, after the risotto with truffles, Lambrusco or Pignoletto be in danger of their falling in love with Emilia-Romagna forever.
Where to live: in the heart of Bologna, in rooms with stucco, gilding and canopies – Grand Hotel Majestic Gia Baglioni. Or on a farm where you can go biking and horseback riding, there are an unlimited number of organic products and if you want help with the housework:
Trophies: olive oil, balsamic vinegar, parmesan, prosciutto, mortadella, Lambrusco, Pignoletto – in short, a whole bag of products. The main thing is to choose those that have a quality mark DOP (Denominazione de Origine Protetta), indicating that the purchased product is made according to the traditional recipe.
