I’ll be visiting the Emilia-Romagna region for about a week and would love any recommendations for food, wine bars, wineries to visit while we’re there. We won’t have a car but could arrange to rent one for a day, I suppose. Big fan of dry Lambruscos but my knowledge of the area or the different styles is quite lacking.
We are also planning on spending a week in Florence and doing a day trip to the Chianti region. Any tips would be much appreciated for this area as well!
Wine bars (enoteche / osterie) will be good places to explore Lambrusco, and it will be cheap to do so. Just grab a plate of cured meats to go with it. Alternatively it’s so easy to grab a bottle to add to a picnic bought from the wonderful food shops.
In terms of specifics, yes Emilia-Romagna is very large, so will you be near Rimini, Ferrara, Bologna, Piacenza etc? If you’ve not settled on a location, then would you like us to offer up ideas?
There are organised tours to balsamic vinegar producers, Parmesan producers etc. depending where you are based.
We’ll be staying 8 nights inbetween Modena and Bologna as well as 3 nights in Rimini.
The rest of the trip comprises 5 nights in Florence, 5 nights Venice and 3 nights Milan.
Regarding Chianti, it seems like renting a car for a day trip will be the most convenient. We don’t necessarily need to visit wineries/vineyards but would love to dip a toe into the region.
I’m honestly not well versed in Italian wines hence the vague ask! Very much appreciate everyone’s help.
For Modena… We stayed in Modena for 3 days in late 2019. My favorites:
Albinelli Market (in Modena) - a fantastic indoor market of local meat, cheese, etc. Plenty of Lambrusco, too. Get some provisions for picnic or dine at home. Quattro Madonne (near Modena) - parmesan coop. Excellent parmesan tour and tasting. Cost was about 15 euro per person. Acetaia Giusti (near Modena) - balsamic tasting and tour. If I recall correctly, the tour and tasting is free. Definitely save room in your luggage for some of the good balsamics. Pro tip: when in doubt, get the larger sized bottle.
My suggestion for a day trip: 11am balsamic tasting at Giusti, then lunch at Beetle Restaurant. Nice and inexpensive. Great pasta. Had a Lambrusco rose’ that was really cool. They seem to be only doing takeout right now, so follow their social media for updates. Then finish the day with a late afternoon appointment at Quattro Madonne.
Near Bologna is the Lamborghini Museum. The museum is tiny but the factory tour is fabulous. Worth the 75 euro per person even if you’re not into cars. Tickets sell out far in advance.
Umberto Cesari is the one I’ve been most impressed with in Emilia. It’s the other side of Bologna, but not especially far away. The other side of Modena houses some Lambrusco producers I like (Venturini Baldini and Rinaldini), but I would expect there to be others equally good, and quite possibly some around Castlefranco Emilia. In addition, I’ve got a vague memory that around Zola Pedrosa there are some decent wineries e.g. Terre Rosse Vallania. Also worth a mention of Zerbina and others near Faenza, especially for the dessert wines.
For Rimini / Romagna, the one that absolutely jumps out is a place I’ve not visited, but would love to do so (I don’t know if they do visits). It’s San Patrignano near Rimini https://www.sanpatrignano.org/ It’s a remarkable privately / socially / self funded venture, taking in people with drug issues and rather than punishing / belittling them, they are supported to break their addiction, whilst being given genuine life skills that will allow them not just to survive in the outside world, but also to prosper through acquiring genuinely artisanal skills. I recall an interview with one of their cheesemakers, someone who talked about how their intense personality had drawn them to addiction, but the opportunity and support to focus on this new skill had been the transformation they needed. That personality was now channelled into a deep understanding and love for making cheese. The wines are good, because of or despite of a famous flying winemaker giving his time for free (the oak is nowhere near as prominent as I had feared it would be). They are also tremendously good value and age well in the mid-term, and I’d recommend the ‘Avi’ as a great place to start.
Outside of that, Predappio near Forli houses some very good wineries, with Drei Dona a personal favourite. Magnificat is an appealing Bdx blend that we like and was our first taste of their wines, whilst various Sangiovese wines are the main interest. All age very well indeed, sailing through a decade with ease and some will go a lot longer. On the offchance you visit, there is a little humble trattoria across the road. Totally unfancy, but as the person at Drei Dona mentioned, “they make their own pasta” and it’s very good indeed. It will be in no ‘good food guide’, but is a great window into simple Italian food, made properly.
I’d strongly recommend time for a tour of a balsamic vinegar producer. It’s an interesting process and the intensity of aroma in the barrel room is amazing (to the point it can be overwhelming in summer). Likewise, the tasting of the different grades (based on age) is eye-opening. They’re not cheap, but they are wonderful, and understanding the process helps understand the cost involved. Certainly out of Bologna tourist office (Piazza Nettuno/Maggiore), there are organised tours that combine visits e.g. Parmesan / Balsamic vinegar / cured meats producers.
Bologna itself houses a good indoor market at the far end of via Ugo Bassi, but it’s the produce in the criss-cross of shops between le due torri and Piazza Nettuno that often appeal more. Eataly opened a shop in the middle of it, but frankly you’re best off grazing the other shops for at least as good quality and better priced. IMO it demonstrates very well, that Eataly isn’t a temple to food that some people assume, but rather an exceptionally good supermarket for those that prefer one-stop-shop convenience. As ever, there is fine gelato in the city, and I recall a forumite doing a write-up on the gelaterie here a few months ago, so that’s well worth a search for. Although you have to book for it now, I’d recommend the energetic walk up the one of le due torri that is open to the public. The climb is an experience, and the views at the top are excellent (and good for orinetation), this despite me being scared of heights. Finally, one quirky suggestion in the city. Near the Ugo Bassi market or alternatively about 2/3 of the way up via dell’Independenza are the two ‘Kelemata’ shops. They make my favourite deodorants in the aromi e spezie range (plus the remnants of the original slimline blue-bottled herbal range). They’re unisex and I find the more natural herb and spice aromas way better than anything I’ve found in the UK. I usually get a dozen each trip!
One small note on the trains. The services are frequent and punctual and service all the cities on the historic via Emilia. However they are all to varying degrees a solid stroll from the centre. Worth factoring this in as either a good way to shake off the cobwebs, or in the case of Bologna, perhaps even justification to grab a taxi into the centre if time/energy are short. Definitely worth looking at bus options as an alternative, as these typically drop you right into the centre.
[Edit: Just found details of organised visits to San Patrignano Prenota la tua visita a San Patrignano €35 or €50 per adult, with an organised schedule for the whole day, canteen lunch included in the cost. I’ve no idea if they would cater for English language]
“simple Italian food, made properly” is exactly what we’re looking for. While we’ll be eating at Osteria Francescana that will certainly be the exception to our usual habit of walking and grazing as we find things to feast on. Thank you for these excellent recommendations!
Seems like renting a car would make it much easier to hit up various wineries. I’ll take a look into the cost and hopefully it isn’t prohibitive. We’re spending the first month of the trip snowboarding so a short (or long) walk shouldn’t be a problem but having a trunk to hold any bought bottles would be damn convenient!
Hi Ian
That can be where ordering the bases of a holiday can pay dividends. e.g. Venice would be the place I’d (personally) look to arrive into. It’s a place you walk around, which is a great way to shake off jetlag. Arrive there light and leave there light. Milan could be a next stop via the very fast trains that connect the cities, and again on foot would be fine. Florence thereafter, starting without a car, with the option for hiring one near the end of the trip to give you self-drive access to Chianti wine region and ending with a one-way drop-off of the car at your departure airport in E-R. Alternatively you could wait until E-R and hire a car there, returning it at the airport near to where you hired it from (avoiding lugging those heavy bottles around on foot).
Now if you’ve already got the stops planned and booked, then ignore this. There are lots of different ways to cut it, and each permutation has benefits.
One other recco, is to have a look for festivals and other events. Tourist office sites can be useful, but not always comprehensive. We’ve been to some planned ones, as well as stumbling across some by accident. They’re often great, with good street food, dressing up, flag tossing etc.
We will be in Florence, Bologna, and Venice, perhaps before you, and I’ll be happy to provide dining tips after we return! I’ve been to all three before, but not recently enough to feel completely comfortable with dinner recommendations. I am sure you will love your trip and you’ll come back a very big fan of Italian wines.
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