EMILIA AND ROMAGNA… IN EVERY SENSE!
From the rolling hills and the brightest heights of the Emilian Apennines, from Modena to Reggio Emilia, among enchanting landscapes, tastings, hiking and ancient villages in the lands of Matilde of Canossa… to Romagna and its hinterland, discovering the traditions and the best-known symbol of this territory: the piadina!
DAY 1: MODENA – THE BALSAMIC VINEGAR – SASSUOLO
Morning arrival in Modena and guided tour of Piazza Grande, the Cathedral with its Torre Ghirlandina, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997, ending with a tour of the famous Albinelli Covered Market. After lunch, we will set off to discover a vinegar factory to learn about production and taste the precious Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena. At the end, we continue to Sassuolo and visit the Palazzo Ducale with the annexed Cavallerizza Ducale, a complex that is one of the most important Baroque residences in northern Italy and now houses the Bertozzi and Casoni Museum, the first museum dedicated to ceramics in contemporary art.
Dinner and accommodation in a hotel in the Reggio Emilia area.
DAY 2: PARMIGIANO REGGIANO CHEESE – CARPINETI CASTLE
Breakfast and departure for Valestra to visit a Parmigiano Reggiano cheese factory. The cheesemaker will show the various stages of transformation of milk into cheese, the salting tanks and the maturing warehouse. This will be followed by a tasting of the product to discover the differences between the various ages.
After the visit, stop at the Parish Church of San Vitale, probably dating back to the Byzantine period.
After lunch we continue on to Carpineti, at the foot of the ridge of Mount Valestra, with a lovely historic centre dominated by the remains of the ‘Castello delle Carpinete’, an ancient Matildic fortress of great importance. Guided visit to the castle. At the end, departure for Castelnovo né Monti and where, through a pleasant walk of about two hours, we will be able to admire an evocative panorama over the whole Reggiano Apennines and the Stone of Bismantova, a true natural monument that, over the centuries, has amazed wayfarers and pilgrims, including even the famous poet Dante Alighieri.
Return to the hotel, dinner and overnight stay.
DAY 3: THE LANDS OF MATILDE DI CANOSSA AND ROMAGNA
Breakfast and transfer to the lands of Matilde di Canossa. In 1076 Matilda came into possession of a vast territory which included Lombardy, Emilia, Romagna and Tuscany, and which had its centre in Canossa. Canossa is the first stop, with a guided visit to its castle, built on a sandstone cliff. After lunch, departure for Borgopetra, a farmhouse situated on the slopes of the Tuscan-Romagna Apennines, time at leisure with the possibility of using the swimming pool and relaxing and, in the evening, a chef’s show cooking experience to discover the many ways of tasting the Piadina Romagnola. During the experience, the chef will demonstrate how the piadina can be combined with less traditional and more refined dishes and tastes. A truly unique gastronomic experience!
After dinner, accommodation in hotel/farmhouse and overnight stay.
DAY 4: VALLE D’USO
Breakfast with piadina. Meeting with the environmental excursion guide and transfer to the Uso Valley for a walk to discover these little known but very fascinating places.
A few kilometres from Sogliano al Rubicone, famous for the production of the delicious Fossa cheese, there is a small village, Montetiffi and its Benedictine Abbey, dating back to the 11th century, which stands isolated on a spur of rock. This is also the birthplace of an ancient art: the production of terracotta pans on which to cook Piadina Romagnola. At the end of the walk, we will visit a local workshop, witness the production of a traditional pan and participate in a “cooking workshop”, where we will learn all the secrets of how to knead and cook the real piadina. At the end, we will taste our piadina, accompanied by local products and good wine.
During the excursion, we will have the exclusive “lunch at the meadow”, an experience in close contact with nature where we will taste typical local products, such as crescioni with herbs, strozzapreti with radicchio, taleggio cheese and sausage, various cold cuts and roast turkey, accompanied by piadina.
In the evening, return to the hotel/agriturismo, dinner and overnight stay.
DAY 5: CESENA AND RETURN JOURNEY
After breakfast, departure for Cesena and visit of the historical centre of this less-known but enchanting town: Piazza del Popolo, with the beautiful Masini Fountain, the real protagonist, the Rocchetta di Piazza, an imposing fortress with very well preserved walls, the Verdi Theatre, the medieval arcades and the precious jewel of this town: the Malatesta Library, the first civic library in Europe and included in the UNESCO Memory of the World Register in 2005.
After lunch, departure for return-journey.
