For the next two weeks, the team of Our Tasty Travels is back in one of our favorite European destinations, Emilia Romagna, Italy. We just arrived yesterday evening in Bologna with a pretty full schedule and some really exciting events taking place!
On the way here, we spent a night in Switzerland, near the birthplace of fondue — which was incredible! And spending the night overlooking Lake Geneva wasn’t too shabby either.
On Sunday, we drove near Turin, Italy, to see an Italian chef friend I knew from Taiwan. Chef Igor Macchia’s original restaurant is here in Italy and holds a prestigious Michelin-star as well, and I can certainly see why. His integration of techniques and cuisine from his time in Taiwan made this one of the most intriguing Italian tasting menus I’ve tried. Posts to follow!
But here are the exciting tidbits we can share regarding our itinerary in Emilia Romagna over the next two weeks.
Osteria Francescana
In an exciting turn of events during this year’s San Pellegrino’s World’s 50 Best Restaurants, El Celler de Can Roca moved up to #1 and Osteria Francescana moved up a place to #2. Two of my favorite regions in Europe now hold the top two positions in the list!
Well…we did El Celler de Can Roca in April, it only makes sense we finally try Osteria Francescana! By the miracle of a random cancellation, we are having lunch at Chef Bottura’s award-winning restaurant today!
Almeni in Rimini
If having lunch at Osteria Francescana was not enough, we will be spending three days in Rimini at an exciting food event Chef Massismo Bottura is hosting. The event will showcase the region’s gastronomic products, feature 12 local chefs, and 12 more international chefs. There are seminars, “street food” stalls, and more under the circus big top, paying homage to Fellini. The event culminates with a private brunch at the hotel with Bottura, and then we are headed back to Bologna.
Web Marketing Event in Rimini
If conquering my public speaking fear at TBEX in Costa Brava last month wasn’t enough, I’m apparently giving a brief presentation at a web marketing event in Rimini about the Blogville project here and my experiences.
Breweries
While the focus on my previous trips has been more wine intensive, we will be meeting with several local breweries and beer producers here in the region as well this time.
Lambrusco Wine Event
While there will be more beer coverage this trip, we can’t forego the opportunity to learn more about Emilia Romagna’s wine! This multi-day private event includes judging the region’s wines, followed by an awards ceremony. We will be present for the awards and subsequently meet with one of the award-winning wineries.
World Expo Milan
We are squeezing in a day (maybe two) to Milan for the World Expo currently taking place. It isn’t much time, but we have a plan of attack, which includes getting personalized Nutella jars as I’ve seen available!
Parma, Basalmico, Parmigiano Reggiano and More
The food products from the region are obviously part of what keeps bringing us back. We will be taking a cooking class, stopping in Parma for more delicious ham, checking out a Parmigiano Reggiano factory and then to Reggio Emilia for a tour of a basalmico producer. In the past, we’ve visited Modena where the other protected basalmico is produced. I’m excited to learn the differences and taste some aged basalmic vinegars, although admittedly there is a bottle here in the Blogville apartment that I’ve already sampled!
We are driving to Rimini for the event with Chef Bottura, and on the way back to Bologna, we plan to visit Cervia where the special salt of Emilia Romagna is made. And, we plan to spend a few evening hours in Forlimpopoli, where the Festa Artusiana is taking place. This is the home of Casa Artusi, the gastronomic center that pays homage to Pellegrino Artusi, the godfather of Italian cuisine.
Believe it or not, we have one or two free days mixed in here so we will be looking to try local Bologna eateries we’ve missed in past trips, and hang out on my favorite market street, which happens to be literally outside this year’s Blogville apartment centrally located in the Piazza Maggiore. The dining room looks right out onto the square, which is partially blocked by the giant outdoor screens they are setting up for an outdoor cinema event taking place at the end of June. Wish the screens were facing our direction as we could have a pretty awesome viewing party here in the apartment!
Look for updates with the #Blogville hashtag and follow our various accounts. We will also be taking over Emilia Romagna’s official tourism accounts a couple days this week so look for us there as well!
