Emilia-Romagna
stunning Byzantine church in Ravenna
Bologna sits between Florence and Venice. Emilia-Romagna extends west of Bologna through flat lands and east of Bologna through hills to the Adriatic.
Is food your reason for living? Head to Emilia-Romagna!
In Modena at a traditional balsamic vinegar producer’s cellars, see how they make vinegars in series of ever smaller barrels. Taste 25 year old traditional balsamic vinegar—like liquid velvet!
Love cars? Near Modena, Galleria Ferrari houses the world’s largest collection of Ferraris.
Near Parma watch artisans making parmesan from start to finish. See how they age it in huge warehouses. Taste young and mature cheeses right with the producer. Fascinating!
Bologna’s main food market lines narrow streets in its historic centre. Shops are stuffed to the ceilings with hanging Parma prosciutto and rounds of parmesan. Window displays look like still life art. A food photographer’s heaven!
East of Bologna, pretty countryside has rolling hills of vineyards and orchards and lovely, medieval hill towns like Dozza, famous for its murals.
Love art and architecture? In Ravenna marvel at the UNESCO World Heritage site of magnificent Byzantine churches with mosaics covering ceilings and walls.
Typical dishes: piadina (like flat focaccia) with fillings, pasta with arugola and prosciutto, risotto with nettles, tortellini in chicken broth, steak with herbs, vanilla ice cream with balsamic vinegar. You make some of these dishes in your Italian cooking school classes.
Main wines:
Bubbly red Lambrusco, Sangiovese and white Albana, Trebbiano, Chardonnay and Malvasia.
Events
Bologna’s Teatro Communale offers great operas, ballets and concerts all year, except summer.
Bologna Estate runs from June to September with music and other performances, often in beautiful places like Piazza Maggiore in the historic centre.
In Parma: For nine days in the second week of September, the Prosciutto of Parma Festival offers visits at prosciutto factories, prosciutto with wine tastings, many performances and more.
Bologna Weather
Rain falls regularly all year, but heavier in spring and fall. Summers are pretty dry. Bologna can get unpleasantly hot in summer over 30 C/ 86F.
Temperatures:
Winter November 7-12 C, 45-54 F, December 3-8 C, 37-46 F, January 1-6 C, 34-43 F, February 2-8 C, 36-46 F
Spring March 5-12 C, 41-54 F, April 10-17 C, 50-63 F, May 13-21 C, 55-70 F
Summer June 17-25 C, 63-77 F, July & August 19-27 C, 66-81 F
Fall September 16-24 C, 61-75 F, October 12-19 C, 54-66 F
Quieter winter is good for visiting the cities. Best months for visiting the countryside are April, May, June, September and October. Summer is very hot. In August many businesses close for holidays. Beaches get very crowded in July and August.
Getting There & Away
Bologna’s airport is about 30 minutes from the city centre. Major airlines land there, so it’s easy to arrive in Bologna via airport hubs like Frankfurt.
By fast train Florence is 37 minutes south of Bologna, so Florence day trips are easy. Venice is one hour 20 minutes north by fast train. If you’re starting or ending your trip in Venice, it’s easy to get to Bologna. A day trip to Venice is doable but doesn’t do Venice justice.
Mama Margaret’s Tours in Emilia-Romagna
Bologna Family Cooking Tour With Parmesan, Prosciutto and Balsamic Producer Visits
3 nights
Experience the food essence of Emilia-Romagna. In Bologna stroll with excellent, local home cook through its amazing food market. She tells you about local foods and shops with you for your cooking lesson ingredients. At her home, you cook a typical multi-course dinner and share your creations with her family. You’ll feel part of the family!
Next day visit parmesan cheese makers, a traditional balsamic vinegar producer and a prosciutto factory to see first hand how they make these treasures.
An ideal tour if you want a short, authentic taste of food experiences that make this region famous.
Food Lovers’ Adventure Tour In Italy’s Gastronomic Paradise
5 nights
A food lover’s dream come true! Cook, eat and laugh with a cast of local people. Make several kinds of pasta with an expert in her country home, cook with a restaurant chef famous for dishes with herbs. Meet a delightful lady with a garden of 40 herbs for cooking.
Visit a parmesan cheese maker and a traditional balsamic vinegar producer to see first hand how they make these treasures. Dine rather well in specially selected, typical restaurants. Hunt for truffles in the fall.
In Ravenna, a UNESCO World Heritage site, marvel at splendid Byzantine church architecture and mosaics covering walls and ceilings.
If you’re looking for an amazing array of authentic food and cultural experiences with locals in one of Italy’s top food regions, the tour is for you! You’ll leave feeling you’ve made new friends.
Food Lovers Ladies Adventure in Emilia-Romagna: Special Pellegrino Artusi Cooking, Dining & Festival In His Birthplace
5 nights with Mama Margaret June 17-22 only
With Mama Margaret and her Bologna family tour friends, experience Emilia-Romagna’s world renowned Parmesan cheese, traditional balsamic vinegar, silk-like pasta and prosciutto di Parma, and real Italian life first hand.
Discover Artusi’s world in his birthplace, Forlimpopoli, a quaint town with a magical medieval heart. Cook and dine at Casa Artusi, an outstanding gastronomic cultural centre for Italian home cooking. Participate in the lively Artusi Festival on a summer day in the piazza, full of locals.
Cook simple, traditional dishes with a pasta expert in her 150 year old farmhouse. Walk with your host family mother in Bologna’s famous central market to learn about regional foods and shop for ingredients for your cooking class in her home.
Phone or email us today for more information or to reserve.
