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11 Tasty Emilia Romagna Food Experiences

Pasta at Trattoria di Via Serra - Emilia Romagna Food Experiences
Image: ©2foodtrippers

We knew we would pass through Emilia-Romagna eventually on our epic world food journey. When we first visited Bologna in late 2010, we had already been to two of the ‘first time you visit Italy’ cornerstones – Rome and Florence.

On that initial trip, we could have chugged toward Venice but didn’t. As hardcore food lovers with all a goal of eating like locals, we placed Bologna ahead of Venice on our itinerary due to its status as one of Italy’s top food cities.

While in Bologna, we munched on prosciutto, mortadella and lasagne verdi al forno. We traipsed through a late autumn chocolate festival and crept through the cloisters of Santo Stephano. Daryl even tickled the ivories in a post-dinner rendition of Heartbreak Hotel but we digress.

Fast forward a few years and many blog posts later, the Blogville project drew us back into Italy’s La Grassa (the fat one – Bologna’s well-earned nickname.) This time, however, we would explore a far greater snapshot of Bologna’s home region of Emilia-Romagna, which is a world unto itself and one of the best places to indulge in the gastronomy of Italy.

Why Visit Emilia Romagna?

Seafood Feast in Emilia Romagna
There’s no lack of ways to spend a day in Emilia-Romagna whether you’re a food traveler or not. Eating seafood is one of those ways. | Image: ©2foodtrippers

When you get down to it, the entire peninsula of Italy is a tourist attraction. The country is filled with great hill towns and vineyards outside Tuscany, magnificent art outside Rome and brilliant architecture outside Venice. Go anywhere on the peninsula and you’ll find picturesque views, timeless sights and, most important to us, great food and delightful desserts.

Emilia-Romagna, Italy’s sixth largest region, has all those things. In western Emilian provinces like Parma and Modena, diners can sample some of Italy’s most renowned foods in one of the country’s great breadbaskets. In the eastern ‘Romagna’ provinces, travelers can enjoy legendary mountaintop views in San Marino, lovely vineyards and underrated red wines in Ravenna and golden sunsets along sand-filled beaches in Rimini.

The Emilia-Romagna region has so much to offer with great people to match. One could certainly plan a vacation itinerary without leaving the long central Italian region. In fact, we found that two weeks wasn’t even enough.

Pro Tip
Renting a car in Bologna will allow you to explore Emilia-Romagna beyond the region’s train stations and bus routes.

Top Emilia-Romagna Food Experiences

Laminona Pizza and Beer in San Marino
Emilia-Romagna food experiences run the gamut. After a full day of touring, sometimes a meal of pizza and craft beer, like this meal in San Marino, is the best option. | Image: ©2foodtrippers

Travelers around the world know about the food in Bologna, Emilia-Romagna’s capital city filled with porticos and oozing with character. But Bologna Italy is just the tip of the Emilia-Romagna food valley. With other cities including Modena, Parma, Ferrara, Ravenna and Rimini, the Emilia-Romagna region has a wide variety of destinations, each offering different food experiences.

Most food travelers are familiar with Parmigiano Reggiano (see below). Emilia-Romagna is the only place in the world where it’s possible to eat the popular cooked and pressed cheese at the source. Cheese lovers shouldn’t stop at this ‘king of cheeses’ though – Emilia-Romagna also produces unique cheeses like Fossa in Cesenatico that are worth a taste as well.

We spent over two weeks navigating our way through Emilia-Romagna Italy and discovered a range of food experiences that food-loving visitors should not miss. Each experience showcases the local food and wine in a different way. Plus they’re all fun ways to connect with the local food culture. Here are our top eleven:

1. Eat Gelato in Bologna and Beyond

Gelato at Cremeria Santo Stephano in Emilia Romagna
Emilia-Romagna has an inordinate number of gelaterias for its size. When you’re in Emilia-Romagna, you’re never far away from your next cone of gelato. | Image: ©2foodtrippers

Gelato wasn’t invented in Emilia-Romagna, but the creamy, dreamy Italian ice cream is better in the rich Italian region than anywhere else in the world. Yes, we said it. Emilia-Romagna has the best gelato in the world. You can eat gelato at more than a dozen excellent gelaterias in bustling Bologna or gobble down cones further afield at Gelateria Bloom in Modena, Cremeria Capolinea in Reggio Emilia and Ciacco Lab in Parma.

True ice cream lovers can visit the Carpigiani facility right outside Bologna for an even fuller gelato experience. Carpigiani, the premier gelato machine manufacturer, has an interactive Gelato Museum that traces gelato’s roots back to Mesopotamia, Rome and Greece.

Visitors of the Gelato Museum can participate in the company’s Discovering Gelato experience which includes a guided tour of the museum, a gelato-making lesson and, most important, a gelato tasting.

Check out our Bologna gelato guide where we reveal our favorite Bologna gelaterias. Then watch our YouTube video to see us learn how to make gelato at Carpigiani.

Book the Discovering Gelato experience at Carpigiani.

2. Follow the Master of None Food Trail in Modena

Pasta at Trattoria Pomposa in Modena Italy
The pasta making game is strong in Modena, as shown in the Master of None television series. | Image: ©2foodtrippers

Ironically, we had not yet watched the Netflix cult favorite Master of None when we first visited Modena. This irony is two-fold.

First, the show is totally awesome as we discovered while binge-watching the first two seasons soon after our Modena visit. Second, we unintentionally visited four of the places where Dev Shah (as played by Aziz Ansari) ate and drank on the show during our Modena day trip.

Menomoka Coffee in Modena Italy
We drank cappuccinos at third wave coffee house Menomoka without realizing that the artistically decorated Modena cafe is featured in Aziz Ansari’s Netflix series Master of None. | Image: ©2foodtrippers

Here are the key Modena food stops to make on a self-guided Master of None tour:

  • Hosteria Giusti – timeless, intimate Osteria located over a legendary butchery, where Dev magically scores a table for an impromptu date
  • Archer – classic library-like, neon-lit wine bar with great seating inside and a sidewalk for people watching outside
  • Bar Schiavoni – shop next to the Mercato Albinelli, perfect for a quick sandwich (and maybe another glass of wine)
  • Mercato Albinelli – classic central market with fresh produce, cheese, meat and fish
  • Osteria Francescana – one of the world’s greatest restaurants and most difficult reservations
  • Menomoka – modern 3rd wave coffee shop with a quiet cave-like room for enjoying a quiet moment along with an expertly crafted cappuccino
Archer Wine Bar in Modena Italy
We drank wine and sparkling water at Archer, another spot featured in the Aziz Ansari’s Netflix series Master of None. | Image: ©2foodtrippers

Not a Master of None fan? Go to Modena anyway.

Just a short train ride from Bologna, the charming Emilia-Romagna city has much to offer with its historic city square, the Luciano Pavarotti Museum, the Ferrari Museum and great food. Modena is the home to traditional balsamic vinegar producers, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese dairies, Lambrusco wine producers and fresh pasta makers. You won’t go hungry when you visit Modena!

Calzagatti at Trattoria Pomposa in Modena Italy
The calzagatti was the highlight of our meal at Trattoria Pomposa. Chef Luca Marchini prepares this dish with polenta, borlotti beans and cottage cheese. | Image: ©2foodtrippers

Taking an unofficial Master of None tour in Modena works up an appetite, or at least it did for us. We ended our Modena day trip with dinner at Trattoria Pomposa.

Chef Luca Marchini’s Pomposa is one of Modena’s two chef-driven traditional restaurants (Mossimo Bottura’s Osteria Franceschetta being the other) serving Emilian classics like Lasagne Verdi al Forno in a modern setting. Recommended dishes include their mixed charcuterie plate, lasagna and calzagatti (fried polenta and borlotti beans) served over cottage cheese.

Pro Tip
Plan ahead if you want to dine at Osteria Francescana. Advance reservations are mandatory at this highly rated three-star Michelin restaurant serving the pinnacle of Emilia-Romagna cuisine. Don’t despair if you don’t score a reservation. Modena has many other great restaurants like Trattoria Pomposa where we ate our dinner.

3. Eat High in the Sky in San Marino

San Marino Selfie
We couldn’t stop gazing at the views of San Marino from the fortress tower’s vista. We made an exception to take this selfie with the view behind us. | Image: ©2foodtrippers

The third smallest country in Europe and the fifth smallest on earth, the Republic of San Marino is a sovereign state located within Emilio Romagna. The views of and from the fortress towers are spectacular, making a day trip to this country within a country worth it for the epic views alone.

However, why not take the bus from nearby Rimini and stay overnight? An overnight visit will allow you to explore the three towers and the basilica during the day and eat great food after the day-trippers have departed.

San Marino Sunset
San Marino is beautiful at all times of day but perhaps most of all when the sun starts to set. | Image: ©2foodtrippers

After the sun sets, San Marino offers Emilia-Romagna travelers with a different experience where visitors can take romantic strolls on winding cobblestone roads and eat local food without throngs of tourists searching for the best photo ops and souvenirs. Not surprising considering its geographic location within Emilia-Romagna, San Marino’s food options include Italian favorites like pizza, pasta and piadina, but San Marino cuisine doesn’t stop there.

Righi La Taverna, a one-starred Michelin restaurant helmed by Chef Luigi Sartini, provides a luxury dining experience on Piazza Libertà. Sartini’s dishes elevate local products like snails and lamb to magical levels in a truly gastronomic environment.

Tomato Soup in Egg Shell Starter at Ristorante Righi in San Marino
At Righi La Taverna, Chef Luigi Sartini serves gastronomic cuisine like this tomato soup starter served inside a hollowed-out eggshell. | Image: ©2foodtrippers

Pro Tip
Get your passport stamped at the tourist office in San Marino. Although a stamp is not necessary for entry into the sovereign state, it makes for a wonderful souvenir as well as a badge of honor among travelers.

4. Learn how to Make Pasta

Pasta Class in Emilia Romagna
Both an art and a skill, making pasta by hand is more difficult than it looks. | Image: ©2foodtrippers

Emilia-Romagna locals grow up making pasta with their grandmothers (nonnas), many learning how to form noodles before they can even walk. In the not-so-distant past, making hand-rolled pasta at home was a daily ritual in many homes throughout the region, providing a bridge between the generations.

However, due to today’s busy lifestyle, most people don’t have time to make fresh pasta every day. Instead, they typically pasta at specialty shops and markets except for holidays and family events.

Learn about the best noodles to eat around the world.

Le Sfogline Pasta Making Demo in Bologna Italy
Monica Venturi expertly forms tortellini at Le Sfogline in Bologna. | Image: ©2foodtrippers

Luckily for the rest of us, it’s possible to take classes in Emilia-Romagna and learn about the art of pasta making. These hands-on experiences are both fun and educational, not to mention tasty.

One option is to attend a pasta making demo at the popular Le Sfogline pasta shop adjacent to Mercato delle Herbe. In the demo, sisters Daniella and Monica Venturi demonstrate their enviable pasta making skills while sharing colorful stories and secrets. Along with their employee Rosa, the Venturi sisters make the shop’s pasta by hand, only using machines for stretching the dough.

Le Sfogline Pasta Makers in Bologna Italy
The triple threat (Rosa, Monica and Daniella) at Le Sfogline brings decades of experience to the shop’s handmade pasta efforts. | Image: ©2foodtrippers

Another option for learning how to make pasta is to take a private class from a Bologna local like Davide Labanti, an accomplished filmmaker who learned the pasta making craft from his nonna. Labanti patiently tried to teach us how to form tortellini, a process that is easier than it looks, before cooking up a meal that we enjoyed with wine and conversation.

Davide Labonti at Pasta Class in Bologna Italy
Davide Labonti learned how to make pasta from his nonna. He now hosts a class where he shares this knowledge with hungry students. | Image: ©2foodtrippers

Labante even brought in gelato from Stefino, one of our favorite Bologna gelaterias. During our class, Labanti’s apartment was funky, cramped, hot, intimate and magical. We ate great food, talked politics, drank wine and connected in a unique way that makes international travel a truly special experience.

Pro Tip
Book your pasta demo or class in advance. You can directly contact the Venturi sisters directly or email Labanti at 14pollici@gmail.com to set up a pasta class.

5. Attend the Al Mèni Festival in Rimini

Rimini Beach in Emilia Romagna
Rimini is a popular beach getaway that attracts sun worshipers from all over Europe. | Image: ©2foodtrippers

A sunny resort town on the picturesque Adriatic coast, Rimini shines the brightest during its annual Al Mèni food festival. Set in a circus tent, the premier Emilia-Romagna festival provides a rollicking atmosphere both for the array of international chefs who cook the food and the food-loving guests who devour it.

Host Massimo Bottura, the acclaimed chef at Modena’s world-famous Osteria Francescana, hosts the event and infuses a jovial sense of community along with a high standard of culinary excellence. The festival continues outside the tent with locally sourced gourmet street food, Amarcord craft beer and Carpigiani gelato.

Chef Massimo Bottura at Al Meni Festival in Emilia Romagna
Chef Massimo Bottura hosts the Al Mèni festival and sets a high bar for the participating chefs. | Image: ©2foodtrippers

We loved strolling among the food stalls, tasting wine and chatting with various Emilia-Romagna producers. However, we had two special highlights from attending the festival.

Our first highlight was reconnecting with Chef Arnaud Laverdin from Lyon. We were delighted when the talented chef remembered us from our Lyon visit and even more delighted when we tasted his culinary contribution to the festival.

Grand Hotel Brunch in Rimini Italy
The Grand Hotel brunch feast was filled with a variety of food like local pastries and prosciutto made from local Romagna producers. | Images: ©2foodtrippers

Our second highlight was attending the picnic brunch at the Grand Hotel, the five-star hotel that inspired filmmaker Federico Fellini throughout his illustrious film career. Not only did the Grand Hotel live up to its name, but the brunch was even grander with a gelato bar, chefs carving Bistec a la Fiorentina, a cornucopia of sweet and savory buffet items and a range of local wines.

Not in Rimini during the annual Al Meni festival? No worries – Rimini has worthy food experiences a year long.

Eating a piadèna in Rimini is a must. The piadina, otherwise known as a flatbread sandwich stuffed with local ingredients like prosciutto and stracchinio cheese, is a ubiquitous Rimini food option that you can find all over town including the excellent version at local piadaneria Lella Piada e Cassoni.

During our visit to Rimini, we also enjoyed great pizza at Osteria de Borg and crafted cocktails at Moméntino. Italian food lovers will not go hungry in this city. Watch our YouTube video for the full story.

Pro Tip
Take a ride on Rimini’s big ferris wheel at sunset. The views from the top of the wheel are extraordinary.

6. Take a Parmigiana Reggiano Dairy Tour

Daryl Hirsch at Parmigiano Reggiano Dairy in Emilia Romagna
Daryl is in cheese heaven at the Parmigiano Reggiano dairy. | Image: ©2foodtrippers

Any trip to Emilia-Romagna would be incomplete without a visit to a Parmigiano Reggiano cheese dairy. Dating back to the 13th century, Parmigiano Reggiano, a cooked and pressed cheese, is a DOP (Protected Designation of Origin) food product that can only be produced with specific methods from special dairy cows that only exist in Emilia-Romagna.

As we learned during our tour at Caseificio Nuovo Martignana Societa’ Agricola Cooperativa, the process for producing Parmigiano Reggiano cheese is both intense and precise. The passionate cheesemakers follow an exact process for each certified wheel of cheese, starting with milking the cows, cooking the milk to a specific temperature and aging the finished cheese wheels for 12, 24 or 36 months.

Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese Bath in Emilia Romagna
Parmigiano Reggiano cheese producers remove formed curds from a bath as part of the precise cheese production process. The curd is then cut in half and formed into the cheese’s distinctive wheels. | Image: ©2foodtrippers

We watched the family of cheesemakers cook the cheese in large cauldrons, each with 1,000 liters of milk, before cutting and molding the cheese. Quality rules over quantity when it comes to this dairy’s Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, with production capped at 18 wheels per day.

Consider taking a Parmigiano Reggiano tour in Emilia–Romagna.

As fascinating as it is to watch the production of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, the best part of a Parmigiano Reggiano dairy tour is the opportunity to taste the cheese in the dairy’s aging cellar. The tasting experience reveals how the color gets more intense over time as does crystallization. Plus, let’s face it, Parmigiano Reggiano doesn’t get any fresher or better than at the source.

7. Taste Traditional Balsamic Vinegar

Davide Lonardi at Acetaia Villa San Donnino Balsami Vinegar Tasting in Emilia Romagna
Davide Lonardi produces tradtional balsamic vinegar at Acetaia Villa San Donnino in Modena. | Image: ©2foodtrippers

If you think that you know traditional balsamic vinegar based on the balsamic vinegar that you’ve purchased at the grocery store – think again. Genuine balsamic vinegar is a Denominazione di Origine Protetta (DOP) product that can only be produced in Emilia-Romagna. And, unlike the grocery store version made with vinegar, sugar and additives, traditional balsamic vinegar has just one ingredient – grape juice.

Davide Lonardi provides an excellent tour at Acetaia Villa San Donnino, his third-generation farm, sharing the process that starts in the vineyard and continues while the balsamic vinegar ages in the attic for at least 12 years, but preferably for at least 25 years. Lonardi patiently walks visitors through the fermentation and maturation processes, showing the different sized barrels and telling stories that span three generations.

Acetaia Villa San Donnino Balsamic Vinegar Tasting with Ice Cream in Emilia Romagna
Traditional balsamic vinegar pairs well with ice cream. We first tasted the combination during a tasting at Acetaia Villa San Donnino in Modena. | Image: ©2foodtrippers

As with a Parmigiano Reggiano tour, the highlight of a balsamic vinegar tour is the tasting. Flavors explode with each taste, especially when the balsamic vinegar is paired with ice cream. If you don’t believe that ice cream and traditional balsamic vinegar are a match made in heaven – taste it for yourself. You can thank us later.

Pro Tip
Schedule a tour at Acetaia Villa San Donnino. When you go for the tour, buy a bottle of balsamic vinegar to enjoy later at home. Since you only need to add a few drops at a time, the price is relatively high but the value is favorable.

8. Picnic in the Bologna Hills

Church of San Michel in Bosco in Bologna Italy
Visiting the Church of San Michele in Bosco was a highlight of our Vespa tour of the Bologna hills. In addition to its interesting interior and fascinating past dating back to the 16th century, the historic church offers panoramic views of the city below. | Image: ©2foodtrippers

Though not as famous as the Tuscan hills, the Bologna hills provide endless vistas with stunning views as well as numerous spots ideal for picnics and cultural exploration. The best way to access these hills is by Vespa, the hip Italian scooter, which visitors can rent in the city for individual adventures.

Alternatively, visitors can take Vespa tours like the one that we enjoyed with Travelhoo. Our Vespa tour took us to must-see spots that we couldn’t access on foot – San Michele in Bosco, Sanctuary of San Luca, Casaglia Church, Sabbiuno War Memorial, Ponte di Vizzano and Palazzo de Rossi.

Travelhoo Vespa Tour Picnic in the Bologna Hills
Mindi enjoys our picnic with a view of the Bologna hills. | Image: ©2foodtrippers

Beyond experiencing epic sites and beautiful landscapes, the best part of touring the Bologna region is the food. We loved eating local food picnic style. We also loved stopping for aperitivos at Fienile Fluò, a restaurant and farmhouse nestled in the Bologna hills.

Travelhoo Vespa Tour Aperitvos in Emilia Romagna
Fienile Fluò serves Emilia-Romagna food products and local wine in the Bologna hills. | Image: ©2foodtrippers

In the grand scheme of things, there isn’t much better in life than enjoying Emilia–Romagna food and wine while gazing at views of the undulating, green patchwork countryside.

Pro Tip
Driving a Vespa in the wine hills of Bologna requires skill. Unless you have prior motorbike experience or have time to practice, plan to be a passenger instead of a driver.

9. Eat Lunch at an Agriturismo

Pasta at Donnalivia Agriturismo in Emilia Romagna
DonnaLivia is a family run agriturismo. Armed with a culinary degree, daughter Giulia runs the kitchen where she prepares a variety of food including the pasta pictured here. | Image: ©2foodtrippers

Staying at an agriturismo in Emilia-Romagna can be a great experience since many independently owned farms provide wonderful food in addition to luxury accommodations. Even if you don’t stay at an agriturismo, it’s still possible to dine at a farmhouse near Bologna like we did at DonnaLivia Farm House in Brisighella.

Our lunch started with scrambled eggs served with nettles, tomatoes and mint and continued with tagliatelle with zucchini cabanera and olive oil before finishing with yogurt topped with peeled peaches and fresh mint. We washed the locally sourced food down with a red wine made with Merlot and Sangiovese grapes grown on the farm’s property.

Olive Oil Tasting at Donnalivia in Emilia Romagna
We tasted three different olive oils at Donnalivia Farm House. | Image: ©2foodtrippers

The beauty of dining at an agriturismo is the opportunity to experience the farm’s bounty. The ancient town of Brisighella is known for its olive oil, and DonnaLivia Farm House follows the local tradition by producing olive oil from old trees on the property.

After ritualistically tasting three olive oils – Centenario, Viridum and Metodo, we checked out the olive mill during our tour of the property and its vineyard. The highlight of the tour was eating sweet cherries right from the trees.

Pro Tip
Visit Framboise in downtown Brisighella. The charming restaurant is a perfect lunch spot when you visit Brisighella.

10. Dine at Bologna Restaurants

Tagliatelle al Ragu at Trattoria del Rosso in Bologna Italy
Tagliatelle al Ragu, otherwise known as Tagliatelle Bolognese, is a classic pasta dish in Bologna. | Image: ©2foodtrippers

Nicknamed the City of Food and La Grassa (the fat one), Bologna has an abundance of food restaurants at all price points – and most of them are outstanding.

Busy from morning until night, restaurants in Bologna come alive at the end of the day when locals flock in the city center for pre-dinner aperitivos and the buzz continues until the last plates of pasta hit the tables in Bologna’s neighborhood osterias.

Tortellini in Brodo at Trattoria del Rosso in Bologna Italy
Tortellini in Brodo in another classic Bologna pasta dish. In this dish, meat filled pasta swims in a savory broth. | Image: ©2foodtrippers

The best places to eat in Bologna are not fancy establishments but are instead classic family-run establishments that eschew gastronomic tricks for hearty pasta dishes. Diners inhale big plates topped with gramigna and bowls filled with tortellini in brodo while sipping on Emilia–Romagna wine varietals like Sangiovese and Lambrusco. Could life get any better than this?

Pro Tip
Order an Aperol Spritz with your aperitivo. Though Emilia-Romagna wine never disappoints, the Aperol Spritz is an immensely popular beverage choice in Bologna these days.

11. Shop at Local Markets

Cherries at Mercato delle Herbe in Bologna Italy
Mercato delle Erbe, the largest Bologna Italy food market, sells a variety of seasonal produce including local cherries in June. | Image: ©2foodtrippers

Shopping for produce in Emilia-Romagna is a joy whether or not if you have a kitchen. Local markets display fresh fruits and vegetables in jumbled piles and sell them by the bagful.

As in the case in much of Europe, shoppers enjoy the best selection when they shop with the season. We’re talking about insanely delicious Vignola cherries in June and earthy porcini mushrooms and white truffles in the autumn months.

Mercato delle Erbe Vendors in Bologna Italy
The vendors at Mercato delle Erbe welcomed us with friendly smiles and local products. | Images: ©2foodtrippers

Visitors can graze through a market, easily turning a shopping expedition into a meal. However, the true local experience is to shop at a market and then cook a meal at home.

Such an activity was a pipe dream for culinary travelers in the past, but the availability of short-term apartment rentals has turned this dream into a reality. Shopping and cooking may be chores at home, but doing both in Emilia-Romagna is utterly satisfying, with the true reward being a homemade lunch or dinner.

Cooking at Home in Bologna Italy
Sometimes the best Bologna meal is the one you cook at home. | Image: ©2foodtrippers

We loved cooking at our Bologna apartments, both during Blogville and when we were on our own. Renting one of the many available holiday apartments in Bologna provided us with the invaluable opportunity to shop at a local Bologna food market and then cook at home.

Pro Tip
When you buy fresh pasta at a shop like La Sfogline, buy a side of Bolognese sauce. Why spend hours at the stove when you can buy sauce made by an Italian grandmother?

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Emilia-Romagna?

The region of Emilia-Romagna is located in north-central Italy.

What provinces are in Emilia-Romagna?

The provinces of Bologna, Ferrara, Forlì, Modena, Parma, Piacenza, Ravenna, Reggio nell’Emilia, and Rimini are located in Emilia-Romagna.

What is Emilia-Romagna famous for?

Emilia-Romagna is home to Europe’s oldest university, medieval castles, Italy’s top car manufacturers and beautiful churches. However, Emilia-Romagna is most famous for its food.

What foods are famous in Emilia-Romagna?

Top Emilia-Romagna foods include Balsamic Vinegar, Culatello Mortadella, Parmigiano Reggiano and Prosciutto di Parma.

Is Emilia-Romagna part of Tuscany?

No. Emilia-Romagna is north of Tuscany.

Is it worth visiting Emilia-Romagna?

Yes. Emilia-Romagna is a wonderful destination for food travelers who appreciate art, history and beaches in addition to some of Italy’s most delicious food.

What wine is famous in Emilia-Romagna?

Lambrusco is Emilia-Romagna’s most famous wine. It’s a sparkling red wine that pairs well with food.

Where to Stay in Emilia-Romagna

Rimini Sunset in Emilia Romagna
Having a good place to sleep is important when the sun sets in Emilia-Romagna. | Image: ©2foodtrippers

Have we convinced you to visit Emilia-Romagna and have your own food experiences? If so, we recommend the following accommodations where we’ve personally stayed in Emilia-Romagna:

Do the following if none of the above hotels meets your needs or budget:

Emilia-Romagna Planning Checklist

Check out our guide to eating in Italy as well as our picks for the best Italian foods and the best Italian desserts before your trip so that you don’t miss a delicious bite.

Hungry For More In Emilia-Romagna?

Bologna Food Guide - Social IMG
Bologna
Peach Gelato at Bloom in Modena
Modena
Cured Meat at Ristorante La Greppia in Parma Italy
Parma
About The Authors

About The Authors

Daryl & Mindi Hirsch

Saveur Magazine’s BEST TRAVEL BLOG award winners Daryl and Mindi Hirsch share their culinary travel experiences and recipes on the 2foodtrippers website. Since launching the site in 2012, they’ve traveled to over 40 countries in their quest to bring readers their unique taste of the world.

Disclosures

Article Updates
We update our articles regularly. Some updates are major while others are minor link changes and spelling corrections. Let us know if you see anything that needs to be updated in this article.

Sponsorship
We thank Emilia Romagna Tourism for hosting us during our participation in their Blogville project in collaboration with iAmbassodor. We also thank Bologna Welcome and Halldis for facilitating the pasta demo and class.

Original Publication Date: October 21, 2018

Dante

Saturday 2nd of October 2021

I stumbled upon your excellent article about on Emilia-Romagna. In it, you wrote that the best gelato can be had in Bologna. I thought so too. I've only just begun to explore Italy (been there only three times and all in the North). Bologna was a stop on one of our trips. In every major city we went we had gelato and it evolved into a comparison taste test to have a taste of it everywhere we went. They all tasted great but somehow even on the first lick, the gelato from Bologna stood out and made us go Mmmmmm. We didn't have a whole lot of time so we limited our exploration to the city. Although, while there, we did spend a whole afternoon in FICO which included a guided food sampling tour of the best of what Emilia-Romagna and other regions in Italy had to offer. We are planning to explore Emilia-Romagna in-depth (hello Modena and Parma). Thanks to your blog we are adding San Marino and getting that stamp. You have a new subscriber in me. Grazie mille.

Daryl and Mindi Hirsch

Thursday 14th of October 2021

Although we're still partial to the gelato in Emilia-Romagna, we're becoming more and more impressed with Rome's gelato game. Be sure to eat lots of it when you visit the eternal city and you'll understand why. Also, you've made a great choice to dive deeper into Emilia-Romagna!

Ryan Biddulph

Monday 23rd of October 2017

The gelato looks so good guys; definitely looks like the best in the world. This sweet dessert has grown on me over the years. I was a bit annoyed with the small serving size when new to gelato nearly a decade ago. Then when I actually savored the dish I found out that a few scoops does the trick, filling you up and tickling your taste buds.

Ryan

Lien

Sunday 22nd of October 2017

Eating while traveling is just one way to immerse yourself in a destination. Local food offers us a window into the culture and people. Next to time I make it to Italy, I really want to learn how to learn pasta!

Sue Reddel

Sunday 22nd of October 2017

Yes, yes, yes. Yes, to all the food in this post. Yes, to a visit to Emilia Romagna. And yes to going to Italy right now!

Ha

Sunday 22nd of October 2017

OMG You made me sooooo hungry! I love Italian food so much <3 I would like to try all! Everything is so yummy :)

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