What will we do:
First day – A Poem called Bologna We leave for the first of our 3 days from Piazza Medaglie d'Oro, the gateway to the city for those arriving by train in the modern Central Station of Bologna. The station is connected to Marconi airport by regular buses and by a modern elevated train that in 15 minutes runs the few kilometers between the two reception centers for tourists and not. With the arrival of the High Speed the Bologna station has multiplied by 3, 3 floors underground, one for taxis and buses and private vehicles, one for arrivals and departures of high-speed trains, one for the immense waiting rooms, bars and services for customers. The first day we dedicate it to the historic center of Bologna, the city of towers, good food, the city of the oldest university in the world, the city of red roofs, hidden gardens, 42 kilometers of arcades, you could visit it on a rainy day without getting your feet wet. Bologna, a multicultural city since always. We will start from Pizza XX Settembre, in front of the Pincio staircase that leads to the Montagnola Park, the Central Park of the city of Felsine (for the Etruscans, Bononia for the Romans). We will descend along the arcades of Via dell'Indipendenza calmly to discover its secrets, some surprising and maybe taste the famous ice cream of Bologna. Afterwards we will stop at the Mercato delle Erbe and then Piazza Maggiore, the streets of the Mercato di Mezzo and the shops overflowing with the products that have always made Bologna the gastronomic capital of the country. Then the fascinating Piazza Santo Stefano and its Church of the Seven Churches, we will cross the beautiful Corte Isolani to find ourselves on Via Maggiore and discover another curious secret of the ancient city. Arrived under the two towers, we will have time to have lunch with the typical Bolognese products and then, after a nice coffee, continue the day climbing the Colle della Guardia where stands the imposing Basilica of San Luca, an icon for the Bolognese, of faith or not. We will end the day in Piazza Maggiore.
Second day - The magic of timeless passions
We dedicate this day to the Strada dei Castelli e Ciliegi, in the hills between Bologna and Modena, two friendly and enemy cities that share the paternity of the invention of tortellini of which we will tell you later. The first wonder we will meet will be Monteveglio, a very ancient village that in the past was considered one of the most important strongholds in the area, the tower and the abbey that stand on top of the hill where the city is located bring to mind an era of clashes and sieges. A little gem that deserves to be visited. Immediately after crossing the Panaro River we meet Vignola, famous all over the world for its cherries. In addition to the red gold Vignola also has a beautiful and perfectly preserved Rocca to show (admission € 10.00). And we are already in the lands of Black Gold, the Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena, I believe that few products identify so intensely with the territory that produces them. A millenary history that looks more like a fairy tale of which we have "official" news only from the second half of the '700, but in reality already The poet Virgil (70 BC – 19 BC) in the first book of the Georgics describes a scene set in a peasant house of his Mantua: «it's autumn ...; The woman cooks the must, the sweet juice, on the fire, carefully removing with a branch the foam from the boiling liquid on the cauldron». It is known that the Romans took it to military campaigns as a "balm" against health problems and against the intake of spoiled foods. Those customs have been handed down to the present day, so immutable that we can see in the vinegar cellars barrels of several centuries still in production. We will discover the simplicity and immense passion behind this unique product, a product that needs at least 12 years of aging to be able to boast the name of Traditional Balsamic Vinegar, not to be confused with Balsamic Vinegar of Modena, one DOC and the other IGP. The production area extends over the entire province of Modena and throughout the province of Reggio Emilia for the balsamic vinegar of Reggio Emilia. The basic ingredient is cooked grape must. The grapes used are Trebbiani, Lambrusco (in all their varieties), Ancellotta, Sauvignon, Sgavetta, Berzemino, Occhio di Gatta and in general the grapes of the vineyards registered in the DOC of the provinces of Modena and Reggio Emilia. To end the day nothing better than a tasting of local products enriched with Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena.
Return to Bologna or overnight in a farmhouse.
Third day – His majesty Parmigiano Reggiano
We are on the hills and mountains of Frignano, a beautiful area that includes the entire southern province of Modena, up to Tuscany. In this territory a particular Parmigiano Reggiano is produced, the cows are often the White Modenesi, Slow Food Presidium, they produce less, they are less stressed and their milk is much richer in nutrients and fat, obtaining a particularly tasty product. We will visit a dairy that produces in organic form, the entire supply chain, from pastures to cereals. We will witness the magic of the "rising" of the forms, normally two at a time, and we will be accompanied step by step until salting in brine, to end with a nice and good tasting of the various seasonings. We will move to the kitchen for a small cooking class for fresh pasta and then to taste the products of the farm.
In the afternoon we will return to Bologna after a short stop in Maranello for a visit to the Ferrari Museum (optional)
What's included:
What's not included:
