Emilia-Romagna Trip Planning, small towns

My cousin and I are planning to rent a car (maybe in Bologna or Parma) and heading out into the Emilia-Romagna countryside. I have a million bookmarks for this long-awaited trip from Chowhound. :frowning:

I checked the one place I had in my notes to stay, Hosteria Da Ivan in Roccabianca doesn’t seem to have room for us in their small guesthouse (we will need two rooms); but I will write to them and see.

In any case, I am encouraged that the Slow Food Italy app is now in English(!) and will try and figure from that where geographically we should base ourselves, but if you can help me with this, I would be grateful.

Here’s the one long note I have from Chowhound days (it was almost certainly in response to my questions about Parma where I headed summer of 2025):

“Unfortunately a lot of the trattorie in Parma have become quite bland and uninspiring. If you want to experience good local cooking in an authentic atmosphere I would suggest that you get out of town (but not necessarily too far), although I guess you’re asking about places in town because you won’t have a car. However, if you do have wheels or your budget stretches to a couple of short taxi rides it’s worth heading to Trattoria da Romeo (in Botteghino, 10 mins from Parmal; tel: 0521 641167), Trattoria Milla (Sala Baganza, 15 mins; http://www.trattoriamilla.it/), or Antichi Sapori (Gaione, 10 mins; 0521648165). Il Granaio (10 mins; 0521 804110) in Lemignano was recommended to me by a local couple but I haven’t got round to visiting yet. A bit further out in Fragnolo di Calestano is the fantastic Locanda Mariella (20 mins: 0525 52102). In town, the Tribunale and Sorelle Picchi have both changed hands recently but the food is still very good. Over the river in the Oltretorrente is the Antica Cereria, which has a lovely vaulted dining room and reliable parmigiano cooking. Bring an extra case for the parmigiano-reggiano and culatello…”

I think staying somewhere close to Parma and trying some of these restaurants would probably still be a good thought. But I am also looking for any suggestions for what areas/restaurants not to miss in a journey with a car in E-R. I am not looking to use Parma itself as a base (unless there’s a feeling from people who have done this that it is a good idea). I will probably pick up my cousin in Bologna and drive from there, perhaps ending and dropping the car in Milan. And we may have as much as two weeks (loosely first two weeks of September).

Grazie mille!

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check out sloweurope.com.
search “parma”. i’m pretty sure there are some recent posts about staying in the area, including from some local folk.

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Yes, so I made the comment on the other thread and had a 2 week holiday in the region around 5 years ago. We were there in April, so the weather was hit and miss. September is a much more alluring period, also giving you the chance to go to beaches!

So, we arrived at Venice airport, rented a car (Alfa Romeo Giulia of course) and set off first to Verona. Stayed a few days, in the city, but did not particularly like it. Also because of rainy weather. The food though was amazing, especially trattoria Al Pompiere. That was one of the food highlights of the trip.

From there we stopped for 2 days in Mantova, a nice little town famous for its church and their local sweets. I wouldn’t make a detour for Mantova but it was nicely along the way to our next stop: Parma.

In Parma we stayed the longest, by design. We booked 5-6 nights at the lovely Villino di Porporano. A beautiful spot, a haven for people who love food and Italy. I’ll post the link below. It’s just outside Parma, lovely location (though you need the car for everything).

I’d do this again in a heartbeat. The owner makes a beautiful fresh breakfast every day with choice of several cakes, and if you want you can do cooking classes with her. She also knows a lot of locals who can arrange day trips for you, eg Parma ham. We did a cooking class at the home of a former chowhound contributor, very lovely, she lived in the middle of the town.

Another food highlight was Ai due platani, also just outside of Parma. I’ll post a pic below. Wonderful! Also nearby was a restaurant (forgot the name), where literally nobody spoke English. Big place, lots of loud locals. It was at this point that I wanted to learn to speak Italian, and I have been doing that on duolingo now for a few years!

From Parma we made several day trips (to Modena, nearby musea, Parma itself etc), or just drove around the beautiful area. Hilly, green, with the river Po always near. I just love the Italian country side.

We ended our trip with 3 nights in Bologna. Enough said… I just prefer staying outside of cities, you’ll get a much closer connection with locals.

If I were to go in September, I’d probably book Villino di Porporano again, and then either coming in from Milan and do Piemonte (I prefer the less touristy part, eg near Asti at Residenza San Vito), or coming in from Venice to do the Veneto area.

https://www.villinodiporporano.com/

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I was soooo hoping you would expand about your trip when you posted on the other thread. This is exactly what I am looking for!!! I agree with you about not staying in the bigger cities. (I have been to both Parma and Bologna before, and staying in the cities is not what I am looking to do this trip.)

I will reach out to Villino di Porporano, as we need two rooms. The LVH is a great idea, but may be just a bit too expensive, but I will look in that area for sure. Curious, if you used a particular resource to scout out places to stay? And if you remember the name of the big, boistrous spot near Parma (or anywhere else). We are interested in the places we can only get to by car, for sure! And for now, you have given me a lot to look through…TY!

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Ah good to hear my post was helpful! As for how to pick hotels: I just use booking.com and rank hotels by guest review scores. And just geographically broaden the area from where I am looking. That trip to Residenza San Vito: we first started in Alba and the Langhe region, and from there I just broadened the search region.

Or through instagram, I follow a bunch of Italian people and businesses. I am just a sucker for good hotels, and very often I will pick a hotel first and let that be the area where I reside. Another interesting place in Piemonte, but which I haven’t been to yet, is Moonfra.

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Want to thank you for the great-looking hotel recommendation and the general info about the Parma area. How did you find the driving/parking from Villino di Porporano into Parma city? Or is it easy to eat veery well without driving into central Parma and sticking to restaurants in the surroundings that area easier to reach by rental car? (I’m also very keen on great hotels–I think I could spend the rest of my life in one, or many!). Would love to learn your special favorites in Italy if you’ve got the time to make a short list!!

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I have to agree that looking at some of the smaller/less prominent cities and places in E-R is very rewarding. Any specific comments by me have to be taken with a grain of salt since its been almost 8 years since we have visited the region, but especially if you arent seeking the cultural highlights (museums, the greatest architecture, etc) in the main cities, the food and hospitality possibilities are all around, and the regionalization with different specialties in differenet places makes exploration deeply enjoyable.

For example, we had a very good visit in the proviince of [Piacenza]; the city itself, on the same Roman plan as the other major centers, is lovely, we had a good meal there at a slowfood place , Osteria Santo Stefano - now “temporarily closed” Id guess more permanent than that - and stayed at a lovely spot in tiny [Rivalta] nearby - with a castle, a tiny gentrified village, a locanda with delicious cuisine and a fine shop to buy local specialties (sadly the Japanese chef that was heading the kitchen when we were there has left) https://www.locandadelfalco.com/. There is a small elegant hotel in the castle complex that is just a few steps from the restaurant which we enjoyed as well. https://www.castellodirivalta.it/

As I recall the food specialties were distinct in the Piacenza region with particularly good salumi (couldnt bring home, alas), and some notable rice, bean and pasta specialties which we really enjoyed after a week in Bologna. Its also in a different wine region, and offers some of the good wines of the area - also, there are distinct liqueurs produced in the area, such as the black walnut liqueur and a very nice one from quinces.

Regarding Parma itself, I would not write off the food there and the town is very elegant, with the romanesque cathedral and baptistery as well as the art museum, definitely worth a visit. I take a lot of italian criticism of traditional restaurants with a grain of salt - we who dont have such wonderful traditions and italian grandmas to take the trouble are lucky to be able to experience the regional dishes, whether in parma or elswhere in the region. ViaMichelin bib gourmand places seem to be pretty reliable as a starting point.

On one of our trips to the region we stayed at Agriturismo Leoni http://www.agriturismoleoni.com/eng/countryhouse.htm. It did not have a scrap of pretension in the rooms but was a perfectly comfortable lodging for the night, and the offered a tour of their absolutely beautiful cow barrn, where the milk for parmesan cheese is produced, samples of the cheese, and a visit to the factory to see the cheese being made. (as well as the ancillary pig operations (the pigs which are destined to become prosciutto di parma are fed the whey from the cheese production). All eye-opening.

Lastly, for this post I would say that a visit to Ravenna and its mosaics has been a highlight of our visits to the region. From Bologna, it is quite a fast train ride if you prefer not to drive. On the coast of Romagna, and the food there was a bit different and very good too.

On one visit, we really relished our substantial meal at Arnaldo’s, a very traditional restaurant not far from Parma. I believe we must have stayed at the Inn upstairs, Albergo Aqvila D’Oro.

Apologies, missed this post! Driving into the city is doable, but keep in mind that the actual city center is only accessible to locals. It is called the ztl - meaning zone traffico limitato - and basically you cannot enter during the day and evening with a car unless you have some badge or your car is registered. This ztl access regulation is active in a lot of Northern Italian cities.

In practice you either drive up until you enter the ztl, and walk from there after having parked your car on the street, or you park your car in a large parking garage when you enter the city (we did the latter in Modena).

I tried finding the restaurant I had mentioned on google maps, but I haven’t been able to (yet!). I do have a few good places saved, so happy to share them here for your inspiration.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/WNbeuNX5D8Y4bX3F6?g_st=com.google.maps.preview.copy
https://maps.app.goo.gl/PYShCnA9D24pjKed9?g_st=com.google.maps.preview.copy
https://maps.app.goo.gl/B5u1mYvbpN8ruuQg6?g_st=com.google.maps.preview.copy
https://maps.app.goo.gl/7ZJTxStmKUqm6j899?g_st=com.google.maps.preview.copy

Here is some info about the quince, called sburlon, and otherlocal liqueurs and places to get them. Like I said, there are a lot of special products and places all through Emilia- Romagna, for example, I believe cherry specialties from the hills S of Modena, along with of course the aceto balsamico from the whole region. The hilly area between Parma and Piacenza is where a lot of these products originate and there are some small resort towns there (we did not have time to explore). At any rate here are some links to consider in case you might be interested.

https://www.labertuzza.com/en-us/categories/typical-italian-liqueurs-of-emilia-romagna-region/

Thanks for all @JenKalb! I have loosely been thinking of spending our time staying around Modena and Piacenza, and you said nothing to dissuade me from this. Years ago (maybe about the time you were there, I spent four or five nights in Parma, though my cousin has not been there, so I will mull how to make sure he gets to see some of that. It is a beautiful city.

I am currently armed with both the Slow Food app (suddenly translated into English since the last time I had purchased it) and the Red Michelin guide, still in Italian, but I’ve used it before and quite like it for the Bib Gourmet and sometimes other restaurants. Disappointed, however, that the Red Guide no longer has lodgings in the book. I will spend some time digging through my old ones, some still in boxes since my move, but if anyone has a thought about something as reliable as Michelin was for lodging in Italy (I used to love staying in the little places with black or red rocking chair ratings), please let me know!

And @damiano thanks again for all of your memories and notes!

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Will mull Ravenna, but may be in the wrong direction for where we will be heading for this trip.

I’m not sure what your planned route is. But if you’re overnighting in Bologna Ravenna is an
excellent Day trip From there (easy by train, by car a couple of sites would be more accessible. the remarkable byzantine mosaics and ancient buildings in which they reside make the peaceful town one of the most outstanding artistic attractions in Italy.

I spent years poring over the red guides, those rocking chairs were an attraction - gone are the days where we hit a town and went to the lowliest black single “house” marked hotels in the guide, without a reservation and had a great experience (not talking about the big cities). Have you tried using viamichelin online? It has much of the same info, and more. https://www.viamichelin.com/maps/italy/emilia_romagna/parma

Just to add, maybe you do this already, but Ive found a good way to hit maybe a different cut of restaurant recommendations is to search the name of your intended destination (town or region) by the search phrase "i migliori restoranti di [name of town] " if you skip past the first results, google maps, tripadvisor etc you get the the italian sources, gambero rosso, di sapore etc etc which might provide some new ideas. Some of the sources are too change oriented for me but it still gives a bit of a different cut of places to consider and fresh views on some standbys. On my computer it immediately translate these pages to english which can be frustrating matching up resto names One sample only:

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Thanks for all Jen! Yes, we are on the fence about Ravenna, but I am leaning your direction and spending more days in Bologna and daytripping to the coast (but somewhere we could park our car and also get into the center without too much trouble). Am just trying to suss this out. We are just beginning to plan our route.

Also thank you for the viamichelin site!!! I had not found it and will explore.

I have not begun (yet) to plumb Gambero Rossi and others, but have found treasures in them before, so yeah, will continue that search!

Its hard to think of the pre-internet days when resto info resources were few and far between - red Michelin, like reading the phone book, my husband used to joke, I had it pretty much memorized vs the appalling Frommers and the slightly better Fodors. We ate very well.

I LOVED reading that “phone book!”

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