January 20, 2023 by Gina Stipo Leave a Comment

Visit Emilia Romagna

Come with us to Emilia-Romagna in 2024!

Beginning in the spring of 2024, we are excited to add a new region to our culinary tours: the beautiful area of Emilia-Romagna in north-central Italy!

A region that most tourists just pass through on the way from the hubs of Florence and Venice, Emilia-Romagna is one of our favorite places to visit. The rich food culture, delicious wines and historic architecture found in these two regions are worth a deeper dive. This is truly important if one is to understand Italy. The area is elegant, wealthy, and urbane, filled with open and friendly people.

For a more complete history of the region, dating back to Roman times, check out this Britannica link! https://www.britannica.com/place/Emilia-Romagna

Originally separate regions, Emilia and Romagna became joined administratively in 1947. The people of these two regions, recognizing their cultural diversity, still think of themselves as either Emiliano or Romagnolo.

Emilia

The western part of the region, Emilia, is known for its amazing food culture. These people are true gourmands, and it is in Emilia that many of Italy’s most iconic foods are born. It is home to Italy’s most important DOP foods such as Prosciutto di Parma, Parmigiano Reggiano, Aceto Balsamico di Modena, and Mortadella di Bologna. The pastas include tagliatelle or lasagna with Bolognese ragu, and garganelli. Among the many stuffed pastas are tortelli, cappelletti and tortellini. The wines of the Lambrusco grape are slightly frizzante and simple, yet perfect with the rich foods. The capital city of Bologna has leaning towers, medieval architecture, miles of loggias covering the sidewalks and the oldest university in Europe. The Basilica of San Petronio is incredible and opens onto the city’s largest public space, Piazza Maggiore.

Romagna

Romagna makes up the eastern half of the region and was originally part of the Byzantine Roman Empire, as evidenced by the amazing byzantine mosaics of Ravenna. Due to the geographical barrier of the Appenines and a shared coastline on the Adriatic, Romagna aligned itself with the Marche to the south, rather than to Florence and Tuscany. Rimini is famous for its beaches and nightlife. The ancient etruscan salt flats of Cervia are still in use today. The main grape is Sangiovese, not Lambrusco, and tradition says that the sangiovese grape may have originated here in Romagna. Beautiful vineyards, ancient artisan products like ceramics and hand-stamped fabrics, and modern upscale car production tie the old together with the new in Romagna.

The Ecco La Cucina tour

Our week-long stay in this beautiful region will include 4 nights in the classic city of Bologna. Our four days will be filled with visits to experience the production of prosciutto, parmigiano and aceto balsamico; a cooking class with a focus on fresh pasta, and walking tours of the cities of Bologna and Parma. Included are lots of amazing meals and fabulous wines. The last three nights will be on a lovely wine estate in the heart of Romagna with visits to Faenza for ceramics, Gambettola for fabrics, a winery tour and tasting, and a day exploring the ancient mosaics in Ravenna.

Spring is the perfect time to visit the area with flowers and vineyards in bloom, warm sunny days and pleasant nights. Contact us for more information and to sign up!

Gina and Mary have been leading small group tours to Italy for over 22 years! Check us out on our lovely website Ecco La Cucina!

August 14, 2011 by Gina Stipo

Mosaics of Byzantium in Ravenna

As a side trip to the salt flats of Cervia a few weeks ago, we drove north along the Adriatic coast to the town of Ravenna to see its famous mosaics and eat some fabulous pasta from that region. Now a quiet city in Emilia-Romagna, in the 400’s Ravenna was the capitol of the Western Roman Empire, and from the mid 500’s to late 700’s it was the seat of the Byzantine government in Italy. It is one old city and the Byzantine mosaics that remain to adorn the churches and basilicas are simply breathtaking.

(*All of the images in this blog are mosaic, not paintings)

Mosaics are pictures or images done with small pieces of colored tile, glass or stone and were widely used to adorn floors, churches and homes in the ancient world. They date from as early as 1500 BC and excellent examples can still be found in Roman ruins throughout Europe and Asia.

During the Renaissance mosaic work took a back seat to frescoes, but the 1800’s brought a renewed interest in mosaic art. The Vatican in Rome has long had a museum and workshop. I remember visiting it when I was a little girl and being astounded even then at the detail the artists could achieve with little pieces of colored tiles. From far away many mosaics look like beautiful paintings and it’s only when you get up close that you see the artist has used thousands of tiny tiles to “paint” the picture.

The chapel at Castello Brolio has some amazing examples on either sides of the altar.

If you are lucky enough to be in Emilia Romagna, don’t forget to order whatever homemade pasta is on the menu and plan a day to see the incredible mosaics of this once important city.

August 1, 2011 by Gina Stipo Leave a Comment

Ancient Salt Flats of Italy

I recently went to visit the oldest remaining salt flat on the mainland of Italy, Cervia in Emilia Romagna. Up on the east coast, sandwiched between the ancient town of Ravenna with its amazing Byzantine mosaics and the chic beach town of Rimini with its discos and crowded beaches, Cervia is a quiet marsh that has been used for salt production since the Etruscan times.

Less than 800 yards inland, the salt flats produce a beautiful, sweet white salt (sale dolce) that is hand raked and evaporated in the full sun of the summer. From June to September, water from the sea is fed by canals into large, shallow flats, and allowed to concentrate until it is more than 75% saltier than seawater. Only one of the original 150 salt flats holds to the traditional methods, but it is still possible to see the locals raking and drying the salt in the sun. You can purchase sacks of this moist, sweet salt at the visitors center or by ordering online from Salina di Cervia.

Salt is getting a bad rap these days, and unjustly so. It is the only mineral that we eat and it’s the one ingredient that is common among all the cuisines of the world. Salt is crucial to our survival and has been the source of unrest and wars throughout our history.
Sea salt is a whole food made not of just sodium chloride but of a myriad of minerals such as calcium, magnesium and potassium, and trace minerals like selenium, boron and iodine. When salt is processed (kosher, table salt) all the other minerals are taken out and just sodium chloride remains. An anti-caking agent is then added. Industrially processed salt can lead to a state of imbalance in the body, which in turns leads to disease.
If you’re as interested in salt as I am, check out the salt guru, Mark Bitterman, on his salt blog: www.saltnews.com. He also has a fabulous book called “Salted: A Manifesto on the World’s Most Essential Mineral”. Another good read on the history of salt is Mark Kurlansky’s “SALT”.
For your own visit to the salt flats, contact the visitors center below:
Parco della Salina di Cervia
Via Salara, 6
Cervia (Ravenna)
Tel. +39 0544.971765
www.salinadicervia.it