(Frankly, I can’t remember a single truly great meal I’ve had in Florence or Venice.) But in the untouristy towns, restaurants cater to locals rather than visitors, which gives them incentive to turn out excellent food at reasonable prices. Italy has great food, but in its über-touristy towns, I find that I miss just as often as I hit. In fact, every meal we had in Emilia-Romagna was sensational. While the five courses were a bit hit-or-miss, the highlights - including delicate, handmade tortellini in a Parmigiano-Reggiano fondue sauce - were astonishingly good.
But we did reserve at Massimo’s casual bistro, Franceschetta 58, which offered a sampling of that world-renowned fare for one-tenth of the price. We couldn’t get a table at Osteria Francescana - and anyway, we weren’t up for the €500-per-plate price tag. It was the food that brought my wife and me to Modena.
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(I have no evidence that Massimo is contractually obligated to appear in every single Netflix series relating to food. If you’ve watched any “foodie TV” about Emilia-Romagna, you’ve surely seen Massimo mugging for the camera as he shaves delicate curls from gigantic wheels of Parmigiano-Reggiano. Modena is also the home of the world’s best restaurant, Osteria Francescana, owned and operated by the animated Massimo Bottura. This is the production center for the top-quality balsamic vinegar of Modena (aceto balsamico tradizionale modenese) - a thick, oozing, luxurious, black liquid that explodes on the tongue with decades of barrel-aged flavor. If you’ve heard of Modena, it’s probably because of food. Bologna is the capital and leading city, but I stopped off in three smaller towns - Modena, Parma, and Ferrara - that are more accessible while offering a culinary and cultural landscape that’s just as impressive. Foodies have discovered Emilia-Romagna, but so far it’s largely off the radar of mainstream tourism.
On this trip, I finally made it to Emilia-Romagna, Italy’s most renowned culinary region. But lesser-known gems like these are everywhere…and not just in Italy. These four examples - Modena, Lucca, Treviso, and Trento - all happen to be in the northern part of Italy. And I must stay, I liked them at least as much as the biggies. To mix things up, seek out some lesser-known towns that are, in their own way, just as satisfying but have a fraction of the crowds.įinally returning to Europe just a few months ago, in addition to some old favorites (like the Cinque Terre and Siena), I made time for a few new places that most tourists miss. But don’t forget that there’s so much of Europe to see, beyond its marquee cities. If you’re going to Italy, it’s tempting to hit the biggies: Venice, Florence, Rome.
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