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It almost seems like a distant memory. Plan a trip? No problem. Is that person smiling or scowling? Pretty obvious to me. Enough toilet paper on the grocery shelves? What kind of crazy question is that? And now – it seems ‘twas a utopian existence reduced to sweet memory.   Lighthearted banter aside, Italy, perhaps more than any other country, has...

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If ever there was a poetic allure tempting the culturally enlightened to explore a destination, it is Emilia-Romagna’s Ravenna, a city that’s both undeserved of its regional underdog status but all the better for it as well. Ravenna richly rewards those who make it to this northern coastal Eden of early Christian art, a haven of historical conseque...

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The origin of lasagna, a very appreciated dish not only in Italy but all over the world, is rather controversial; there are in fact several regions that contend with each other for the invention of this layered pasta sheets, that can come with different variations of filling. Taking a step back, the pasta of the fourteenth-century lasagna was made...

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The Pietra di Bismantova is not just any mountain. The massive rock’s flat shape is so particular, as it rises, majestic, solitary, from the surrounding plains in Emilia-Romagna, that Dante Alighieri is said to have been inspired by it for the description of the Purgatory in his Divine Comedy.  It is said that ‘the supreme poet’ visited the area in...

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The debate continues: Is the piadina romagnola the oldest and tastiest flatbread recipe in the region? Or is it the crescia marchigiana? Let’s discuss. Among the challenges of hometown pride that so define our country, the biggest debates in Italy tend to center around food – and that includes the rivalry between the piadina romagnola and the cresc...

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An important role in the production of Italian wooden furniture with inlaid decoration must be attributed to the workshops of Rolo, a centre in which this art was already established in the eighteenth century. The merit is due in particular to the rural environment, with its knowledge of wood and woodworking techniques. The construction of inlaid f...

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Last week, I returned to Bologna’s historic center for the first time since the end of February. Bologna is my hometown and I live in the suburbs and, in normal times, I may go to the center once a week or, in normal tourist season, more often to run my tours. In normal times, it’s a regular experience I don’t give much thought to; in Covid times,...

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Bologna: la dotta, la grassa, la rossa: “dotta,” the learned, because home to the oldest university in Europe. “La grassa,” the fat, because of her rich, decadent food. “La rossa,” the red, because of the terracotta hue of her buildings and, Italians know it, because of the historically leftist views of her people.  This charming, friendly and hear...

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Mon, 10/26/2020 - 6:30pm. ONline event host by Casa Italiana Zerilli Marimò. General RSVP here. Participation is free. What Makes it Italian? Discovering Regional Characteristics in Music Bologna’s central geographic position and flourishing academic life give its music a distinctly cosmopolitan flair. Music includes Respighi’s “Ancient airs and da...

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On the Apennines between Modena and Bologna is a real celebrity dish: the borlengo. It is prepared by combining flour, water and salt then poured into a large hot pan called "sole" (meaning sun), greased with pork rind. After a few minutes of cooking it’s seasoned with "cunza", which is ground lard with pancetta, garlic, and rosemary. Not exactly t...

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