Lonely Planet

76 Lonely Planet Traveller October 2017TASTE TOUR ITALIAEmilio. ‘The people of this region have a real aversionto waste. We preserve everything.’This commitment to conservation is evident inModena’s centre. A pair of lion statues dating toRoman times prop up the columns of its medievalcathedral. Erected in the 12th century, the 86-metresteepled bell tower is still the tallest building by far,and the narrow streets trace routes first laid out bythe Romans. Restaurant terraces spill out onto themand come lunchtime they are crammed with localsleisurely washing down first, second and thirdcourses with glasses of sparkling red wine.MILE 54BolognaLunch is a no less important an affair in Bologna, theregional capital. Known as La Rossa, ‘The Red One’,thanks to the terracotta roofs and burnt-umber wallsof its porticoed buildings, the city has also earnedthe nickname La Grassa, ‘The Fat One’, thanks toits rich cuisine. Le Cesarine is an association thatshares the secrets of Bolognese cooking throughlessons by locals in their homes. Luisa Mambelli isone of these family chefs. Slender, but strong-armedafter many decades of practice, she invites people tolearn the art of pasta-making in her apartment on theedge of the city. On her kitchen table, which has aninbuilt rolling board, she cracks eggs into a well offlour, kneads the mixture into a ball and then, as hergrandmother taught her, marks a cross on top – athank you to God for her daily dough.After rolling out the ball with a long pin that’s halfas tall as she is, Luisa cuts one sheet into ribbons oftagliatelle. Another is used to make tortelloni –round pockets of ricotta and spinach, as plump asdown pillows. To complete the trinity of pastas, shemakes marble-sized tortellini stuffed with pork,Parmesan and a pinch of nutmeg, served in clearbroth. ‘Machine-made pasta is too smooth. Thesauce won’t cling to it,’ says Luisa, as she ladlesmeat ragu over the tagliatelle and smothers thetortelloni in butter and sage. Her mother joins herand over lunch they discuss the difference betweentortellini and cappelletti, a similar dish made eastof Bologna. The city, they explain, is somethingof a dividing marker between the culinary cultureof Emilia to the west – built on pigs, cows and the``````GETTING ON A BITParma ham: 400 days to three years``````LONG IN THE TOOTHParmesan: 12–40 months``````POSITIVELY ANCIENTBalsamic vinegar: 12–25 years``````Celtic traditions of northern Italy – and that ofRomagna, which shares more in common with thesheep and goat-based agriculture of southern Italyand civilisations east of the Adriatic.MILE 81BrisighellaTo the southeast of Bologna lies Brisighella, amedieval village that appears lifted straight fromItaly’s heel, flanked as it is with hillsides of ancientolive trees. They shouldn’t really be able to flourishthis far north, but they have stood here for hundredsof years, like gnarled centurions guarding overthe hamlet below. ‘The secret to their survival isunder our feet,’ says Franco Spada, president of thelocal oil producers' collective, as he picks his waythrough a grove. ‘A vein of gypsum runs just belowthe soil. This mineral absorbs and retains heat, sowe’re two degrees warmer than surrounding areas.’Through the branches, Brisighella’s 13th-centurycrenelated castle is visible on the next hill over,clear gypsum crystals in the rock below it glintingin the bright daylight. The pale-green olives are adistillation of all this Italian sunshine and by earlyNovember they’ll start to yellow, signalling toFranco and the 300 other growers that it’s time to getout the nets and shake down their bounty. ‘To makeextra virgin oil, olives must be pressed within fourdays. We have to work quickly and all together,’ saysFranco. ‘When you taste our oil, you’re tasting theefforts of the entire community.’MILE 121RiminiIn the valley below Brisighella, fields are colonnadedwith trees bearing pears, apricots, peaches and evenkiwis (Italy exports more of them than New Zealand).Orchards, alternating with vineyards, are constantroadside companions on the drive southeast alongthe Via Emilia towards the Adriatic coast. They area prelude to the Eden-like scene at I Muretti,an agriturismo farmstay in Rimini’s hinterlands.‘People like to understand where their food comesfrom. We had children here yesterday crushinggrapes with their feet – they loved that,’ recountsNicolò Bianchini, the son of I Muretti’s owners,``````HOW OLD?Emilia-Romagna’s famous food products are aged for mind-staggeringly long periods of time