Fly into Bologna or Milan to take an epic road trip along the ancient Via Emilia, which hosts a string of beautiful Italian cities. At the heart of Emilia Romagna lies Italy’s Food Valley. Make sure you stop along the way for food and wines that have received worldwide acclaim.
Hot, hot summers and cold winters, the moisture trapped by the Apennine Mountains, combine for perfect growing conditions for food that has become legendary: worldwide.
Michelin-star restaurant
Emilia Romagna’s prominence on Italy’s gastronomic scene is such that Modena recently hosted the Michelin Guide 2025 Awards: essentially Italy’s foodie Oscars. In addition, Emilia Romagna will host the 2026 and 2027 awards.
Among the culinary rock stars at the awards, Massimo Bottura is a god of the industry. The success of his 3 Michelin star Osteria Francescana in Modena, sometimes hailed as the best restaurant in the world, gave Massimo a platform to speak for Emilia Romagna and the restaurant industry as a whole.
The awards given by the 2025 Italy Michelin Guide increase the number of Bib Gourmand restaurants in Emilia Romagna to 33. The good news for those traveling to the region is that Michelin-recognized restaurants offer exceptional value.
A spectacular landscape
Create your own gourmet trail through Emilia Romagna that runs west from Piacenza, Bologna, Modena, Parma via Rimini along the ancient route of the Adriatic.
Basically, the route of the Po River, backed by the Apennine Mountains to the north, is a gentle landscape where cows are milked to make giant wheels of Parmigiana Reggiano cheese. This is the bread basket of Italy, the markets are packed with vibrant fresh produce. A land of slow food, those wheels of cheese matured over the years and fast cars. Modena is home to Ferrari and the Ferrari Museum.
Pavarotti’s home and restaurant
Emilia Romagna claims an operatic soundtrack. Call at Luciano Pavarotti’s former home near Modena, to make those long-held tenor notes a reality. A mural, carved into the walls of the palace, even larger than the great man’s figure, indicates that you have arrived.
Now a shrine to the great tenor, the museum displays letters of appreciation from Sinatra, Bono, Sting, Hillary Clinton, Springsteen and Princess Diana, testifying to Pavarotti’s universal appeal.
Pavarotti worked hard for his fame, saving his voice for acting, always scouring the stages for a bent nail that brought good luck, and losing three kilograms every time he performed. Beyond music, Pavarotti enjoyed painting and his cookbooks show his love of food. Book a table at the adjacent restaurant for the full Pavarotti experience.
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Mercato Albinelli, Modena
Call Modena’s wrought-iron Liberty-style market for an artisan introduction to Emilia Romagna’s food and produce. Stalls overflowed with Italy’s bountiful bread basket products.
Artisan restaurants surround the market, offering a chalked-up introduction to regional specialties with humble trestle table seating.
As well as dishes that have now become global favourites, for example bolognaise and lasagne, this is the place to try local dishes such as tortellini in broth.
Parma
Allegedly, Bologna is the gastronomic capital of the world or so the locals say as they sit down with a strong espresso blast of coffee. Or look into each other’s eyes as they toast their glasses at the table, echoing “chin-chin” before sipping one of Emilia Romagna’s 24 DOC wines.
Nevertheless, it has awarded Parma a Gastronomic Capital by UNESCO: perhaps for the gastronomic quality of its production of Parma ham, Parmigiana Reggiano cheese, plump tomatoes and some of those DOC wines.
Verdi Chorale
You can’t escape Emilia Romagna’s opera, the Verdi Chorale is an opera school for Verdi fans. Lunch for arpeggios and ascending scales Verdi lovers around the world loosen their vocal chords for their favorite arias.
A grand piano sits on stage between the restaurant’s dark wood and dining tables to pay further homage to the great Parma-born opera composer.
Trattoria Amerigo 1934
Unless you are a licensed truffle hunter, nosed Lagotta Romagna dog, with considerable experience and a slice of luck, you are unlikely to find your own truffles. In the truffle country around Savigno, at the foot of the Apennine mountains, the next best option for tasting truffles is to eat at Trattoria Amerigo.
Since 1934, the Bettini family has run this rustic-style trattoria, where the decor still pays homage to the 1930s, with advertisements from the era extolling the Campari and Cinzano lifestyles.
The trattoria has just been awarded a Michelin star for the 28th consecutive year. Those in the know book a room at the inn next door, especially when Savigno’s annual truffle festival arrives in late fall.
Disclosure: Our stay was sponsored by Emilia Romagna Turismo.
Michael Edwards
Michael Edwards is a travel writer from Oxfordshire, UK. Although Michael published his first travel piece nearly four decades ago, he continues to find new luxury destinations to travel and write about.
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