Another one of of The Places I Really Wanted To See in Italy Soon, has been seen. Moka and Viktor were here last week. We were debating whether to spend Sunday in water park or go somewhere we have not been before. So we hopped across the fence to Emilia Romagna.

The biggest surprise was how quiet the city was. I expected a bit of a massacre, like Siena two years ago, but no; the students were away, there were some tourists (Americans, at the city tour bus booking place “you know, we’re from New York, sooooooooo…..”), but there were no mental crowds, we had a good time and a fantastic lunch in Taverna del Postiglione. It wasn’t cheap, but we tasted two things we wanted to taste in Bologna and some more. Service was fantastic. Wine list very impressive, but we wanted beer.

The board that was brought for us full of local meats( that mortadella!) and cheeses was nicely explained and very much enjoyed, especially the marmalade made of prunes, which tasted great with Grana Padano and Parma ham. I happened to find some in Conad this morning, we’ll see how it compares.

For the mains Moka and Viktor went for some ravioli, I had gnocchi with prawns- who would have thought! Izzie really broadened her horizons and opted for pizza margherita. The winner however was Florek, who had tortelloni in brodo, we all had a little taste and it was the best plate on the table. Clear, meaty broth and homemade, tiny tortelloni, simple, yet mind blowing.

We had no desserts, as were too stuffed and after coffee headed back towards the car, well fed and happy. I’d love a plate of that brodo for myself anytime.

Also, I really liked the parmigiano container that stood of the table, I liked it so much that I sought it out online and I now have one in the fridge, thanks to Florek. 🙂