Posted by grazia on September 18th, 2009 — in Emilia Romagna
Torrechiara is part of the municipality of Langhirano in the province of Parma and is known for its imposing castle built between 1448 and 1460 by Pier Maria Rossi II (1413-1482), Count of San Secondo.
It is located on the foothills, in an area always remembered for the mild climate and it is surrounded by vineyards, offering a beautiful view towards the valley and the town.
Torrechiara Castle was built in honor of the Bianca Pellegrini, lover of Pier Maria Rossi, and so it became her luxurious residence.
The Castle perfectly preserves its late-medieval squared structure with its four massive towers and crenellated curtain wall. It is accessible via a long covered entrance leading to the courtyard, where there is the little church of St. Nicomedes, whose front door is studded with the monograms of Bianca e Pier Maria.
Inside there are sevral beautiful frescoed rooms. The old kitchen, the room of Jupiter, of Pergolato, of Paesaggi (landscapes), of Vittoria (victory), of Angeli (angels), of Velario and of the Stemmi (crests) offer frescoes made by Cesare Baglione during the Sforza period.
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Posted by grazia on August 11th, 2009 — in Emilia Romagna, Italy
“Quando sentite parlare della cucina bolognese fate una riverenza, ché se la merita!”. (When you hear talking about the Bolognese kitchen make a curtsy, because it deserves it).
So Artusi, one of the main authority in the culinary field, wrote about Bolognese Cuisine in his famous book of recipes.
Bolognese cuisine has now its two main symbols: mortadella and tortellino. Regarding the latter in particular there are a lot of legends about how, why and when it was made for the first time.
It is said that in a tavern of Castelfranco dell’Emilia, Bologna, a beautiful Marchesin arrived. The Cook, attracted by her beauty, spied from a hole in the door… and was impressed by his navel. When the time came to prepare the dinner, the skilled chef created pastry filled with meat, a delicacy, inspired by thst noble navel.
Others want a divine origin, by replacing the Marchesin with the Goddess Venus. Whatever it is, tortellino is known throughout the world, just think that in 1904 the tortellini of brothers Bertagni were exposed in Los Angeles.
In recent times, particularly after the war, tortellino was very often cooked with panna (cream), even if the rage of the traditionalists went on remarking that the true tortellino had to be served in broth. (more…)
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Posted by grazia on July 17th, 2009 — in Emilia Romagna, Italy
The Amusement Park Theme Mirabilandia was inaugurated on July 4 1992. Since then the number of visitors has increased every year until reaching nowadays 2,000,000 people.
In 2003, the theme park was flanked by Mirabilandia Beach, a medium sized water which collected an immediate success.
Mirabilandia is divided into seven thematic areas developing around a lake. Immersed in greenery, the park offers attractions for all tastes.
On June 20 Mirabilandia opened iSpeed, the big news for the 2009 season. The new launched coaster, designed by the company Intamin AG, was built on the area once occupied by the wooden coaster Sierra Tonante (removed in the early 2008). ISpeed is characterized by a roll that provides magnetic acceleration from 0 to 100km / h in 2.2 sec, which drives the train at the maximum speed of 120 km / h and up to 55 meters in height. The departure station is located near the self-service Drive In, and the entire route is developed in the area between the Autosplash and the old station Sierra Tonante.
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Posted by grazia on July 13th, 2009 — in Emilia Romagna, Italy
Emilia Romagna is a region with a rich cuisine tradition. It is one of the region where the pleasures of the table is pursued with more zeal. People of Emilia Romagna are kind, joyful, humorists, and always great lovers of their kitchen. Eating is an aspect of culture and a manifestation of vitality: they eat well, they eat a lot, and they talk about food with tremendous passion and with no objectivity regarding products and dishes of their own city. Many of their most celebrated creations, as stuffed pasta, have many variations, from city to city and they might taste similar to a stranger if not identical. But it is a good idea no to confuse the tortellini Bolognese with the cappelletti romagnoli or with the anolini of Parma!!!!
Each capital city has a way of living the kitchen and the table: a sophisticated and sensual way in Parma, which does not forget its past as the capital of the Bourbons; blunt and tasty in Piacenza, so close to Lombardy; visceral and hot in Modena; obstinate in Reggio; triumphant and joyful in Bologna; capricious in Ferrara; succulent in Forlì and Ravenna. So we can say we are in the realm of food. In a restaurant it can happen you ask for roast meat and you get a dish full of pheasant, duck, wild boar, hare and if you’re not in the mood (but it would be a crime!) to eat and your stomach just needs a stock, make clear you want just a stock, otherwise you’ll get a bowl with 30 blond tortellini triumphantly emerging from it.
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