Pasta. Emila Romagna and Tuscay, Italy

September 2021

Pasta. The epitome of Italy.  Having spent 5 days hiking across the Apennine mountains on the Via Degli Dei, a big bowl of homemade pasta with a rustic sauce was even more gratefully received than usual. And I love the way there is so much more to pasta than initially meets the eye, with both the shape and the sauce being traditionally specific to a region, the shape designed to optimally hold that particular sauce.

We ate a lot of pasta over our week of hiking, in fact, we had pasta every night.  And despite every restaurant being a totally different style to the others, in every one I could taste the passion and TLC stirred in by the cook.



In Bologna, head north of the main train station to the edgy Bolognina suburb where you will find just as many homely trattorias as ethnic eateries.  Trattoria de Via Serra caught our eye, seemingly blending vibe with homeliness, but sadly it was fully booked.  We landed on our feet though, stumbling across the unassuming Le Golosità Di Nonna Aurora Bologna on an unremarkable street, right opposite the former fruit and vegetable market, now an iconic building.  The lasagne was excellent, the bolognaise sauce juicy and full of flavour, and I particularly enjoyed the local vibe, away from the tourist crowds.


One day in to our hike, and still in the Emilia-Romagna region, we spent the night in the hamlet of Badolo.  As there is only one restaurant, by default we ended up at Antica Hostaria Rocca Di Badolo, where the friendly staff did their utmost to squeeze us in on a night where the majority of the restaurant was taken up with a party.  Gramigna, small pasta curls, originate from the region and are served classically with sausage, mushrooms and plenty of parmesan, producing a rich, earthy and satisfying dish in a cosy atmosphere, reminiscent of a ski chalet.  They also serve Birrifico Petroniano's craft beers, brewed just down the road in Sasso Marconi, which we walked through earlier in the day.  I highly recommend the Amelia porter, surprisingly light for a dark beer and very drinkable after a day's hiking!


By the time we had hiked our way across the regional border to Tuscany, we were in the home of pappardelle and wild boar ragu.  After a crazy tennis ball sized hail storm destroyed the roof and all the windows of our beautiful hotel (yes really, but I won’t go in to that now), we ended up at La Locanda di Bivigliano, in the village of the same name, and were treated to bowls of the most delicious homemade pappardelle tossed with this rich, succulent ragu.


Find La Locanda on Via della Fittaccia.

 

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