L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, APRIL 18, 2024 www.italoamericano.org 20 L'Italo-Americano the corner from his own the- atre, is a unique experience. (We wrote in detail about this town in a previous article). Finally, to the north on the banks of the Po River is the tiny village of Zibello, the home of culatello di Zibel- lo, the finest version of the best cut of prosciutto. Head- ing back east, we see the mas- sive Palazzo Ducale di Col- o r n o f r o m t h e h i g h w a y , standing out amidst miles of farmlands. On display in the p a l a c e a r e c e n t u r i e s o f medieval and Napoleonic art, architecture, and furnishings. Continuing west, the town of Soragna is home to the Caseificio Sociale di Sor- agna, a small Parmigiano- Reggiano farm. Visitors can t o u r t h e f a c i l i t y a n d t h e n enjoy a delicious tasting of their cheese at various stages of aging. Farther on, another artisanal beer maker, Birrifi- cio del Ducato, fills out our case of bottled brews. We then come to the heart of the "Land of Verdi" and the town of Busseto, with many landmarks dedicated to this favorite son of Italy. Eating in Verdi's favorite deli, around The facility is also home to A L M A , a n i n t e r n a t i o n a l school of Italian cuisine. T o t h e s o u t h a l o n g t h e Parma River, castles dot the countryside at nearly every h i g h p o i n t o r c r o s s r o a d s . Many are private or open only infrequently, but a few bear visiting. The medieval walled castle village of Torrechiara is dominated by a towering castle, open most days for vis- itors. Many of the interior walls here are decorated with frescoes called "grottesca," p a i n t i n g s o f f a n t a s t i c a l human-animal hybrids and strange creatures. The castle towers offer commanding views of the valley in all direc- tions. The next town to the south is Langhirano: every- t h i n g y o u e v e r w a n t e d t o know about ham but were afraid to ask can be answered at the Museo del Prosciut- to. Continuing far into the mountains, in the southwest edge of the Parma province, we find the town of Bardi, dominated by a huge castle of the same name. The castle allows visitors remarkable access to its many spaces, including its towers and cov- ered ramparts, and its dun- geons and torture chambers complete with weapons and implements of "interrogation" on display. The town, though far from the city of Parma, still offers the same distinc- tive foods that are found vir- tually everywhere in this area. So, the province of Parma isn't just food; it's castles, p a l a c e s , i m p o s s i b l y c u t e towns, and sweeping land- scapes but... yes, you'll also find a huge amount of really great food to enjoy to the point of bursting. Buon viaggio e buon appetito! Zeneba & Matt moved from the U.S. to Italy in 2019, where they live and work as perform- ing musicians. They are also authors of four award-winning travel guidebooks (including one for Emilia-Romagna) and a memoir about their move to Italy. As Little Roads Europe, they craft itineraries for travel- ers to visit small towns and enjoy authentic experiences in Italy and Ireland. www.lit- tleroadseurope.com of bamboo. Farther north, we can't resist stopping in to pick up a few bottles at the Birri- ficio Farnese. The road b r i n g s u s t o t h e t o w n o f Fontanellato, at the center of which is the Rocca Sanvi- tale, one of only a few moat- ed castles in Italy. A guided tour of the castle includes one of the first instances of home s u r v e i l l a n c e : o n e o f t h e medieval castle's towers has a camera oscura, a set of mir- rors that create a projection of outside activity, allowing the occupants to spy on the main piazza. E veryone knows a bit about Italy's breadbasket, the E m i l i a - R o m a g n a region, even if they don't real- ize it. It's the home of several o f I t a l y ' s m o s t i m p o r t a n t foodstuffs: balsamic vinegar of Modena, stuffed pastas like tortellini, Lambrusco wine, and perhaps its most famous: p r o s c i u t t o d i P a r m a a n d P a r m i g i a n o - R e g g i a n o cheese. These last two are from the Parma province par- ticularly – an area rich in his- tory and culture as well as food. Here are just a few of our favorite spots. Parma itself is a big city by our standards, but we still e n j o y a v i s i t t h e r e . T h e D u o m o ( c a t h e d r a l ) i s tremendous; the 12th-century Baptistery is one of Italy's most important architectural wonders; and the city's Galle- ria Nazionale is a sprawling trove of fascinating history. Likewise, eating in Parma is filling: countless eateries offer enough traditional, local dish- es to feed an army of visitors, but if you've had too much wine and tortelli, there are alternatives. You can always g r a b s o m e l o c a l a r t i s a n a l beers and some sandwiches m a d e w i t h f r e s h - b a k e d breads, for instance. Cocktail bars, too, offer big-city bever- age alternatives for afternoon aperitivo. For a sweet tooth, there are bakeries and gelato shops galore. D e s p i t e t h e e n d l e s s options, though, we usually prefer to get away from the larger towns and explore the more out-of-the-way places. In Parma's countryside, cas- tles and palaces invite visitors to step back centuries in time, and eateries offer some of the choicest foodstuffs directly from their source. H e a d i n g w e s t o n l i t t l e country roads, we find the Labirinto della Masone. These private estate grounds have been turned into an arts center with rotating exhibi- tions, but its main feature is a h u g e h e d g e m a z e , m a d e entirely of multiple varieties ZENEBA & MATT WALKER The Parma province of Emilia-Romagna: it's not just food (but yes, the food is great!) A detail of the Castle of Torrechiara, Parma (Photo: Marco Taliani De Marchio/Dreamstime) The famous culatello di Zibello (Photo: Luigi Bertello/Dreamstime) and, bottom left, a moment of its preparation (Photo: Dmfrancesco/Dreamstime) ALL AROUND ITALY TRAVEL TIPS DESTINATIONS ACTIVITIES

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