Europe’s best kept secret foodie holiday spot

Learning the art of making Passatelli from Romagnolo chef Gilberto Guidi

In the view of journalist Janice Nieder, authenticity, sustainability, great food and wine and reasonable prices make all the difference

Writing in The Examiner, well known US travel, food and wine writer Janice Nieder has divulged her secret holiday spot and has launched a series or articles about its fabulous food and wine.

Janice said "I’ve come to that ethical crossroads that most travel writers reach – should I reveal one of Europe’s best-kept secret destinations or keep it all to myself?"

"An ancient land that is so completely unspoiled, drop-dead gorgeous, and affordable and also has enough art, history and architecture to rival Paris or Rome yet I never saw another American there during my whole visit!"

"A magical region where even the most casual trattoria uses only the freshest regional ingredients and every dish is cooked with passion. Plus the diverse beauty of the landscape, sprinkled with silvery-green olive groves, lush vineyards, and medieval castles will literally take your breath away. Do I really want to let this rabbit out of the hat?" She said: "Let me think about it overnight."

Janice, though, is not quite the first American to venture out of the confines of Rome or Venice or Florence – this secret destination almost escaped anonymity in 2013, when David Rosengarten wrote a rave report for Forbes Magazine that found its way into a number of  global glossies.

Titled "Italy’s Greatest Gastronomic Treasure, Emilia-Romagna", the article highlighted the "Big Five" in the Emilia area: Piacenza, Parma, Reggio Emilia, Modena and Bologna. But unfortunately for Romagna, the author stopped short.

Said Janice "If Rosengarten was that enamored by the foods of Bologna, I think he’d totally flip out with what’s happening over in the Romagna side of the culinary equation."

And there you have it – the Eastern half of Emilia Romagna, between Venice and Florence, guarded by the Adriatic Sea and sheltered by the Apennine mountains lies Romagna itself – Janice’s treasure-trove holiday secret.

In one article Janice highlights just one of the many local chefs that concentrate on local, seasonal ingredients, she writes about locally-owned hotels and vineyards and local people, passionate about their homeland that benefit from tourism.

Here it is: "Cooking Honest Food with Chef Gilberto Guidi in Italy"

The fact is that in Romagna the value-chain is incredibly short and mass tourism is unknown, which makes prices truly affordable, quality astonishingly high and hospitality impeccable.

Read the second article with 20 pictures HERE:

Wholesalers, agents – follow the Christmas star to the green heart of Italy: HERE

Valere Tjolle

@ValereTjolle

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