We arrived in Ferrara in the mid afternoon and took a cab to our downtown B&B which was nice but the owner also ran an attached restaurant and seemed to have little time for his guests. We set out for a walk around the town and soon discovered why some call it the City of Bicycles ... everyone rides everywhere!
We found a lovely place for lunch that had a Canadian/Lebanese (now transplanted to Italy for years) gent running the front of house and an Italian kitchen with Lebanese accents. Lunch was the local pumpkin ravioli (excellent!) and we liked the place so much we went back for dinner (Lebanese appetizers followed by cappelletti stuffed with meat sauce) and a drink. After a hearty dinner we wandered around town admiring the Castello Estense and also noting that the (in)famous Savonarola was born in Ferrara.The next day we grabbed a meagre breakfast and headed off to the outskirts of town (an hour walk) where we picked up our car, drove back and grabbed our bags and then headed out for our next stop, the lovely agriturismo B&B La Possioncella.
We spent a lovely two nights here enjoying freshly made breakfasts and the peace and quiet of the countryside. Our first afternoon was spent at the local wildlife reserve watching herons, ducks, otters and fish frolic about in the heat.
Our first evening's dinner was a fruitless drive to two local restaurants (both closed on Mondays) and then a disappointing visit to Portomaggiore which was in the throngs of a local carnival and thus the restaurants were basically serving street food. Ah well, they can't all be winners.
Our second day was spent with a day trip to the once proud Ravenna, visiting the ancient sites associated with Ravenna's past as capital of the Exarchate of Ravenna.
We grabbed a decent lunch in Ravenna before heading back to our B&B, freshening up and then heading out for dinner at the nearby La Chiocciola where although dinner was good, language errors arose and Christos ended up with a calamari he did not order (but did not send back) and Lisa had a fried frog (imagine as though it were a chicken); perhaps a little too adventurous!
After two nights in the country we packed up our bags and prepared for the short drive to the city of Bologna!Before we left we experienced another serious storm with pouring rain, thunder and lightning!
We looked out the window from our B&B waiting for a break to run to the car and finally got it after an hour of solid rain delaying our arrival in Bologna slightly but not by much once Lisa had discovered how fast our little fiat could go (+160kph). Our B&B in Bologna was just a stone's throw away from the city's landmark, the Two Towers (which inspired NYC's now destroyed World Trade Center).
After a yummy lunch of Bolognese and Lamb Bolognese (which will be tried at home!) we climbed the 498 steps of the Asinelli tower (and paid the 2 euros each to do so!) to enjoy the views over Bologna and then wandered the heart of the old city with its magnificent medieval buildings.With our bellies having been stuffed by pasta for days on end, we opted for a carb light dinner of delicious cured meats and unpasteurized cheeses on the (mildly) famous Pescherie Vecchia (Old Fishmarket street).
While we enjoyed Bologna, we both agreed that one night was enough (it is a university town with a serious nightlife and all the other aspects of a large city) to see the sights and move on. Fortunately we had only booked one night (Christos had toyed with the idea of two) and off we went to our next destination, the hidden gem of Parma!
We arrived in Parma and stayed with Patrizia in her wonderful B&B within the gorgeous 18th century her well to do house (with interior courtyard etc).Our room was the old servant quarters adjacent to the well with a sunken bathroom. The room was wonderful with white walls, tasteful art and enough space to lounge. Breakfasts were left at our door in the morning and consisted of fruit, fresh juice, coffee, a little cheese and some pastries. Not quite a Canadian breakfast but one of the better ones on our trip!
We absolutely adored Parma as it is a very cute town and has yet to be discovered by tourists! There are no shops hawking the prodigious cheap souvenirs (t-shirts, key holders etc) and the streets are free of gawking hordes even though the town hosts some lovely sites such as the cathedral and baptistry.
Furthermore, our meals in Parma were top notch. Our first lunch was at the Angiol D'Or where we had yummy cured meats (including a lardy/grey one that was visually intimidating but delicious) followed by beef and pasta for seconds. Dinner that night was at Osteria dello Zingaro, a local place that was full up at lunch (we arrived at 7:30 sharp thus securing a dinner table) that we loved so much we ate there again for lunch the next day! It was at dello Zingaro that Lisa discovered she likes horse tartar!
We also stumbled upon a cute bicycle boutique that the owner was in the process of opening. We chatted for a bit and ended up buying two bike hats to remind us of the place. He had some lovely electric and regular bikes. All of it high end components and manufacture. The Italians certainly love their bicycles!Our last night in Parma was also our 11th anniversary and we had dinner at Osteria La Gatta Matta (the Crazy Cat). While the menu at first seemed a little intimidating (English translation "tomato water" for "broth" from Italian), the food was excellent and we heartily enjoyed dinner and thought it appropriate that we were dining at a place that had a black cat as its symbol (we still miss little Isis).
The next day was Saturday and we had to head to Alessandria in Piedmont for the next stage in our trip; six days of cycling in the land of wine and food! We made a quick stop at the local market (10 euros for a huge hunk of parmesan cheese) before heading out ....
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