Flavours and traditions

One point should be cleared before starting: Imola is the opening door to the region of Romagna, a land of genuine and robust appetites. Imagine that Imola dedicates two weeks of events, exhibits, and elegant table settings to the pleasures of eating and drinking. The name of this event is Baccanale - which in ancient times was a feast of wine, women and song.

If you look in the kitchens you will find the arzdora - housewife and real "head" of the home- who is rolling out the pasta with her rolling pin. With swiftness and precision she creates wonderful garganelli (hand-made macaroni), strozzapreti (small rolls of pasta), tortelloni (cheese and chard filled pasta), and passatelli in brodo (a type of pasta made with Parmesan cheese and eggs served in broth).

The second course dishes are just as appetising: fuming roasted and grilled meats served with various varieties of mushrooms, fried polenta (cornmeal) and a vast array of grilled vegetables.

Still hungry? Try the different assortments of cheese casatella or squaquerone (tender cow cheese). Ready for something sweet? What about some ravioli (biscuits filled with jam) or a slice of ciambella (a dry cake) which is dipped in sweet wine.

And finally to end this culinary feast one of the many fruits of this region: peaches, apricots, pears, apples, grapes, strawberries, and chestnut bigger than you can imagine. What about an afternoon snack? Try our fast-food: piadina (a flat type of bread) prepared as a sandwich with ham, salami, cheese or ciccioli (a type of cold cut made from pork meat).

For those who love a good glass of wine this is your region. Imola is the land of wines such as Sangiovese (a robust red wine), Albana and Trebbiano (more delicate white wines). Then, of course, there are the excellent DOC wines of the hills of Imola: Cabernet, Savignon, Chardonnay, Pignoletto, and Novello.

This love for good food and wine accompanies the traditions, folklore and culture of the country life of the past, a period when folk songs were sung while working in the fields. If you want to know more about these traditions then don't miss the fairs and folk festivals, which revive the atmosphere of these past customs.