Italian Balsamic and More in Our New Emilia Romagna Itinerary

Italy’s Culinary Cornerstone

Italy has twenty regions, but none is more synonymous with food than Emilia-Romagna. It’s home to the oldest university in the Western world and arguably, the most learned kitchens. While other parts of Italy may dazzle with seaside glamour or Baroque grandeur, Emilia-Romagna charms with depth: recipes passed from nonna to granddaughter, families who still raise pigs and age hams the way their ancestors did, and towns where the local pasta shape is as fiercely protected as a family crest. This is the birthplace of the osteria, the Slow Food movement, and many of the DOP-protected ingredients that define Italy’s culinary identity.

The region is also unusually generous in its geography, with fertile plains, coastal fish markets, and forested hills providing year-round abundance. It’s a place where the land gives richly—and where the people, in turn, give it their attention. To dine here is to participate in a culture that prizes provenance, celebrates seasonal rhythms, and approaches even the simplest dishes—tortellini in broth, or a drizzle of 25-year-aged balsamico—with reverence.

Michael and Tara Gallina, the husband-wife duo behind Vicia and Taqueria Morita in St. Louis, return to Italy for their third trip with Modern Adventure. Known for their passion for hyper-seasonal ingredients and deep respect for producers, their approach aligns seamlessly with Emilia-Romagna’s ethos. With roots in both fine dining and sustainable agriculture, they bring a thoughtful, joyful energy to every table.

Rob Levitt, butcher and Executive Chef of Chicago’s Publican Quality Meats, offers a different lens—one honed by years of working directly with farmers, butchers, and artisans across the U.S. and Europe. Rob’s reverence for meat craft and nose-to-tail cooking makes this itinerary particularly meaningful, especially in a region where aging, curing, and preservation are high art forms.

Days 1–2: Bologna’s Food Highlights

Often overshadowed by Rome or Florence in guidebooks, Bologna is the beating heart of Emilia-Romagna’s culinary identity. Its terracotta-hued porticoes echo with the sound of morning markets and late-night laughter. This is where tagliatelle al ragù (never “spaghetti bolognese”) was born, where mortadella gets its rightful spotlight, and where chefs treat handmade pasta like an heirloom.

During our time here, we’ll navigate the city’s alley-like quadrilatero, where butchers, cheesemongers, and pastai share space with families who’ve shopped here for generations. A welcome dinner introduces you to the flavors of the region, framed by lively conversation and poured from the hills that surround the city.

Day 3: Modena Balsamic Vinegar

Few names in the Italian food canon carry the weight of Modena. This elegant city of cobblestones and bell towers is home to one of the most revered ingredients in the world: traditional balsamic vinegar, aged for decades in wooden barrels tucked beneath attic beams.

Here, you’ll meet producers who treat aceto balsamico like a sacred trust—sharing their knowledge as you taste the nuanced spectrum of vinegars that have aged for 12, 25, even 50 years. But Modena isn’t only about vinegar. It’s also the spiritual home of Lambrusco, Italy’s misunderstood sparkling red, now reclaiming its place at the table thanks to passionate winemakers reviving native varietals.

This day is a masterclass in patience, in complexity, and in the Italian art of waiting for something to be just right.

Days 4–6: Ligurian Hills & the Emilia-Romagna Wine Region

Our final days take us into the countryside—first into the rolling hills near Brisighella, where limestone soils and sea breezes shape some of the region’s most expressive wines. This is the Emilia-Romagna wine region at its most intimate: not grand estates, but family-run vineyards where Trebbiano, Albana, and Sangiovese grow under careful hands.

Along the way, you’ll visit olive groves known for their bright, grassy oils and dine al fresco at agriturismos where the menu is whatever the garden offered that morning. One afternoon brings a cooking class with a local pastaia (pasta maker), who will guide you through the tactile art of shaping cappellacci by hand. The filling? Ricotta made just that morning.

Evenings are slow and convivial, with meals that stretch across hours, punctuated by the pop of corks and the scent of sage and butter. Whether you’re soaking in the views from a hillside terrace or wandering through medieval villages after dusk, these final days are about slowing down and settling in.

Book Your Italian Food Tour in Emilia-Romagna

This new itinerary is a celebration of the timeless and the artisanal, of meals that remember their makers and places that teach you how to taste more deeply. For travelers who love the intersection of food, culture, and craft, Emilia-Romagna offers a kind of quiet magic—served in porcelain bowls and poured into slender glasses, seasoned with memory and sun. Join us on a chef-led journey into Italy’s culinary soul.