Food tours in Ravenna or Ferrara??

There are frequent regional trains between Ferrara and Bologna, that take from 1/2 to 1 hour. Before or after the tour, you could see a bit of Bologna. AFAIK, Bologna is famous for its food and wine, while neither Ferrara nor Ravenna is.

But Ravenna and Ferrara should be famous for their food!

You might contact your hotel ahead of time to see if they know of a tour. Or just follow your nose. In Ravenna, I like Bella Venezia.

Yes, I had a great dinner in Ravenna. There's an interesting wine bar/shop in Ferrara. I went in early in the day - no customers so the shopkeeper (owner?) had lots of time to chat with me.

Thank you, Zoe and Chani! We decided on Ferrara and Ravenna, instead of Bologna, for several reasons so we may have to bypass a food tour and just do our own!! I have been in touch with toursbylocals.com so maybe something will come of that. Otherwise, we won't want to be traveling to Bologna or Modena or Parma (all of which have tours!) since there is so much we want to see in the areas near where we are staying. I am quite sure we won't starve!! We just enjoy the introduction to the food culture provided by a local guide. Have done wonderful food tours in Prague, Budapest, San Sebastian, and Seville...and are booked for one in Palermo...so were just hoping to repeat the experience in Emilio Romagna area....guess we are in the wrong towns!! Oh, well....

You would be interested in the book Italy For The gourmet Traveler by Fred Plotkin. He discusses the specialties of each region, and Emilia-Romagna is one of his favorites. He also recommends food-related places in each town - not just restaurants, but also cafes, cooking supply stores, markets, etc.

Yes, "foodie tourism" hasn't arrived in the two cities you listed - which doesn't mean you can't have great meals, or a great time, there. Ferrara seems to get few tourists, and Ravenna only gets tourists for its mosaics, which means that unlike some other great places in Italy, you'll be one of the few non-locals.

HaHa Harold......and that is precisely why we choose those 2 places!!! I will look into that book you mentioned, but we are not actually what I would call "foodies". In the several other countries that we have done food tours, the tours were more about the local culture and the food specific and unique to that area and consumed by locals. ( eg. cow lips in San Sebastian...our introduction to SS Basque cuisine...actually quite good!!) The guides talked about life and history in the area, what locals eat , and getting a bit off the beaten path. Never do we eat in gourmet restaurants.....preferring instead to frequent local "haunts". So we will be quite fine without the tour, we were just hoping for a introduction to specialities of the area. Instead we will ask our innkeeper for recommendations and I am quite sure we will experience some great food!! Have never actually had a BAD meal in Italy before!!!! Thank you all for the comments!!!!l

Donna: Based on what you are saying, the book will be perfect for you. Even though it has the word "gourmet" in the title, his emphasis is on authentic specialties of each region, what local people would eat, rather than on "fancy" places.

Donna, check out Faith Willinger's book as well -- "Eating in Italy" (avail. on Amazon it looks like). It covers local haunts and markets as well as things like great knife shops, ceramic tableware places, wine.... Just fantastic. And it sounds like I need to buy the Fred Plotkin book too!

Was in Ravenna back in Oct wasn't aware of any local food tours.

That section of Romagna is known for it's piadina, basically a flatbread, it's a cross between pita and tortilla. Flat bread sandwiches also called piadina's, typically are cured ham, squacuerone cheese (also unique to region) and arugula. They're usually served flat whereas closer to and around Bologna they're folded in half.

Plotkin's book is a giant tome to the regional specialties around Italy. It's far from complete and he's got a pretty high opinion of his choices as he misses out on a number of widely respected, highly rated restaurants. Nevertheless, a very good resource to have for those who have food as a central part of their travels.

Go to Bologna & take the Italian Days food tour. It was unreal!

Thanks for all the great information! Will check it all out. No, food isn't a primary thing in our travels, but the previous food tours we have gone on were more of a local cultural type of experience, not a "foodie" tour. In all cases, the tours were done with emphasis on "local " food and establishments, nothing remotely gourmet about it. Very low key, very much "down home" , and casual. We enjoyed the introduction to the culture and the interaction with the guide every bit as much as the good!! Will definitely try the piadina!!