I've noticed that the RS Italy book makes no mention of Parma or Modena. As I've posted before, my fiance and I will be getting married in Italy sometime in October and honeymooning in Northern Italy for about 2 weeks. We are both serious "foodies" (he is a chef) and we would really like to visit these regions for the cheese & balsamic vinegar. Has anyone been to either of these places? Any advice would be appreciated! Grazie!
Hi Teresa, I am also a foodie and my husband has family in Parma. I was shocked to find that there is barely any info on Parma on line! Its only the food capital of the world! We are going in May and will stay with family for 2 days, I will keep you posted as to what I find out. We are soooo excited to try the local goodies!!!
My cousin recomended this hotel, closer to Bedona. The website also has some info
http://turismo.parma.it/Inglese/page.asp?IDCategoria=260&IDSezione=1094&ID=92340
Teresa
While in Parma have lunch (a pranzo) at Polipo's on Via La Spezzia. It's really good. Were were just there March 2nd.
Two sources we use constantly for restaurant and other food references are : Eating in Italy (Faith Willinger) and Italy for the Gourmet Traveler (Fred Plotkin). They both list numerous restaurant, food shops, bakeries, etc. We had an excellent meal in Parma, but I can't remember where. I recommend that when you're there you pay a visit to the lovely baptistry adjacent to the cathedral
Thanks for your comment. On our last trip, I only took a RS travel guide. We found ourselves in Modena with no help whatsoever. It really limited our experience there. Next time, I'll pay more attention and bring information about things that are skipped in Rick's books.
Also think about a day or two in Bologna if you are into food. The food markets are spectacular and there are some terrific restaurants. Both Parma and Modena are easy to reach from Bologna by train. That region of Italy (Emilia-Romagna) is a wonderful place to visit - great food and relatively untouristy.