An absolute pleasure to hear it went well (apart from the double pneumonia of course). We almost always end up with a visit to a farmacia in Italy, but only once to a hospital (the brains of the operation had a very badly twisted ankle from Ravello -> Amalfi walk, and we put off getting it seen for too long - once there they were brilliant, as were the other patients who seemed to take us under their wing).
E-R
Without a car is very doable, with a very regular train service mirroring the via emilia route connecting Modena, Parma, Faenza, Bologna, Ravenna, Reggio nell'Emilia etc. In addition, buses can be a good option locally, though they don't seem to have as good between town/city coverage as Tuscany.
I'd say anywhere on that span of cities would make sense, but with the one you choose of great interest, such that you might spend 3 days there, coupled with a couple of day trips. One thing worth bearing in mind with the trains, is there is generally a 15-30 minute walk from train station to 'centre', so factor that in and consider it in location of the accommodation.
We like Bologna, but oddly didn't take to it on our 1st two trips coming in on the train from Ferrara. Staying in the city itself really opened the city up to us, though accommodation can be pricey, so shop around (or choose Modena, Parma, Reggio etc. as a base, or a village on the outskirts of the city, on a bus route in (we stayed south one year and took the bus direct into via Farini, which made it so simple/easy). It is a big bustling city, of which tourism forms a minority focus, though be aware that on our last visit, there was increasingly persistent begging in the area around the brilliant food shops between due Torri and Piazza Nettuno - to which I'd recommend no eye contact / acknowledgement.
Reggio is much slower paced, better for a break from the bustle, but if wanting to actively see lots, I'm not sure it will suit you as a base. Parma/Modena were both appealing on the day trips I did there, but you may already know them better than me.
Assuming wine is an interest, I can recommend Bigliardi e Garuti – Via Emilia all’Angelo 21a (
Reggio Emilia, a walk eastwards until you hit the via Emilia), fairly priced, helpful and a selection that included plenty of interesting and hard to find wines e.g. Valentini from Abruzzo. In
Bologna, the best selection appears to be at Enoteca Italiana (via Marsala 2b quite central near the student quarter), but prices are a little elevated (5-10% over other places). Useful for looking for something in particular. Best value, but also well stocked is the oddly named Caffè Bazar, via Guerrazzi 8c (again quite central, off to the east near via San Vitale IIRC). Enter through the sweet shop, with the wine room in the adjacent unit to the right.
If you end up choosing Bologna or Reggio, I'll dig out my crib sheet of interesting shops / restaurants etc. but for no, two restaurants we would return to in Bologna (indeed we have returned).
* Sette Tavoli, via Cartoleria 15 / 2 , Phone: 051272900
www.settetavoli.it (varies weekly by region - one week it might be Puglia, the next Veneto etc. yet all delivered with skill and a very good wine list too). South-east of Piazza Nettuno, maybe 10 minutes walk.
* In Vino Veritas, Via Garibaldi Giuseppe, 9F, 40124 Bologna BO, Italy
Phone: +39 051 339 9332 (a wine bar also serving Southern food from Puglia to Sicily, really friendly relaxed attitude and good rustic food to match the rustic wooden tables. It's a 10 min walk due South of Pizza Nettuno
Bologna also houses two Kelemata shops, their (unisex) 'Aroma e Spezie' range of deodorants being the only ones I use these days, so I usually buy a dozen or more!
Piemonte
I've yet to make it to
Neive, though I hear good things, so will eagerly await hearing how you got on. Definitely on our horizon alongside Verduno as a likely future base in the region. Nearby Treiso strongly recommended for eating, though the fanciest place (Ciau del Tornavento) has oddly mixed reviews, from glowing reviews to significant disappointment and seemingly nothing inbetween. We enjoyed the other 3 places
Risorgimento - proper traditional, tasty but without pretence
Osteria dell'Unione -Stupidly placed on some 'best restaurants list' in the past, but pleasingly they seem to have just carried on as before, being a genuine trattoria, serving very tasty / rustic food. Slightly overwarm, but that's a minor criticism.
Profumo del Vino - Wine bar, but serving tasty small meals, a great option for lunch.
La Morra
If you go to Belvedere I'd be interested in what you make of it. In its heydey a most prestigious yet not overly expensive restaurant with views worthy of the name. Falling standards struck badly (I think there was even a food hygiene issue), but it seems our visits were either side of this dramatic fall from grace, as we enjoyed both meals (the first one just edging it, but the emptyness of the restaurant on the 2nd visit suggested the damage to the reputation hadn't been very well repaired.
Osteria Veglio down the hill in Annunziata also recommended, with lovely views from the terrace if warm enough to sit outside. Very good pasta, which was nice to report back to the owner of our apartment in Monforte on that trip (her daughter worked there making the pasta).
Some wonderful walks, especially if the weather is dry. The only downside is that La Morra is perched on a sizeable hill, so the end of the return trip has some of the harder walking with a few steep sections to test the calf muscles. I'd recommend the walks to Barolo, either through Brunate, Cerequio etc. vineyards, ending up where the SP3 road meets the SP163 OR down via Annunziata (or a more direct route past the colourful cappella DeWitt), then cross the main road to take the quiet via Alba road into Barolo.
Have you got wineries identified to visit? Give me a shout if you want any suggestions.
There is a market area / weekly market in La Morra, but not quite sure of the day(s) of the week.
Truffles? Yes they used to say 'good year for wine, bad year for truffles, and vice-versa', but the excess heat this year might harm both. Prices will likely be high, but by going a little after the start of the season, you may find the price eases a little. In both Emilia-Romagna and Piemonte, do run a web-search for smaller truffle festivals. We lucked on a brilliant one in Pianoro, just south of Bologna, close enough for us to cycle from Rastignano. Maybe a dozen stalls, a fine mushroom exhibition, but a highlight was lunch at communal tables to have truffle + pasta for a modest price, in amongst I believe all Italians. The one in Alba is great, and with the additional indoor/outdoor markets provides one of the finest concentrations of good food I can think of, however the peak of the truffle fair makes for huge numbers of visitors and this can just make it a bit unpleasant. On our last visit we made the smart move of driving there early (it was a Sunday, the second one of the truffle fair IIRC) and parking up in the modern and fairly priced station multi-story car park ~ 8am, when it was pretty much empty. A light Italian 'breakfast' (coffee and a pastry) and by the time we emerged it was noticeably busier, and by 11am it was heaving. We had a great time chatting to the Asti mycologist society who were running a mushroom display, before heading into the truffle market (a modest fee to enter, but worth it as much for the access to the other food stalls, as for the truffles). I wouldn't recommend eating inside, as I don't think much of the setup for this / pricing. Truffle buying is fairly straightforward, either from a truffle hunter direct at their simple stands, or from one of the shops that have stands there, you'll be offered the truffles to smell for freshness / intensity and they'll find ones to match your budget. Once bought, ideal to eat ASAP, but if taking home, then either use plain dry risotto rice to store it in, or our preferred method of a glass jar with plenty of absorbant paper (kitchen roll etc.) changed
daily to stop the truffle getting damp and rotting (in that setup, I'll then keep it cool in the fridge).
Torino
My favourite big city, not just in Italy, but the world. I think it's now 10 times we've stayed there, our last visit I joked with them (when asked why we were there) was "Fare la spesa" (to do the grocery shopping). We came back with 25-30kg more than we left with.
Happy to throw ideas in and a huge list of food shops if that's of use.
Personal highlights
Cafe: Al Bicerin. The most understated of the historic cafes, but the one I find the most relaxing.
Piazza della Repubblica market. Lots here, including plenty of average / poor stuff, but plenty that is excellent, including the mushroom specialists (though we did encounter toothpicks in some porcini we bought), plus stalls selling the brilliant local hazlenuts (nocciole) at very good prices. A fine cheese shop in the covered area, as good as the excellent Bait del Formagg on Via Lagrange.
Le Primizia di Osvaldo Via S. Quintino, 48, (a fruit and veg shop not far from the Southern end of Porta Susa), where each fruit we tried was the best example of it that we'd ever tasted. Maybe we just got lucky, but I doubt it.
Taverna dell'Oca, via dei Mille 24. Not especially fancy inside, nor is the wine list especially exciting, but the food is very good indeed and there is a lovely warmth to the approach. Understatement can shine.
3Galli Via Sant'Agostino, 25 (and nearby slightly fancier restaurant Tre Galline) is a wine bar with a wine list that may have huge appeal. A good supply of wines with decent age, dotted around a long / broad more recent vintage list. It's varied over the years from a mostly wine bar focus, to now being an even balance of food & wine. The food can be hit and miss, but even modestly priced dishes can impress. This is definitely an evening venue IMO, as it feels at it's best then
Plenty more though, so just say what appeals and I'll focus on that.
Regards
Ian
