An Emilia Romagna Travel Guide (ITALY!? YUP!)

And a Beetroot Cream Soup with Puffed Parmesan Rinds (that may or may not be a good idea)

You’ll notice the name of this newsletter is mostly french. I even keep the f in French lowercase. Why? Because I’m only mostly obsessed with most of French cuisine, and I am equally obsessed with other cuisines and places to live and ways of living, too.

See also? THE PRICES OF PARMIGIANO REGGIANO IN ITALY! That is like less than $10 a pound FOR THE MOST EXPENSIVE ONE ON THE MENU! That being said…

I’m currently tucked into the hills of Parma, nestled outside a tiny village I will absolutely gatekeep until the end of my days. No, that seems entirely too dramatic, right? But, I am not really joking about that. Nary a pin will be on any social media accounts, and no, I won’t share it here. But I will say it is achingly beautiful, if you’re into travel the way I'm in to travel–place-based, slow, communal with the area–it’s pretty majestic.

There is something about the travel industry I refer to as the ‘Rick Steves Effect’, no hard feelings to Rick *waves hi if you ever read this, I grew up on your books!* but we have very different approaches to travel. And the fact of the matter is, I think gatekeeping beautiful and small places is actually crucial to keep them small and beautiful. (The community I come to couldn’t handle hundreds of extra tourists a year! TRULY! It’s the size of a button! With ONE shop for salumi, and one parmesan producer.) But they can handle our sweet little group of 10 twice a year.

Sustainability is key in our model, and inviting a small group is all we can muster to this sweet area. Also, this little parmesan maker only makes 30 or so wheels of cheese a day, and frankly that’s too much taken from the local area if I over share. It’s a quandary for sure!

Also, I think the poor locals would lose their minds if they saw tour groups at their local parmesan maker too frequently, frankly. And a lot of travel has eroded the local community, which isn’t my sustainable jam. This is something I think more of us travel leaders and tour guides need to be transparent about.

That being said: Everywhere in this area is stunning. Truly. Throw a dart at a general map of Parma (which is practically the cutest Italian city I’ve been to), and you’ll smack something cute. Including Parma itself. Which I have to say is clean as a whistle, delightfully perfect, and a stunning place for a cappuccino and a book to read.

This is week two of our Italy week, one of my favorite trips I lead every year. Well, it was meant to be every year.

IF YOU COME to this region HERE, which you absolutely should…you must do the following, this is a list I am MORE than happy to share (for subscribers, of course). AND a beetroot cream soup with shaved parmesan. ;)