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RECIPESLIFESTYLE

HISTORYWILDLIFE

ARTCULTURE

TRAVEL

Ever Heard of Pellegrino Artusi? Mona Lisa and Mussolini and Ravenna witches plus much, much more

N THIS ISSUE:I

ABUNDANT AUTUMN 2013

...special travel offers and guided

excursion opportunities

Plus…

IN THE MAGICAL LAND BETWEEN THE MAJESTIC APENNINE MOUNTAINS AND THE BEAUTIFUL ADRIATIC SEA

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Experience the amazing Atrium project:

Enjoy sublime Brisighella Olive Oil:

And delicious Bertinoro Wines:

Great food experience at Casa Artusi:

A city-centre family palace: Casa Masoli

Wonderful country-style hospitality Relais Villa

Roncuzzi:

City-centre designer hotelVilla Foris:

De Luxe 4 and 5 star accommodation in Milano Marittima

Stay in an art-deco Colonia by the sea

I hope that you will enjoy reading about our summer happenings, our witches ride in Ravenna, our 20th century architectural trail, the many personal experiences of our lovely area, but in particular about our food hero Pellegrino Artusi, who was joyous as autumn arrived – for good reason…

In autumn, fat wine grapes are being gathered on our hills and plains; delicious mushrooms and truffles are quietly sprouting and being col-lected in our forests; harvests are being carefully cropped in our fields and orchards.

Our magnificent cities will come to life again after the long summer and as the nights draw in their glorious buildings become lit to create romantic evening settings for lovers.

As the temperature drops and the air becomes clearer it’s a time for massive celebration. You can feel the joy of autumnal bounty in the air- everywhere in Romagna.

And, in autumn, the selection of food is extraordinary - delicious mushrooms and truffles, sweet chestnuts, blue fish and succulent eel, fabulous cheeses, great meats, Sangiovese, and Albano wines not to mention the enormous range of fruits and vegetables in season.

That’s why the range and diversity of autumn food festivals in the area is quite amazing – From Piadina Days in Forli; the Fish Festival in Cesenatico to the Festival of Forgotten Fruits in

Casola Valsenio, the Eel Festival in Comacchio, the Sangiovese festival in Ravenna the Truffle festival in Sant Agata, the Fossa Cheese Fair in Sogliano sul Rubicone , the Olive and Olive Oil Festival in Brisighella, the Wine Festival in Bertinoro, the Sea-Salt festival in Cervia, there is even a Baccanale in Imola– would you believe that these are just a few of the open-hearted full-on food festivals taking place throughout Romagna this autumn?

Full of freshly harvested produce, set in fabulous cities and delightful villages – any one of these festivals must represent a great opportunity to visit and truly experience the taste, the sound, sights and the warm hospitality of Romagna!

In this issue you can read about our magnificent wines, our sublime olives, our amazing foods – why not come and taste them out for yourself this autumn?

In our back pages you’ll find some tremendous opportunities to visit – and, if you already here, whether you’re on holiday in one of our great beach resorts or visiting on a cruise ship – you’ll find some great opportunities to explore. Just ask us and our local team will be happy to help you get the Best of Romagna!

www.BestofRomagna.com is constantly up-dated with new offers - why not visit the site?

[email protected]

...to this first autumn edition of the Best of Romagna.ELCOME...

FULL OF FRESHLY HARVESTED PRODUCE, SET IN FABULOUS CITIES AND DELIGHTFUL VILLAGES – ANY ONE OF THESE FESTIVALS MUST REPRESENT A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO VISIT AND TRULY EXPERIENCE THE TASTE, THE SOUND, SIGHTS AND THE WARM HOSPITALITY OF ROMAGNA!

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Valere Tjolle

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Wines that are part of a 2000 year old cultural heritageThe fabulous vineyards of Bertinoro

Hilltop heaven for foodies Wonderful olive oil and more in Brisighella

Ravenna witches ride unveils great womenBike ride in aid of local refuge highlights powerful ladies and a great new tour

Mona Lisa & Mussolini, Mountain music and an astonishing art snapshot in Romagna

What does a city do after it’s ruled the world Ravenna – ultimate tourism destination

Rasponi revelsA few delightful summer days…

So cool it’s hot A Ravenna designer hotel with style

The heart of great tourist tradition Oride Masoli - from 1960’s Paris couturiers to today’s Ravenna

Ever heard of Pellegrino Artusi?Possibly the world’s greatest contribution to Italian cookery

Italy’s international bird airport goes slow The fascinating Po Delta

Take the sleeper train back 15 centuriesA Byzantine action-packed romantic weekend

San Marino small republic – Big Christmas MarketDuty-free shopping and wonderful Christmas entertainment in a mountain-top world heritage site

Romagna salon in the countryside Be entertained like a Roman dignitary

Get the most out of Romagna with a local guideFascinating tour suggestions for you to experience the Best of Romagna

Best of Romagna Travel OffersSpecially-created tours to help you immerse yourself in beauty, history, food and wine!Pages; 7, 13 , 21, 26

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Abundant Autumn 2013HIS ISSUET

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We very much hope that you will enjoy this small regular snapshot of our land and just a few of its many stories. Perhaps you will be inspired to visit and enjoy to the full!

Romagna - the coastal plain in Northern Italy between the Apennines and the Adriatic - has an extraordinarily rich cornucopia of offers for visitors who care to go outside the usual.

Our beaches are second to none – from Rimini, the ‘Dolce Vita’ of 1960’s tourism along the perfect coast through

Cesenatico, all the way to beautiful Cervia and swanky Milano Marittima – there are over 100 kilometres of soft golden beach and sand-dune playground backed by pine groves and dotted with beachside restaurants serving superb, and reasonably priced local food.

And for culture-vultures, what more can you say than Ravenna, whose history, art and architecture stretch back two thousand years and which hosts no less than eight World Heritage sites. Chock full of stunning mosaics, this amazing city was capital of Italy no less than

three times. And Ravenna represents just a fraction of Romagna’s art city offer. Within Romagna’s borders there are no less that 11 cities and towns full of art, including stunning Faenza with its ceramics and superb square, Forli with its muscular art-deco architecture, Glorious Malatesta city of Cesena, delightful Imola, hilltop Bertinoro, quaint Brisighella ancient Rimini and picturesque seaside Cervia.

You see Romagna in yet another light when you think of its food and wine – we count no less than 24 delicious items

ELCOME TO ROMAGNAW

THE PO DELTA – 54,000 HECTARES OF WETLANDS, FLOATING FORESTS, SALT PANS, LAGOONS AND CANALS ENTICE OVER 300 SPECIES OF BIRD INCLUDING MASSIVE FLOCKS OF BEAUTIFUL PINK FLAMINGOES.

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that are indigenous to Romagna including the Mora Romagna pork, the Squacquerone di Romagna cheese, Romagna peach and nectarine, the Romagna shallot, Volpina pears and the amazing DOC Sangiovese di Romagna, DOCG Albano di Romagna and DOC Trebbiano di Romagna. It’s no wonder that the “Father of Italian Cookery” Pellegrino Artusi hailed from Romagna where his unique foundation with “The best cookery school in Italy” still operates.

And Romagna is not just a three dimensional food, beach and culture destination. The reason for its glorious culinary and cultural heritage is the nearby Po Delta – an amazing resource in itself. 54,000 hectares of wetlands, floating forests, salt pans, lagoons and canals entice over 300 species of bird including massive flocks of beautiful pink flamingoes, The park is a nature tourist’s delight.

We believe that these tourism riches have

fostered some of the best hospitality in the world. Not chains of commodity establishments serving homogenous fare – but mainly small family-run hostelries whose idea is to engage with their guests and deliver a truly unique and personal welcome. Here is real, true hospitality at every level, from basic 1 star establishments to the height of stylish five-star luxury. Examples include our hotel partners the upmarket boutique Villa Foris, the Villa Roncuzzi the Casa Masoli, luxury Premier Hotels and the Residence Villa Marina.

Special interest and activity holidays include cooking courses (naturally!), walking, riding and cycling holidays, you can learn Italian, learn art, even make your own mosaic or ceramic with a master craftsman And, just a hop, skip and jump from

Romagna’s borders are even more untold riches – the fabulous city of Bologna, for example, the delightful cycle-city of Ferrara, and the pretty Venice-like port of Comacchio not forgetting World Heritage, duty-free, mountaintop citadel Republic of San Marino.

So, Romagna has got pretty much everything AND it’s well out of the mass-tourism trail. But don’t think that it is a pushover – Romagnolo people are fiercely independent, they have their own language, their own traditions and their own attitudes – they are rightly proud of their unique heritage and expect tourists to be so too.

So, enjoy our stories and imagine our wonderful tastes, air and scenery we hope we’ll see you here soon… in person to enjoy our hospitality!

SPECIAL INTEREST AND ACTIVITY HOLIDAYS INCLUDE COOKING COURSES (NATURALLY!), WALKING, RIDING AND CYCLING HOLIDAYS, YOU CAN LEARN ITALIAN, LEARN ART, EVEN MAKE YOUR OWN MOSAIC OR CERAMIC WITH A MASTER CRAFTSMAN

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Legend has it that the empress Galla Placidia, while passing through the region, having tried a wine served in a humble terracotta cup, declared: “you should be drunk in gold” (berti in oro, in Italian), from which the town of Bertinoro took its name.

The Bertinoro Wines Project is the result of the collaboration between the Municipality of Bertinoro and a group of local wineries. It aims at promoting this unique territory and its great wines and creating new links between European importers and the Bertinoro wineries.

Bertinoro is a stunningly beautiful hilltop town where wineries, with the utmost respect for its beautiful hills, developed innovative methods for growing their vineyards and have reached excellence, producing top quality wines.

The creation of a Consortium for the Bertinoro Wines Project is underway and will put together the Bertinoro wineries that share the same intentions: tell the story of the land, the wine and the culture, promote them at an international level, focus on local tradition and cutting-edge innovation and, last but not least, top-quality wines. In Bertinoro the finest Riserva bottles are stored in the Riserva Storica dei Sangiovesi di Romagna (Historical Archive of Sangioveses of Romagna) to age for years and kept as precious treasures for special tastings to be held in a few years.

The aim of this project is to store and preserve this fabulous Romagna wine through a

selection of Sangioveses from different areas of Romagna (from Imola in the north to Rimini in the south) and allow them to age properly. When they will be uncorked, in the future, experts and journalists will have the chance to compare vintages and features of the different terroirs, focusing also on the common elements that are the core of Sangiovese di Romagna.

The opening of the Riserva Storica was held on 11 December 2011, with the storage of the first bottles of Sangiovese di Romagna.

Wines grown here in Bertinoro include:

Romagna DOC Sangiovese

Sangiovese is the most representative wine of Romagna. This wine portrays the main features of our land.

The Sangiovese grape variety is one of the oldest in Italy and with such grapes very famous wines like Brunello di Montalcino, Chianti and many others are produced.

In our land, Romagna, and especially on the hills of Bertinoro lying between the Adriatic coast and the Apennines, this grape variety found the ideal soil for growing. The favourable climate that includes mild summer followed by cold winters and high day-to-night temperature excursion allow this versatile grape to grow excellently. This grape makes both young fruity smooth wines and important full bodied high quality red wines as Romagna DOC Sangiovese Superiore and Romagna DOC Sangiovese Riserva Bertinoro.

Ruby red in colour, with purple hints, delicate bouquet of violet and red fruits, especially cherries. Dry, harmonic, slightly tannic, with pleasant bitterish aftertaste. These are the main features of Romagna Sangiovese.

Romagna DOCG Albana

Albana is a white grape variety and was the first white wine to obtain the Italian Denomination of Controlled and Guaranteed Origin (DOCG). Albana has been grown in Romagna since

the Romans, therefore some believe it was named after Colli Albani (Albani hills), the hilly place near Rome where the conquerors of Romagna came from. It is more likely, instead, that its name derives from the Latin word Albus (white), as long as this white grape was considered by Latins to be the best among white varieties. Albana is mainly grown in the inland parts of Romagna, and especially in Bertinoro, a place that has inextricably linked its name to this grape. Romagna Albana is produced in the traditional varieties: Romagna Albana Dry, Romagna Albana Sweet, Romagna Albana ‘Passito’.

Romagna Albana Dry is straw yellow in colour, almost golden; it has fruity, warm, harmonic aroma and it is rich, intense, embracing in taste.Romagna Albana Sweet shows typical golden yellow colour and ripe fruit aroma, with hints of apricot, melon and intense, full, sweet taste. Celli Romagna Albana Passito is obtained after grapes are left to dry It is an excellent dessert wine that can be matched with flavoursome mature cheese as well. Golden yellow, almost amber in colour, its aroma is intense, with hints of honey, peach and apricot.

Romagna DOC Pagadebit

is one of the most typical white wines in this land. The grape variety of Pagadebit originated from Bertinoro and its main characteristics are strength and vigour. Its name, that can be translated as ‘pay dues’, is drawn from its grape features, that being resistant also against bad weather and granting a good harvest year after year, allow farmers to pay their dues. In local dialect ‘Pagadebit’ then.

Pagadebit has a light straw yellow colour with green hints or sometimes golden shades. Fruity and floral bouquet, intense and pleasantly persistent. Dry in taste, extremely fresh but not aggressive, harmonic and balanced, it carries aromas of herbs and flowers. It can be paired with delicate starters of ham or culatello, first courses or soup. Excellent with fish starters or first courses, especially with prawns or seashell. It makes a really good match also with soft fresh cheese. !

DRY IN TASTE, EXTREMELY FRESH BUT NOT AGGRESSIVE, HARMONIC AND BALANCED, IT CARRIES AROMAS OF HERBS AND FLOWERS.

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Brisighella is a delightful medieval hilltop village in the foothills of the Apennines. It’s a wonderful place to explore and has a great many delightful alleyways and terraces where you can enjoy superb views. But as soon as you look out over the valleys and other hills around Brisighella, you will see that the whole surrounding area is just incredibly fertile and covered with every imaginable form of productive greenery. In particular you will notice the terraced vineyards and magnificent olive groves, each individual and different from the other.

That’s because each of the 300 local growers who are part of the local co-operative are families or small businesses, who like many Romagnola people have ideas of their own. The system seems to work as 90% of local growers are part of the co-operative and cultivate some 70,000 olive trees producing up to a maximum of 100,000 kilos of sensational-tasting olive oil every year.

The olives are pressed locally by the co-operative and sold on behalf of the owners. So the system guarantees absolute quality in every way from the olive grove to final bottling. The result is Extra Virgin Olive Oil “Brisighella” DOP – the aroma

is intense and delicate with aspects that bring to mind green artichokes and just-cut grass. The sweet-sour and spicy flavours are said to achieve near-perfect balance and harmony.

But why take our word for it? On a trip to Brisighella you can actually taste the olive oil and roll it around your mouth in a proper scientific tasting room – there’s an experience!

And after you can experience lovely Brisighella itself its unique first floor asses’

walkway, the fascinating clock tower, and if you are feeling energetic enough a stroll to the massive citadel may be in order.

You are certain to taste some of the famous local honey too en route and maybe a little of Brisighella’s fabulous wines. The secret, they say, is in the soil, the extra-fertile hills that Brisighella is set on form part of Faenza’s chalk ridge – also used for the world famous ceramics – but that’s another story!

http://www.brisighello.net/

ILLTOP HEAVEN FOR FOODIESH

Honey, wine, but in particular, here in Brisighella you can taste olive oil to delight the senses.

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DEPARTURE DATES: 2013: September 27; October 4, 11, 18, 25: November 1, 8, 15, 22, 29; 2014: February 7, 14, 21, 28; March 7, 14, 21, 28; April 4, 11, 18, 25; May 3, 10, 17, 24, 31; June 6, 13, 20, 27; July 4, 11, 18, 25;

THURSDAY: Depart London by coach or trainOr Friday Depart by air

FRIDAYArrive Bologna, take the train to Ravenna where you’ll be welcomed by your local host at the train station and taken to your hotel for check-in, welcome briefing and short orientation tour of the city.

SATURDAY – Now to explore this fabulous city and taste the real Ravenna – the stories, the myths, the legends and the food – full day guided walking tour.

The experience will include all the fabulous World Heritage monuments – the Church of S.Vitale commissioned by the Byzantine Emperor Justinian and who is masterfully depicted with the beautiful wife Theodora; the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, the charming, strong empress of the Western Roman Empire; the Neonian Baptistery close to the ancient Cathedral and decorated with stunning mosaics; the Basilica of

Sant’Apollinare Nuovo which was the private

chapel of the Ostrogoths’ King Theoderic; the Basilica of Saint Francis, We’ll also visit the Dantesque Zone where the tomb of the father of Italian Language Dante Alighieri lies.

As we walk through beautiful ancient streets, we’ll take time for a coffee break the in the Main Square.

Then, we’ll visit the unbelievably beautiful, light-filled Basilica of St Apollinare in Classe that was built when Ravenna was Capital of the Byzantine Exarchy in the sixth century.

Finally we will have a taste of the typical Romagnolo food - either staying in the city centre or visiting a winery-farm in the pretty countryside (just few kilometers outside Ravenna). Here we can relax and enjoy the verdant landscape.

SUNDAY: See the natural sights in the extraordinary Commacchio Lagoon and visit statuesque Pomposa Abbey and Comacchio Village (just like a “Little Venice”!) We’ll take a full day

guided tour including a launch trip on the Po Delta to see the amazing, world-famous wildlife!

MONDAY: Free to explore Ravenna

TUESDAY: Today, we’ll take a day into the lovely Romagna countryside – see world-famous ceramics at Faenza, taste olive oil in pretty hilltop Brisighella– a full day in fabulous countryside exploring the taste and the heritage of the region.

WEDNESDAY: The mountaintop Republic of San Marino is our destination for today, created by a Dalmatian stonemason, this vibrant citadel is surrounded by delightful cobbled streets and quite amazing views. We’ll also visit the ancient seaside city of Rimini and its Wednesday market!

THURSDAY: Free for last-day shopping and sightseeing

FRIDAY: Depart for our journey home

TRAVEL OFFER

Price £1,000, €1175, $1542

ITINERARY

INCLUDES:

• Meet and greet on arrival at Ravenna Train Station

• Services of a local host

• Welcome briefing and short, guided orientation tour

• Guided walking tour and wine-tasting as specified

• Guided excursions to San Marino, Ravenna, Po Delta, Comacchio, Pomposa Abbey, Faenza and Brisighella as detailed

• 7 nights bed and breakfast accommodation at a high quality locally owned and run B&B or boutique hotel View accommodation HERE:

Contact us for further details: email [email protected]

ENJOY A FABULOUS WEEK FULL OF EXPERIENCES IN ONE OF THE WORLD’S MOST HISTORIC, ATMOSPHERIC AND HOSPITABLE LANDS

includes Meet and Greet service, Seven nights stylish bed and breakfast accommodation, in depth guided tours of the city, wine and local produce tasting. (Transport to Bologna not included.)

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Witches night bike ride in aid of local refuge highlights powerful ladies and a great new tour

Ever since the powerful empress Galla Placidia ruled some 1500 years ago and created much of historical Ravenna, there have been strong women revered in the city. So many that dozens of streets have been named after brilliant local ladies – partisans,

scientists, lawyers, even saints. And recently a book was published – a topographical guide to Ravenna called “Strade alle Donne” or ‘Streets of Women’.

So when the “Night of the Witches” was arranged by local women’s refuge charity Linea Rosa, it seemed a good idea to organize a guided night bike ride around many of these streets, stopping at key places so that a local tourist guide could explain the women’s stories hidden in the walls.

The tour “Saints, Witches and powerful ladies in Ravenna, their stories told in a magical summer evening” took place on a very warm full-moon-lit 23 June. 50 locals of all sizes and ages joined the ride, and were shepherded around the dark streets by volunteers from FIAB http://fiabravenna.jimdo.com/chi-siamo/ the local bike group. The tour lasted a little over two hours and took in many of Ravenna’s key sights, including Galla Placidia’s mausoleum, Dante’s Tomb, St Francis Church, the Arian Baptistry and many secret sights too. Even with such a large group, progress was brisk and efficient.

The tour was good humoured, relaxed and friendly, the settings dreamily-beautiful under the full moon. The audience listened rapt to evocative stories of women’s bravery, sacrifice and courage, which were often gripping and spine-chilling told by deft storyteller and local guide Cinzia Fabbri It was certainly a night to remember and will hopefully lead to many such evening and day bicycle tours in the future.

Underlying the commitment that the participants had in the tour and the women’s charity was a determination to see some real change for women in Italy.

The local charity Linea Rosa http://linearosa.it/ is at the forefront of this movement, providing counseling and emergency accommodation for local battered women. It is sad to note that some 500 women seek their assistance each year in a city of less than 160,000.

Linea Rosa now runs three establishments in the area in Ravenna, Russi and at seaside Cervia. Their ability to provide a service depends on dozens of willing and capable volunteers but like many organizations of its sort, funding is always a challenge.

Hence the “Night of the Witches” when many events are held by Linea Rosa in Ravenna’s public gardens (including the bike ride departure). Now in its fourth year, the evening’s entertainment provides much needed funds and public exposure.

Maybe the brave ladies of Linea Rosa may one day find a street named after them in Ravenna?

IGHT OF THE WITCHESRavenna witches ride unveils great women

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Quirky and sublime Romagna unveils a swathe of fascinating projects - tourism treasure chest reveals even more hidden jewels

Benito Mussolini was born near Forli and it was here that his rise to political power began. It’s no wonder that he chose his hometown to showcase the power and grandeur of his Fascist movement.

The grand avenue of Fascist architecture stretches from the massive railway station to the memorial monument and includes a flying school, a massive gym, workers flats, two schools and many other buildings all in a muscular Art Deco style now called Totalitarian Architecture.

The town council have been prime movers (with other countries in South East Europe) in a massive new ATRIUM project to see these monuments for what they are, create a tourist

trail, and to understand the Fascist, and other totalitarian movements, and their destructive power. In Forli, along with the fascinating buildings, a new collection has been shown “Novecento” which depicts both pre-war Italian daily life and great works of Fascist art.

And, to promote the “Totalitarian Architecture Cultural Route” to tourists, a “Festival of the Twentieth Century” has been launched, a collection of events which involve the whole Forli area including five towns of the district: Bertinoro, Castrocaro Terme, Terra del Sole, Predappio, Forlimpopoli and Cesenatico. The idea is to create a visit to the area, which, starting from rationalist and monumentalist architecture, is able to include all that the cities can offer in terms of art, events and food. Quite a combination!

And, when the war was over, in 1949, as the post-war boom was helping Italy get out of its economic traumas, a rich local art collector and brickmaker , Giuseppe Verzocchi contacted Italy’s top 70 artists. His request - paint what

you like, and I’ll pay but just make sure that each painting has one of my bricks in it! The Verzocchi collection - an unique snapshot of Italy in the early 1950’s was given to Forli in 1961. Included in the collection are such world-famous artists as Moreni, Morlotti,, Santomaso, Birolli Capogrossi Turcato Carra, Casorati, de Chirico and Depero to name just a few. The collection will be on show by the end of 2013 in a specially-restored Forli Palazzo.

SEE ALL THESE WORKS ONLINE HERE

ONA LISA, MUSSOLINI, MOUNTAIN MUSIC & ASTONISHING ART

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And, just down the road from Forli and still in Romagna, a new discovery has just taken place.

Outside the fabulous hilltop citadel of San Leo, the landscapes that graced many Renaissance portraits (including Leonardo’s Mona Lisa) have been pinpointed.

The discovery, in the Montefeltro area, of the background landscapes of Piero della Francesca and other painters (including Leonardo da Vinci), is a real treasure and represents an absolutely unique and original tourist and cultural offer Conceived by Rosetta Borchia and Olivia Nesci, two local landscape seekers, with the help of a promoter, Silvia Storini, the project is called Montefeltro Renaissance Sights.

The idea is to create a new, alternative and unique unconventional hillside museum concept. The museum will be in the open, in the sun, in the wind, “closer to the sky”. Tourist information will be lively, dynamic and interactive..

Time for a party?

In Romagna it’s always time for a party!. And at the tiny picturesque hilltop settlement of Pennabilli (pop 1,500)a massive party recently kicked off. ‘Artisti in Piazza’ plays host each year to 64 international theatre, music, circus and street art companies. This festival attracts no less that 40,000 guests who enjoy great music and entertainment, fabulous food and wine and astonishing hospitality. But, Pennabilli had one massive asset - a committed resident in the form of Tonino Guerra, concentration camp survivor, acclaimed film director, poet and friend and screenwriter to Frederico Fellini. He created the magical gardens around Pennabilli, “Places of Reflection” including the “Garden of Forgotten Fruits” and the “Sanctuary for Thoughts”. Guerra even enticed the Dalai Lama to Pennabilli to plant a mulberry tree for peace. Asked “Why do you do this festival” - the organizers replied “To have fun, of course!”That’s Guerra, that’s Romagna.

STAY IN A FASCIST COLONIA

Interested in staying in a real bit of architectural history – by the sea? In the 1930’s the fascist regime created a number of holiday hotels called ‘Colonie’. These fabulous bits of muscular Art-deco were for young people from cities to stay and enjoy themselves with the aid of sensational sea air and great destinations.

The Residence Villa Marina is one such place – in the up-market resort of Marina di Ravenna. The residence is a superb example of an ex-colonia and faces the sea with its own little pine wood. It has been completely and beautifully renovated.

The establishment had closed down in 1980 and was brought to life again with a co-operative effort spearheaded by Claudio Vallicelli, a local businessman. You can now rent or buy a restored apartment at any time of year.

http://www.residencevillamarina.it/

THE IDEA IS TO CREATE A NEW, ALTERNATIVE AND UNIQUE UNCON-VENTIONAL HILLSIDE MUSEUM CONCEPT. THE MUSEUM WILL BE IN THE OPEN, IN THE SUN, IN THE WIND, “CLOSER TO THE SKY”.

Who brought him to the party?

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Ravenna took a millennium or so to re-invent itself as a good place to live and a great place to visit.

Getting to the stage where tourism works, both for tourists and for destinations is a pretty long and interesting process.

In Ravenna’s case, building up a stock of tourism assets meant that she had to start off as the capital of the western world back in 402AD.Being a world power and dominating the Adriatic attracted, of course, the usual cast of wild and wonderful characters and massive wealth plus lots and lots of history and really great stories to add to its tourism inventory.

For instance., women and power has been a pretty potent combination through the ages and Ravenna had the pick of the crop starting with 4th century empress Galla Placidia.

Another Ravenna woman (gorgeously depicted in Ravenna mosaics) was the totally fabulous 6th century’s great dancer, Theodora. This lady started off in life as the beautiful young daughter of the trainer of the blue chariot team

in Constantinople, progressed to performing on stage in a brothel at the age of 16 and within just a few years was married to emperor Justinian. There were and are many more top drawer women in Ravenna including Byron’s lover Teresa Guiccioli. And, of course, all this wealth and power, passion and glamorous

women attracted amazing art, architecture and writing (Dante for instance!). There could be no place in the western world with just so many exotic mosaics, palaces, basilicas and tombs delivering an extraordinary heritage to the modern inhabitants. It is rightly a World Heritage site.

HAT DOES A CITY DO AFTER IT HAS RULED THE WORLD?

W

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Ravenna has one other critical asset - its position. Originally the city was a major seaport, crossroad between the west and the east, but gradually the sea receded and the city’s power diminished leaving it close enough to the coast to get lots of amazing seafood but not quite close enough for naval battles.

Ravenna’s position also delivered more great culinary heritage - it is the next stop on the via Emilia from Bologna, capital of great Italian food and right in the heart of the great agricultural and vinicultural wealth of the Po valley.

What more could you want? Great history, culture, art, architecture, fabulous food - perhaps a bit of peace and quiet in which to enjoy it?

The question now is: How to carry on having a great party after all the power and wealth has dried up and how get the money to look after all these amazing works of art and architecture? Tourism of course was the answer - just like Ravenna’s younger sister up the coast, Venice.

The Ravennate (as the inhabitants of Ravenna are called) are pretty canny - and they wanted to do tourism in a way that allowed them to enjoy themselves as they always had without making too many concessions. In other words to create a great place to live that would also deliver a tourism experience that worked.

Key to this is to attract the sort of tourists that the Ravennate find acceptable and pleasant.One of the ways to do this is to have a party

that you know you’ll enjoy and invite others to it - like the Ravenna Festival in fact four festivals, April, May, June and July and November. Choc a bloc with amazing performances that delight residents and tourists alike, the Ravenna Festival is a cultural stunner - and it works at many levels. No wonder Ravenna is going for “European City of Culture 2019”

Another way is to manage your tourism to attract groups that won’t mess up your evenings - cultural groups, school groups and day trippers. Well, the culture seekers and the school groups are easy when you’ve got such an amazing stock of art and architecture.

Another advantage of Ravenna’s geographic position is a swathe of coastal resorts

(including iconic destination Rimini with 2million+ package tourists a year) and a nearby port ready and waiting for up-market cruises. Cultural day trips are ideal for both, then the Ravennate can stroll around their beautiful city in peace and calm after the tourists have left.

That’s the visitor numbers sorted. But how to make sure that their visit is productive both in revenue for Ravenna’s inhabitants and experience for the visitors?

A stock of accommodation, leisure and retail services that are locally-owned, staffed and managed is a great start. In other words - local shops, restaurants and hotels providing employment and profit for local people and a really authentic experience for visitors. A tourism experience with integrity, in other words.

LOCAL SHOPS, RESTAURANTS AND HOTELS PROVIDING EMPLOYMENT AND PROFIT FOR LOCAL PEOPLE AND A REALLY AUTHENTIC EXPERIENCE FOR VISITORS.

A TOURISM EXPERIENCE WITH INTEGRITY, IN OTHER WORDS.

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DEPARTURE DATES: 2013:

September 27; October 4, 11, 18, 25: November 1, 8, 15, 22, 29; December 6, 13, 20, 2014: February 7, 14, 21, 28; March 7, 14, 21, 28; April 4, 11, 18, 25; May 2, 9, 16, 23, 30; June 6, 13, 20, 27; July 4, 11, 18, 25

THURSDAY: Depart London by coach or trainOrFriday Depart by air

FRIDAY - Arrive Bologna, take the train to Ravenna where you’ll be welcomed by your local host at the train station and taken to your hotel for check-in, welcome briefing and short orientation tour of the city.

SATURDAY – Now to explore this fabulous city and taste the real Ravenna – the stories, the myths, the legends and the food – full day guided walking tour.

The experience will include all the fabulous World Heritage monuments – the Church of S.Vitale commissioned by the Byzantine Emperor Justinian and who is masterfully depicted with the beautiful wife Theodora; the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, the charming, strong empress of the Western Roman Empire; the Neonian Baptistery close to the ancient Cathedral and decorated with stunning mosaics; the Basilica of Sant’Apollinare Nuovo which was the private

chapel of the Ostrogoths’ King Theoderic; the Basilica of Saint Francis, We’ll also visit the Dantesque Zone where the tomb of the father of Italian Language Dante Alighieri lies.


Then, we’ll visit the unbelievably beautiful, light-filled Basilica of St Apollinare in Classe that was built when Ravenna was Capital of the Byzantine Exarchy in the sixth century.

Finally we will have a taste of the typical Romagnolo food - either staying in the city centre or visiting a winery-farm in the pretty countryside (just few kilometers outside Ravenna). Here we can relax and enjoy the verdant landscape.

SUNDAY –Enjoy this fabulous city at your leisure, maybe re-visit some of yesterday’s treasures or just enjoy Ravenna – one of Italy’s masterpieces.

MONDAY – depart for our journey home.

Why not take some extra days to enjoy Ravenna, and maybe other visits: Why not learn to cook Italian in “Italy’s Best Cookery School” Casa Artusi and take guided walk in pretty. Visit tranquil Comacchio and take a boat ride on the amazing Po Delta, see Pomposa abbey. Or visit Rimini market & San Marino. All can be arranged.

TRAVEL OFFER

Ravenna from £298/€350/$460 plus flights/coach

ITINERARY

INCLUDES:

• Meet and greet on arrival at Ravenna Train Station

• Services of a local host

• Welcome briefing and short, guided orientation tour

• Guided walking tour and wine-tasting as specified

• 3 nights bed and breakfast accommodation at a high quality locally owned and run B&B or boutique hotel SEE:

TAKE A WEEKEND OR LONGER IN A FABULOUS ITALIAN WORLD HERITAGE CITY OF ART

Includes Meet and Greet service, three nights stylish bed and breakfast accommodation, in depth guided tours of the city, wine and local produce tasting


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The more Italy changes the more it remains the same. It was the last performance of the Ravenna Festival and we arrived in the sultry July evening heat at the massive San Giacomo palace, the seat of the power players in Ravenna - the Rasponi family.

“Can I tell you something” said Cinzia Pasi conpiratorially, as she waylaid us at the gate “They are making a factory here” “It is going to ruin our beautiful area - have a leaflet” “Do you want to see the mayor, it’s his project - he’s standing there”.

To be honest, in the balmy evening with a hundred or so people sitting on the grass and enjoying fabulous world music - it didn’t seem appropriate to stand and demonstrate or talk to the major.

So, we queued up at the trestle table and waited while three delightful local people laboriously wrote out tickets for a couple of ice creams - we paid our 2 Euros and went to the bar to be served. Who cared about the global financial crisis, the possibility that a factory would be built. We’d got our ice creams the musicians were drumming and singing and playing weird string instruments and the bureaucratic ice cream tasted good. The crowd was happy and everything in Italy was in its place.

The concert ended late and after happily getting lost in the grounds of the old Rasponi palace, church and art gallery complex (there is always a great art gallery!) we made our way back to another Rasponi establishment. With its air of peace , understanding and plenty, you couldn’t find a more sublime place to sleep.

After a fabulous sleep in the delightfully-renovated Palazzo Baldini, it was time to have a sunny breakfast. To be honest, you wouldn’t have marked out our hosts as medieval barons. At the Palazzo Baldini, Fillipo (a veterinary surgeon) is a young impeccable, well-travelled ‘Front of House’ and his mother (a Baldini by birth) and his father aided by two inspired chefs look after the hospitality in depth.

It is quickly clear that just everything has been chosen with the best possible taste. From the superb white-sheeted beds, through the thoughtfully-restored and now glazed air vents in the drying-room to the miraculous ravioli, the taste, visual and culinary, is simply perfect.

And these Baldinis don’t stand on formality. For breakfast mother brings out a tray of melt-in-the-mouth just-baked cookies and father asks if we’d like some fresh fruit. He reappears two minutes later with peaches, apricots and nectarines still warm from the sun and just plucked from the trees. With a little perfect

espresso, it’s the breakfast from heaven. And while dad grabs more fruit for us to take away, mum gives the tour of the garden - sample ripe figs, see the goats and chicken and rabbits gamboling and forget about the fact they’re lunch!

It’s time for coffee. Hastily grabbing our bags and gratefully accepting a box of at least 10kg of fresh fruit (“for the journey!”) we leave to have morning coffee in Bagnocavallo.

Ever heard of Bagnacavallo? Little Bologna? Me neither. Yet it is yet another tiny astonishing marvel of Italian medieval architecture, slumbering in the morning sun. Lord Byron must have liked it - his little daughter Allegra is buried here, and there is a tower festooned with car and house keys (it’s historically a place where people come to find their lost property). Apart from that the pretty town has a ‘Lovers Lane’ - yes you have to walk down it…

Then you discover a real architectural jewel - a stunning elliptical piazza - the porticoed 1758 Piazza Nuova. Serene, golden stone gleaming in the sun - it could have come out of a dream.

ASPONI REVELS

Rsomething for the journey

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Food was necessary after such an assault on the senses.

Why not Cervia, the city of sea salt? And yet another miracle-destination. Park up, walk through a little alleyway back at least 500 years. Yet another perfectly sumptuous square in the centre of a new town built on the salt trade at the time when amazing architecture was king. But of course it was Tuesday and on Tuesday lunchtime everywhere that is anywhere in Cervia town was closed.

Now it really is time for lunch, by the sea. The great thing about the Ravenna Riviera is that it’s small, it’s beautiful, the food and drink and relaxation are great and…it’s very, very local. In other words not many people further that 50km away have ever heard of it. Why would they want to, after all?

So, the thing you come to realize about Italy in general and Romagna in particular - is that everything is done as it should be, for locals.You sit in a restaurant on one of Ravenna’s big tranquil beaches and you eat Strozzapreti (strangled priest pasta - don’t ask!) with a sauce of fabulous, fresh from the sea you see in front of you, shellfish. And you feel the calm of families that have been doing exactly all this for generations.

And you consider the fact that through disasters, invasions, economic turmoils, falls from grace, through it all, nothing has really changed for at least a few hundred years.Maybe it’s the rampant bureaucracy that holds it together, maybe it’s the fact that Italy, more than most is not really a country - it’s an amalgam of cuisines, a federation of terroirs, a grouping of tastes; all held together with a common belief in the power of food

and drink and good living and hospitality to triumph.

After all, the Euro may come and go, economic and environmental and political disasters may pass. But a plate of Strozzapreti is something all your senses will applaud for ever.

AFTER ALL, THE EURO MAY COME AND GO, ECONOMIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL AND POLITICAL DISASTERS MAY PASS. BUT A PLATE OF STROZZAPRETI IS SOMETHING ALL YOUR SENSES WILL APPLAUD FOR EVER.

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There are certain cities in the world where you can be sure of wall-to-wall taste experience in every sense of the word and one is Ravenna.

The ancient, mosaic-filled, ex-capital of the western Holy Roman empire. In this city, unusually with its own nearby beachfront, new boutique accommodation is springing up taking advantage of fabulous architecture to deliver really sumptuous luxury to demanding tourists.

For instance the Villa Santa Maria Foris - extremely up market, luxury bed and breakfast is a millionaire’s mansion newly refurbished and decorated in the British style. The villa incorporates delightful works of art including fabulous Murano glass chandeliers, of course a library, of course a serene garden, of course superb intimate lounge areas. And, of course, fabulous local breakfasts!

The hotel seems to have been designed around wonderful places to eat breakfast or have an

early evening drink, late-night nightcap or a sun-soaked breakfast!

They say that Villa Santa Maria Foris is quite like a restrained and elegant theatre. “One of the most exciting parts of our job was to treat some areas of the hotel as a stage.” Said the designers “If you love theatre and its most spectacular angles... let the show begin!”

As it is in theatre, light is the key that can modify the atmosphere more than any other component. There is a fine line between perfection and banality and they love to

mix humble and luxurious elements in order to create an environment that escapes classification.

So yet another hotel experience in Ravenna!

http://villaforis.it/

O COOL IT’S HOTHISTORIC CITIES SPAWN TASTY ARTISTIC ACCOMMODATION

S

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The B&B is the heart of tourism and Oride is the soul of the Casa Masoli family businessesRavenna is a great destination - it has everything from a massive 1500 years of history, a living culture, great music, stunning sights and architecture, fantastic food, warm and friendly people - and it’s just a hop skip and jump to the Adriatic beach at Marina di Ravenna.

But more than all that it has fabulous B&B hospitality, exemplified no better than Oride Guerrini Masoli at Casa Masoli.

This fabulous ancient city wall palace B&B is furnished with great antiques from the family’s houses in Ravenna and in Venice - the rooms are simply stunning and include a suite with bedroom, library, dressing room, Art Deco bathroom (with a massive marble bath). All from just 70 Euros a night with breakfast!

And what a breakfast! The spread includes jams, stunning sweet ravioli, superb applecake and apple strudel, tiny pastries and other delicacies - all of course made by Oride. Simply a sweet breakfast feast.

Of course the Casa Masoli is Oride’s hospitality statement - her view of what really good hospitality should be - not loud and noisy but thoughtful and comfortable and very, very good.

Just like her fashion statements from her time as a fashionable dressmaker, stylish, well made, chic and built to give the maximum amount of pleasure for the maximum amount of time!

When she started in business as a teenage seamstress and dressmaker, she worked in the elegant Via Cavour and did that so well that before she could turn another hem she was in Paris making clothes for Yves St Laurent, Coco Chanel, Dior and all the other labels.

This being the 1960’s she had a pretty good time too meeting all the designers such as Karl Lagerfeld (while he was working for Jean Patou). Ask Oride if she enjoyed these years and she’ll say “Like Crazy!). Her personal favourite has remained Yves St Laurent.

And when she came back to Ravenna, she naturally started a chain of very fashionable, very beautiful fashion shops and she ran them so well and filled them with such good things that people flocked from kilometers around to get her stylish clothes. She simply loves to dress beautiful women!

But she loved cooking too -even when she was a seamstress she made lots of traditional Cappelletti in the Romagnola tradition (her recipe starts with “Take 30 eggs”!). So it seemed natural to combine her business

acumen, her sense of style and her exuberant cooking to run a superb and elegant B&B. She took on the business with her daughter Anna to deliver the very best in hospitality, good cooking and good baking.

The proof is in a visit. Understated elegance, superb food and warm hospitality - that’s what Oride and Anna have created at Casa Masoli in Ravenna.

HE HEART OF THE GREAT ROMAGNA TOURISM TRADITION

T

OF COURSE THE CASA MASOLI IS ORIDE’S HOSPITALITY STATEMENT - HER VIEW OF WHAT REALLY GOOD HOSPITALITY SHOULD BE - NOT LOUD AND NOISY BUT THOUGHTFUL AND COMFORTABLE AND VERY, VERY GOOD.

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And fashion is still in their blood they offer special discounts at their fashion shops Podere Pilicca Ravenna to all guests at the Casa Masoli Oride couldn’t have chosen a better place, Ravenna abounds with classy, stylish B&B’s including the newly refurbished upmarket Santa Maria Foris , through the M Club de Luxe and, of course the fabulous Casa Masoli

How sustainable is this? Very. Local ingredients, local value-added, local business, locally-owned and locally-run. A real asset to the local community.

http://www.casamasoli.it/

Oride in her fashionista days

OUR PERSONAL ROMAGNA TOP 10...

The stunningly beautiful Basilica of St Appollinare in Classe

Piadine (locally-produced flat breads) - delicious!

A boat trip on the amazing wildlife-full Po Delta

The Mausoleum of Galla Placidia

Delightfully pretty Bagno Cavallo where Byron’s lover Theresa lived

Lunch or dinner at Casa Artusi - the greatest cookery school in Italy

Tasting REALLY GREAT olive oil in pretty hilltop Brisighella

Staying in one of the fabulous family-run palace B&B’s

Tasting totally superb Sangiovese di Romagna

Wondering at stunning mosaics

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If not you have some wonderful eating, drinking and living to do in the warm company of the father of Italian home cooking. In 1891, At the tender age of 70 Pellegrino Artusi, a rich travelling Florence-based merchant got his final refusal from yet another publisher.

This delightful, energetic gentleman’s life-work was to travel the length and breadth of Italy prior to unification and collect authentic local home recipes from all over soon-to-be Italy. And, of course, each recipe had both a story and a taste!

Anyway, Artusi, not to be deterred, went ahead self-published his first volume of 475 recipes called “Science in the Kitchen and the Art of Eating Well” And, of course it quickly sold out. 122 years later it is still one of Italy’s best

selling books and has never been out of print.

Artusi travelled throughout the Italian peninsula. He became familiar with many of the regions and their culinary traditions, and he began collecting recipes that later became the foundation of his book. Family wealth enabled him to retire at the age of 45 and he devoted himself to his passions, culture and cuisine.

Born in Romagna in the town of Forlimpopolo, this successful fabric merchant and bon viveur had moved to Florence as a young man.

Luckily for us, because when Italy was unified in 1861 only 2.5% of the country’s population could speak Italian. So the book, written in Italian was a unifying force in itself - speading opportunities and understanding together with the recipes.

“Two are the pleasures of life - the tablecloth and the bedsheet”

And it’s no wonder that the book has been so successful, Artusi himself was leery of books about cooking. In his preface he says, “Beware of books that deal with this art: most of them are inaccurate or incomprehensible, especially the Italian ones. The French are a little better. But from either, the very most you will glean are a few notions, useful only if you already know the art.”

He considered his book a teaching manual, “I practice using this manual, one simply needs to know how to hold a wooden spoon,” he wrote. “The best teacher is experience. Yet even lacking this, with a guide such as mine, and devotion to your labours, you should be able, I hope, to put something decent together.”

VER HEARD OF PELLEGRINO ARTUSI?

THE BEST TEACHER IS EXPERIENCE. YET EVEN LACKING THIS, WITH A GUIDE SUCH AS MINE, AND DEVOTION TO YOUR LABOURS, YOU SHOULD BE ABLE, I HOPE, TO PUT SOMETHING DECENT TOGETHER.”

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But, most importantly, and typically, - in his 14th edition he says this “Finally, I should not like my interest in gastronomy to give me the reputation of a gourmand or glutton. I object to any such dishonourable imputation, for I am neither. I love the good and the beautiful wherever I find them, and hate to see anyone squander, as they say, God’s bounty. Amen”

He saw 15 editions published before his death in 1911 at the age of 90. Originally containing 475 recipes, the last edition of Artusi, as the book is simply called, contained 790 recipes.

Casa Artusi, established in 2007, is a tribute to the man who single handedly put Italian home cooking on the culinary map. Housed in a renovated monastery and church in his birthplace of Forlimpopoli, the foundation has a restaurant, l’Osteria, wine store, culinary school, library, meeting space, art exhibits and museum. It is a place to read, learn, practice, taste and appreciate the treasure that is “Italian home cooking.” The Restaurant and l’Osteria serve traditional, regional dishes and prepare some of Artusi’s recipes, depending the season - all at incredibly low prices. The wine cellar is associated with the Enoteca Regionale Emilia-Romagna and has over 200 different kinds of wine from the region.

The library contains around 45,000 books including Artusi’s personal library, bequeathed to the city, the Italian Gastronomy Collection (books, magazines, films, etc. about food culture, especially home cooking), and the Forlimpopoli Council library.

The Cooking School offers a variety of day classes with some of the area’s best chefs. Also demonstrating regional and traditional Romagnolo home cooking is the Associazione della Mariette, named after a woman whom Artusi said, “. . .is both a good cook, and a decent, honest person. . .”.

Since 1997, Forlimpopoli has held an annual gastronomic event dedicated to Artusi, The Festa Artusiana. For over a week every night between 7pm and midnight, Casa Artusi and the historical centre of the town come alive as a “city of taste.” Streets, alleys, courtyards and squares become stages for food stands featuring Artusi’s dishes, exhibitions, performances, multi-media productions, tastings and gastronomic tours, concerts, children’s events, cultural events, art displays, and more.

http://www.casartusi.it/en20

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October 11, 25: November 8, 22, December 6, 2014: February 14, 28; March 14, 28; April 11, 25; May 9, 23, June, 13, 27; July 11, 25

THURSDAY:Depart London by coach or train Or Friday Depart by air

FRIDAY -Arrive Bologna, take the train to Ravenna where you’ll be welcomed by your local host at the train station and taken to Villa Roncuzzi (see page 28) for check-in, and welcome briefing.

SATURDAY –Now to explore this fabulous city and taste the real Ravenna – the stories, the myths, the legends and the food – full day guided walking tour.

The experience will include all the fabulous World Heritage monuments – the Church of San.Vitale commissioned by the Byzantine Emperor Justinian and who is masterfully depicted with the beautiful wife Theodora; the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, the charming, strong empress of the Western Roman Empire; the Neonian Baptistery close to the ancient Cathedral and decorated with stunning mosaics; the Basilica of Sant’Apollinare Nuovo which was the private chapel of the Ostrogoths’ King Theoderic; the Basilica of Saint Francis, We’ll also visit the Dantesque Zone where the tomb of the father of Italian Language Dante Alighieri lies.


Then, we’ll take a trip out of the city to visit the unbelievably beautiful, light-filled Basilica of St Apollinare in Classe that was built when Ravenna was Capital of the Byzantine Exarchy in the sixth century. Finally we will have a taste of the typical Romagnolo food and wine - either in the city centre or visiting a winery-farm in the pretty countryside (just few kilometers outside Ravenna). Here we can relax and enjoy the verdant landscape.

SUNDAYRelaxed morning local cookery class in San Pancrazia (the small village close to Villa Roncuzzi) taught by local people with decades of cookery tradition. Dinner at the Villa.

MONDAYWe’ll learn to cook at the ‘Best Cookery School in Italy’ and walk a lovely village later. The ‘Father of Italian Cuisine’ – Pellegrino Artusi- came from the pretty village of Forlimpopoli and as he rose to global fame and fortune he bequeathed a sum of money to finance a library and cookery foundation in his birthplace.

And what a library and cookery foundation! Casa Artusi was originally a cloistered monastery and has a superb little chapel (now used as a small theatre). The school itself has 50 fully-equipped positions and there are twosuperb restaurants on the premises.

Here we will learn to create a local Romagna speciality – try it ourselves and enjoy a superb lunch. Afterwards we’ll take a much- needed walk in the pretty hilltop settlement of Bertinoro., a sensational wine producing area where we will taste the DOC Sangiovese di Romagna and the DOCG Albano di Romagna amongst other delicious wines.

TUESDAY:Enjoy a full day guided tour with a morning in the pretty hilltop village of Brisighella and afternoon in the world-renowned art city and ceramics centre of Faenza.

Brisighella is an ancient medieval village in the River Lamone Valley, located in the Apennine Mountains. Here we will take a walking tour to include the “Donkey Alley” and visit the ancient Pieve del Tho – we’ll also have a tasting session of the delicious local olive oil.

We’ll take a lunch of local dishes and wines of the typical restaurants and inns. Afterwards we’ll visit Faenza’s Renaissance-style City Centre, the Cathedral, the Palaces and we’ll learn about the development of ceramic making through a visit to a ceramic workshop to complete the tour.

WEDNESDAY:Depart for our journey home

TRAVEL OFFER

from £610, €710, $950

ITINERARY

INCLUDES:

• 5 nights accommodation at Villa Roncuzzi • All meals

• Two cookery classes as specified

• Excursions as specified with local English speaking guide

• Wine tastings as specified

LEARN TO COOK IN THE BEST COOKERY SCHOOL IN ITALY

Learn to cook in a local cookery school and an acclaimed international Italian one, taste olive oils and wines where they are made, experience the culture, history, food and wine of Romagna.

Contact us for further details: email [email protected] 21

See superb sights, soak in the warm and friendly Italian way of life, eat great food and taste wonderful wine plus learn to cook in two very different cookery schools!

With its amazing history and culture of magnificent food and wine, Romagna is a cook’s total delight.

Sensational produce from the unbelievably fertile land is treated in a way that brings out every sublime taste. Here cookery is not only an art and a science, but an absolutely essential part of everyone’s life.

Our special tour will enable us to cook in two fantastic kitchens – one very rural, the other

quite sophisticated.

We’ll enjoy our own cooked food for lunch and we’ll visit great wine producers in the area so that we can taste the remarkable Albano and the Sangiovese di Romagna wines amongst others.

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Recently a local nature and tourist guide told us that she described the Po Delta to visitors as Frankfurt airport? Why? “Because it is strategically placed between other Northern and Southern wetlands, because of the silt there is plenty of good fish in the sea and it is safe. So you can believe that it is even more busy than Frankfurt airport, but with birds rather than planes. It is a Mecca for birdwatchers, and many other people who want to enjoy its beauty.” She said.

Everybody sees the Po Delta through different eyes - for birds, it’s a massive, strategically-placed version of Frankfurt airport with thousands of movements of many colourful species each microsecond. Environmentalists see it as an amazing biodiversity hub, to farmers and merchants it’s the most fertile and productive soil there is, and for warring states it’s a gloriously productive prize.

Over at least the last 1500 years, the Po Delta’s fertile soil and strategic position have produced the massive wealth and power necessary to create dozens of sublime art cities and thousands of transcendental works of art.Moreover a direct result of the Po Delta’s fertile sea and soil is an astonishing array of fabulous food -luscious fruits and vegetables, magnificent and diverse seafood, superb wines, olive oils and much more.

With its wonderful food and wine, glorious beaches, exceptional cultural and natural heritage and unbeatable hospitality this is a land made for tourism - a fact now recognised by the European Union who are supporting a massive

drive towards sustainable Slow tourism in the area. The idea is to use tourism to preserve, support and steward this cultural, economic, social and environmental resource - and deliver sustainable, authentic, fulfilling experiences to visitors.

Substantial funds are being poured in to create a Slow Tourism paradise with a number of different facets.With its 300 bird species (including the astonishing sight of 10,000 Greater flamingos) the Po Delta is ideal for bird watching and a special new Slow tourism guide has been produced with dozens of itineraries not only for the world’s 80 million birdwatchers but also for families, individuals, in fact anybody who is interested in exploring the magical UNESCO World Heritage 53.000 hectare Po Delta Park.

The delta is beautiful and flat - Ideal for leisurely cycling holidays. As a result of the project a new free Slow tourism guide has been produced with itineraries that help to explore the area’s wealth of sights and experiences. Just

one example takes in one of the world’s most beautiful basilicas (6c St Apollinare in Classe) ancient pine woods and seaside Cervia’s extraordinary salt pan.

Massive wealth and power has been accrued in the area over the last 1500 years in which Ravenna has been twice capital of Italy. This has resulted in a history of lavish festivals and extraordinary architecture - there are literally dozens of treasure-chest cities of art in the area - all worth a slow and thoughtful visit, so they have all been incorporated in special Slow tourism guides including Ravenna Faenza Bologna and Chiogga.

Above all, tourists return again and again to the area because of its remarkable and well-earned reputation for hospitality, food and wine. It is not by chance that the ‘Father of Italian Cookery’ Pellegrino Artusi was born in the area - his legend lives on in the form of a library and cookery school Casa Artusi rated as the best in Italy, So Slow, sustainable tourism and slow food is coming to the fore in the Po Delta and, apart from birdwatching, cycling, seeing sights and eating slowly, what else is on the menu?Tourists can try boating the delta, for example, enjoy seaside breaks on the lovely beaches of historic Rimini, Ravenna, or Cervia combined with a little culture and some walking or cycling. Specific wellness holidays are also available and a massive range of sports including pretty much everything.

Participation from hundreds of local initiatives in Veneto and Emilia Romagna is certainly a great start to helping this exceptional area derive real benefits from tourism and tourists to have fabulous natural holidays.The time to visit may be now!

I TALY’S INTERNATIONAL BIRD AIRPORT GOES SLOW Slow tourism on the Po Delta menu

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There I was enjoying Lyon pistachio sausage, mashed potatoes in chives, with mustard dressing followed by a selection of delicious macarons at the amazing Fin de Siecle Train Bleu restaurant admiring the view of the trains in Paris’s Gare du Lyon. And the disappointing email arrived. What no sleeping car on tonight’s train to Bologna? I’ll have to sleep in a 6-berth couchette cabin! How terrible, particularly as I’d been looking forward to first class comfort on a romantic night journey.

I’d left London St Pancras on Eurostar to Paris Nord had a superb journey this far, everything had been comfortable in the extreme, so the email was unwelcome to say the least. But, as it happened, all was to be well - the comfort-level was to continue thanks to a superb train manager called Clothilde who hailed from from the Ivory Coast - I was to travel all the way to Bologna overnight in a six berth couchette cabin - all to myself on the Thello night train.

And what a relaxing journey,- through France, the Alps into snow-covered northern Italy, watching the landscape changing constantly was a delight.

And as the train drew in to a very cold 6am Bologna - I needed an extra breakfast. Wonderful custard-filled rolls and perfect espresso at the station buffet certainly filled a gap in my stomach.

Now for the Trenitalia train to Ravenna and,

within a couple of hours, I was stomping about in the snow behind the majestic 1.500 year old Basilica of San Vitale! with a little crowd waiting to enjoy a tour around the superb but little-visited treasure-chest National Museum of Ravenna in the cloisters of its former Benedictine monastery. All to be fully explained by a great guide. What hidden treasure is there here? Pretty much everything from collections of precious ivories, an armoury, glorious Coptic fabrics, vast displays of coins, even a whole apothecary shop.

But the undisputed star of the show is the delicate and amazing cycle of frescoes by Pietro da Rimini, one of the most important painters of the XIV Century, removed from the ancient church of Santa Chiara at Ravenna and all explained in detail, meticulously, panel by panel, by our very knowledgeable local tour guide Cinzia.

After this there was more, much more - around

AKE THE SLEEPER TRAIN BACK 15 CENTURIESA byzantine action-packed food & culture weekend by train to Ravenna and the heart of Romagna

AND WHAT A RELAXING JOURNEY,- THROUGH FRANCE, THE ALPS INTO SNOW-COVERED NORTHERN ITALY, WATCHING THE LANDSCAPE CHANGING CONSTANTLY WAS A DELIGHT.

T

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the cloisters are set out various funeral stelae, works of art in themselves, but brought to life taking us all back to 500ad when Ravenna ruled Italy, as Cinzia patiently interpreted the meanings of the stone masons’ pictures - with the help of our fascinated younger tour guests.

Finally we came to her personal favourite, a sculpture of a romantic dead knight - Guidarello Guidarelli - a man “devoted to

the arts and the counsel” killed tragically as a soldier of Cesare Borgia near Imola in 1501 and immortalized by Venetian sculptor Tullio Lombardo.

Phew - a great deal to take in so lunch must be on the menu! It had to be a filling family affair of salad and just one of the delicious local specialities - Cappeletti (little hats) pasta - superb.

But no time to lose, more of Ravenna awaited and the afternoon was spent exploring another fabulous Ravenna Byzantine building - it would be a rave anywhere in the world, but in Ravenna, such is its surfeit of riches it doesn’t even get into the UNESCO list - the historic, atmospheric, eerie and utterly beautiful Basilica of San Francisco - sensational crypt, below sea level as always with a few inches of water in it but no noticeable goldfish today!

And across the road, another of Ravenna’s claims to fame - the tomb of the much-adored Dante Alighieri, the writer of the Divine Comedy and still Italy’s Shakespeare and Chaucer combined!

So, a lot was packed in to one day - much food for the heart, the soul and the brain. The stomach was crying out for its turn again, but one thing that you are absolutely sure about in Ravenna is that you will not hunger for amazing food and drink. Compliments of

the wonderfully fecund Po Valley - literally everything is here.

Dinner was a splendid fish banquet - Smeriglio (local edible shark) and breadcrumbed Calamaretti (baby squid) were all on the menu, plus delightful little cakes from a corner-shop café and patisserie.

Then off for the night to what is, in my view,

probably the most stylishly aristocratic B&B in the world - the Casa Masoli . Is it possible to beat a massive four-poster, frescoed ceiling, state-of-the art panelled art-deco bathroom, dressing room AND library plus free wifi for 70 Euros a night. I certainly slept well!

And in the morning, included in the price a full breakfast spread of local delicacies, cheese, ham carved off the bone, boiled eggs, all sorts of coffees - too much? No, it was to be a bracing day.

And after a superb breakfast of local goodies what else would you want to do in Ravenna other than to see the sights in an easy, lazy Sunday way? As they say “Taste the Real Ravenna - the stories, the myths, the legends and the food - on a guided walking tour.

Yes guided again - it added so much value yesterday, how much more can it add today?

So all the morning was spent, actually 1500 years ago when Ravenna was Italy’s capital.

With the help of my guide - we delved into the relationship between the Emperor Justinian and his exotic wife Theodora, we talked about the tough Empress Gallia Placidia, we saw some heart-breakingly stunning mosaics and walked around churches, basilicas, baptistries, and mauseleums of this long-gone age - listening to

gripping, romantic, bloodthirsty real stories and myths of the past.

A coffee (and gelato!) break to recuperate before lunch, and… a drive into the country, into a scene that has not changed since I have been visiting Italy. - just a few short decades ago! A massive room, opulent fabrics, comfortable chairs, big families dining, authoritative waiters all presided over by a powerful lady. As soon as you open the door, smell the smell, see the sight, you know that the food and wine will be extraordinarily good.So it was - as it happens the Agriturismo Artemisia is not only very good indeed, it is also totally organic. Just reading the menu is a total delight.

Lunch was a big plate of delightful little deep-fried mouthfuls, followed by large and perfectly-cooked Bacala followed by a wonderfully-organised dessert.

Astonishingly good so far but still the highlight of the weekend is to come - after lunch we visited the Basilica of Sant Apollinare in Classe possibly the simplest, most elegant, most stunningly beautiful example of early Christian architecture in Europe. Full of light, with high wooden-vaulted ceilings and an atmosphere that seems to raise your soul high and mosaics that fascinate your eye. All I can say is that it is by far the most clear and most beautiful and most affecting spiritual site I have ever visited - anywhere. Perfection - even with the buffaloes outside!

And the weekend is not yet over - next on the agenda is a visit to yet another monastery-conversion - the City Museum First a look at the current internationally-rated exhibition - Borderline - with pictures by Dali, Bosch, Recalcati, Moreni, Fabbri, Perez, De Pisis, Zinelli and so many more - examining in heart-breaking colours and gripping detail the often very fine line between sanity and insanity.

Downstairs, quick, to less confrontational works in the museum’s main collection and some superbly-executed works of art by marginally less well-known painters and sculptors. A glorious and colourful display in a well-curated, superb space - even our old friend - Guidarello Guidarelli was there to greet us!

Finally a serene interlude before the inevitably sad departure- a visit to the 16c basilica of Santa Maria in Porto and a sight of the Greek Madonna brought to Ravenna from Constantinople and still evoking mysterious majesty.

Time to say goodbye and offer a prayer of thanks to Ravenna here and take the overnight train journey via Bologna and Paris home (yes a sleeper was available).

Walking around Paris taking in the sights before the final leg of the journey - you realize that this particular Byzantine weekend is an experience that you’ll never forget. Just how does Ravenna do it?

INCLUDED IN THE PRICE A FULL BREAKFAST SPREAD OF LOCAL DELICACIES, CHEESE, HAM CARVED OFF THE BONE, BOILED EGGS, ALL SORTS OF COFFEES - TOO MUCH!”

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in mountain-top world heritage siteIn the beautiful mountaintop republic of San Marino, the guest is guaranteed a good deal. Not only are sights in this atmospheric World Heritage destination stunning, but the Christmas shopping is simply sensational. Visitors benefit from one very specific advantage - San Marino is not a member of the EU and therefore shopping is effectively duty-free.

Apart from the dozens and dozens of pretty stalls selling artisan Christmas goods, there are the delightful little boutiques selling everything from perfume, sports goods, jewellery and watches - everything you’d expect of a high class duty-free store - and all Christmas-decorated up to the eyes! And a big plus… outlet stores from many of the big brands selling low price fashion.

Added to all this - San Marino knows how to put n a good Christmas show - they call it “Christmas of Wonders”. And so it is - light

shows, brass bands, Christmas music, and, of course Santa Claus - the works.

Don’t like shopping? San Marino is big in tourism attractions too with a splendid modern art collection, a ‘Red Ferrari’ museum - even a museum of curious objects it has a lot to show interested visitors.

Visitors mainly come from the Italian cities around, but there are increasing numbers of international visitors and it’s easy to understand why.

And the Christmas market has been an astonishing success - last year San Marino welcomed over 75,000 Christmas shoppers, recorded a 389% increase in guided tours, and over 22,000 cable-car rides.

All this Christmas activity helps to make San Marino a year-round destination and to achieve one of its major goals - to be a great space for events, particularly those which attract an up-

market clientele.

Not finished shopping? After you leave the mountain, down on the plain, in Rimini’s historical centre there is another Christmas market. You can’t get too much of a good thing, particularly at Christmas!

Duty-free shopping and wonderful Christmas entertainment

S AN MARINO - SMALL REPUBLIC, BIG CHRISTMAS MARKET

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29 November, 6, 13 December

TRAVEL OFFER

Price £359/€421/$553

THURSDAY:Depart London by coach or train Or Friday Depart by air

FRIDAY Arrive Bologna, take the train to Ravenna where you’ll be welcomed by your local host at the train station and taken to your hotel for check-in, and welcome briefing.

SATURDAYAfter breakfast, you can enjoy your accommodation and take a stroll around or on option is a full-day tour of Ravenna with a local guide- hear the myths and stories and taste the food and wine on a full day guided trip which takes in all the unique World Heritage sights in this fabulous city before going into the country for a wine-tasting session and returning late in the afternoon (optional extra tour cost (See page 29)

SUNDAYShopping day! Off to the historic centre of Rimini to visit its massive Christmas market before going to the amazing World Heritage city-state of San Marino for some really classy Christmas shopping – wonderful little boutiques selling a massive range of goods from perfumes to jewellery to electronics PLUS big designer outlets.

MONDAY Why not stay an extra day and enjoy the fabulous city of Ravenna at your leisure, alternatively take a day into the lovely Romagna countryside – see world-famous ceramics at Faenza, taste olive oil in pretty hilltop Brisighella– a full day exploring the taste and the heritage of the region with a local guide.

ITINERARY

INCLUDES:

• Meet and greet on arrival at Ravenna Train Station• Services of a local host

• Welcome briefing and short, guided orientation tour• Day tour to Rimini and San Marino Christmas markets• 3 nights bed and breakfast accommodation at a high quality locally owned and run B&B or boutique hotel see: SEE

SAVE AT SAN MARINO DUTY FREE CHRISTMAS MARKET

Enjoy an amazing shopping trip – Duty free & Christmas Market combined in one of the most amazing mountain-top settings in the world!

Combine a visit to Ravenna - fabulous art city with amazing duty-free Christmas shopping in World Heritage Republic of San Marino.


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OMAGNA SALON IN THE COUNTRYSIDEJust down the road from the Villa Roncuzzi is one of the best-preserved Roman villas in Northern ItalyTwo thousand years ago, it must have been a place of great status. One can imagine guests being entertained lavishly with great food and wine and music, enthralled by the works of art and artisanship which the villa’s powerful owners would have displayed throughout the property. Occasional soirees would take place where guests would while away the hours until dawn.

Roman hospitality was legendary, little would have been missed to impress guests, put them at their ease and soothe their cares away.Nothing much has changed then, except for the fact that the Roma Villa’s entertainment and hospitality has been taken over by the Relais Villa Roncuzzi in nearby San Pancrazio.

It too is built in traditional style although in the 19th century rather than the first. Recreated and restored in 2006, the thorough restoration has transformed the building into a really charming small hotel. Thick walls and wooden

beams attest to the building’s comfort and impressiveness.

And like the Roman Villa, the Villa Roncuzzi serves as a superb showcase for works of art created to delight guests. Frescoes, sculptures, ceramics paintings, fabulous furniture, great local literature and objets d’art are scattered everywhere, in public areas and, of course in the hotel’s bedrooms. Outside, the mise en scene doesn’t stop, a fabulous fragrant rose arbour, a superb row of monumental lime trees all delight guest’s senses.

Owner Patrizia Poggi visualized the villa as a place of local culture, displaying all that is best about Romagna. The kitchen, of course, is where some of the greatest art of all takes place, great local produce, fantastic local wines and superb service combine to make the guests at ease, happy and relaxed.

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