Emilia Romagna

There are 20 regions in Italy. A region is like a province or a state. The city of Bologna is in Emilia Romagna, which occupies the north-central portion of Italy. It is south of the Po River, and north of Tuscany. The eastern border is the Adriatic Sea and in the west it borders the region of Liguria (where Genoa is). There is also a small country located within the borders of Emilia Romagna, the independent republic of San Marino. I haven't been yet, but for some reason I am fascinated with the idea of a small country located nearby. Picture Kentucky deciding to become its own autonomous country, how weird would that be? Ok, maybe not the best example.....

But, I divert. On the culinary front, Emilia Romagna is most famous for inventing Lasagna, stuffed pastas including Tortellini and a smaller kind of tortellini called Cappelletti (yes, we are named after a pasta!) all served with broth, cream, or the famous Bolognese Ragu. Parma is another city in Emilia Romagna which produces the famous Parmigiano-Reggiano. They also use a lot of pork products like Prosciutto and Mortadella (sort of like the bologna you find at the deli). The city of Modena is also the home of Balsamic vinegar.

Amongst the pasta dishes, which include lesser-known favorites like passatelli and garganelli all’uovo, there is a pasta called strozzapretti. Literally translated, this means "Priest Strangler". According to local lore, the origin of the name goes back to the tradition of the wives preparing this type of pasta for the local priest, while their husbands hoped the priest would choke while he was eating it.

I'm finding that most of Italy has a love-hate relationship with the Church. For many years the Vatican has fought with local governments and rulers for control, and even now there are some areas that harbor resentment towards the Papacy. For example, take Rimini. Rimini is a beach town on the Adriatic ocean about 2 hours from Bologna. It is the place to "see and be seen" in summer. The entire city of Rimini was collectively excommunicated by the Pope around twenty years ago, because of the immorality of the so called Divertimentificio (fun-factory). How do you think they view the Vatican now? While a few are attending mass, others are enjoying a healthy plate of strozzapreti!