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The neatly plated, bite-size city of Parma is home to some iconic Italian dishes and foods. Reggiano parmigiano and Parma di Prosciutto (world-famous parmesan cheese and Parma ham) both come from here.

And if you pull the camera back a little, the broader Emilia-Romagna region is where things like bolognese, balsamic vinegar, tagliatelle, tortellini, ragu and even mortadella all come from.

So it’s little wonder that Parma is full of bars and restaurants serving just the most delicious dishes.

Locals here know what good food and good produce means, and the high standards are set, met and respected everywhere you go in this gracious yet down-to-earth river city.

If you want to know exactly what to eat while you’re here, check out our story on 7 Things You Must Eat in Parma.

For the best activities and tours in the region, click here!

Find the best rates on accommodation in Parma here.

Our Top Picks on Where to Eat and Drink in Parma

Only a short train ride major travel hubs like Milan and Bologna, we’re surprised to find Parma quite unused to tourism. Locals are friendly enough, though they seem surprised to see visitors.

Once we’ve fulfilled our primary goal of visiting a parmesan factory and a prosciutto farm a little out of town (you have to do this tour by the way, it’s fascinating), we settle down to exploring the food offerings of the city.

Trattoria del Tribunale — authentic Parma-centric dishes in an old-school setting

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Just off the main food street of Luigi Carlo Farini, this immense, Tardis-like old-school restaurant is packed with the charm of proper Italian hospitality.

The menu is full of Parma classics served with relish and pride. I came to Parma with a list of things I wanted to eat here; I tick most of them off in here!

Everything we order here is superb, and the service and atmosphere are impeccable. Get here early though as queues for tables build up fast.

Trattoria Corrieri — where the locals go for atmosphere and great food

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A recommendation from another restaurant, Trattoria Corrieri snatched the crown from our favourite — Trattoria del Tribunale — on our very last night in Parma.

Down the side of the University of Parma, this wonderfully homely little trattoria is full of warmth and life. We walk into a dining room packed with laughter and happy voices, staff move with purpose and good manners, and the food is simply splendid.

Add to that the exposed brick, the gingham tablecloths, the waistcoated waiters and the ‘meat cellar’ full of prosciutto legs and all kinds of other salumi, and there’s nothing Corrieri doesn’t have.

Osteria Virgilio — a bright friendly lunch spot

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On the western side of the Parma River, in amongst the alleys and once working class neighbourhoods of the Oltretorrente, the little Osteria Virgilio serves well-made Parma classics with a sense of flare that matches its wine lists.

We stopped in here for a spot of lunch and were impressed. They also had one of the dishes I was seeking: the caval pist — horse tartare. But this is so finely minced that it has almost a pesto smoothness.

We’re so comfortable in this little osteria that we find it hard to leave, especially with so many tempting bottles of wine around us.

Tabaccheria Caffetteria Giulia — drinks and snacks for aperitivo hour

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On one of the main streets of the passeggiata through Parma, Giulia is a lively little cafe with street-side seating, a quick-serving bar and plenty of tempting snacks in the cabinet.

We stopped here for a couple of glasses of wine at aperitivo hour, where you can grab bites to eat with your drink at a nominal fee.

The service is friendly, the drinks are well-priced and the snacks are very tasty. Tick all those boxes!

Enoteca Tabarro — fantastic people-watching and pretty good wine too

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Close to where we were staying in Parma, this funny little wine bar likes to take itself a bit seriously, but if you can overlook the man-splaining, you can score some excellent people-watching.

Order quickly so the guy who works here can’t get settled and grab an outdoor seat at one of the giant wine barrel tables. The wine, which is great by the way, will taste all the better.

Honorable Mentions

We didn’t get round to eating in these last few places, but they’re worth checking out. We’ll definitely try them the next time we’re here.

Osteria dei Servi — for meat grilled over coals and handmade pasta

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At the edge of the markets by the river, this place was completely full when we were here (in winter), but they did recommend we go to Trattoria Corierri, so that deserves credit.

Focused on authentic, homely dishes from the region, this place specialises in house-made pasta and grilled meat that they cook on a huge round charcoal grill.

Da Pepen — for top-level panini

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There’s nothing quite like a freshly made panino from a deli in Italy, and these guys are well-known for theirs. They do things like fresh fig, prosciutto and gorgonzola panini, but also horse meatballs in a sandwich if you’re game.

Ciacco Gelateria — for Parma’s best gelato

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This is a big call — especially without having tried it — but this is apparently the best gelato in a town that knows good food. The website looks slick and the flavours on offer sound quite avant guard, but owner and food scientist Stefano Guizzetti seems to know what he’s doing. We’ll be back, Sefano.

The post Where to Eat and Drink in Parma, Italy appeared first on Mr and Mrs Romance.

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From the Südtirol to Sardinia, from Palermo to Polignano a Mare, Italy’s food map is a patchwork of gastronomic endeavours.

To Italy, geography is food.

Every step you take here brings you to another dish, another local speciality, another unique morsel that owes its existence to the plates of that place. Some have just one food that equates to that region.

And then there’s Parma.

Ninety minutes south of Milan, the town of Parma and its broader region of Emilia-Romagna is the origin story of many of Italy’s keystone foods.

From Parmesan cheese (parmigiano reggiano) and Parma ham (prosciutto di Parma) to balsamic vinegar, mortadella, bolognese and even lasagne, they all come from here.

Check out our Naples food safari, where we find a dozen tasty things native to Napoli

We did this tour of a proscuito and a parmigiano factory in Parma – it was awesome!

Find the best rates for hotels in Parma here

7 Things You Must Eat In Parma, Italy

– Tortelli – (a.k.a tortelli d’erbetta) is a stuffed pasta usually with chard, spinach and ricotta. This is a popular dish in restaurants, but we found this one in a food truck at the markets in Piazza Ghiaia.

You can also find sweet tortelli, filled with crushed grapes and mustard served with butter cheese sauce. This is still considered a savoury dish and is served as an entree or main. It’s also handy to remember that tortelli is vegetarian while ravioli is the same shape pasta, but is usually meat-filled.

– Torta fritta – is often served with entrees of cheese and meats, these delightful crispy crunchy bread squares are fried so they puff up into pillows.

In Bologna these are called crescentina and in Modena they’re gnocco fritto, but they’re the same thing.

– Coppa – refers to ‘single-muscle’ cured meat. In this case, we’re talking about the precious culatello di Zibello. Taken from a particular part of the prosciutto pork leg, this rare and highly-prized cut is known as the ‘king of salumi’. 

– Anolini – is a little ‘bellybutton’ filled egg pasta stuffed with beef stew and cooked in a beef or capon broth. This is a hearty, satisfying dish.

– Caval pist – is a controversial dish. It’s tartare — therefore finely chopped or minced raw meat — but made with horse. It’s so finely minced, the consistency is like pesto. This dish is also sometimes called ‘pesto di cavallo’.

I’d never tried horse before and was expecting the meat to have quite a strong gamey flavour, but it was incredibly mild, almost bland. A touch of salt and lemon lifts the flavour, but it’s the fine texture that’s most impressive.

– Culatello tagliolini – uses prosciutto di parma crisped in sage butter and covered in parmesan cheese to sauce and flavour the tagliolini thin ribbon pasta. As you can imagine, this is a superb dish. I could eat this every day and never get bored of it.

– Mostarda di mele – apple mustard is a typical northern Italian condiment, but it commonly comes with prosciutto di parma and parmigiano reggiano as an entree.

The sweet, warming spiciness of the mustard is the perfect accompaniment to Parma’s two greatest creations!

Bonus – Rosa di Parma – the Rose of Parma

This is quite a dish. It consists of a veal fillet rolled up with prosciutto di parma and parmigiano reggiano so that, when it’s sliced, it looks like a rose. The middle must be rare. We never found this one, but you can see a photo of it here.

Aperitivo Hour

Although Parma is in a different region to Milan, aperitivo hour is strong in this town. At around 6pm, so many places around Parma have plates and plates of different types of food – from sandwiches to salumi to pastries.

All you need to do is find a seat, order a drink and pick your plates. Some places have this as a free snack with your drink, others offer it as an inexpensive pre-dinner bite and everyone gets involved!

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Our first time to Milan wasn’t what you’d call ‘normal’. It was September 2013 and Christina and I were in town for Milan Fashion Week.

The place was absolute chaos.

Piazzas were packed with fashionista and paparazzi, roads were clogged with SUVs hooning the likes of Anna Wintour from one show to the next and streets were humming with a mixture of carnival excitement and irritation.

Christina — aka Hair Romance — had been sent by Schwarzkopf to cover one of the biggest events in the international Fashion Week calendar. The things we got to do and see.

Partying in palaces, staying in grand hotels, rubbing shoulders with the glitterati (yes, that includes Anna Wintour) and even sitting front row of Fashion Week catwalk shows.

Craziness.

The times we’ve been back to Milan since then have been much more ‘normal’, but calm or crazy, spending time in Milan is a wonderful experience. We’ve put together our notes from our trips over the years to bring you our Essential Guide to Milan.

jump to each section of this guide

How to get there

Milan one of the most connected cities in the world.

Milan Malpensa Airport is one of the busiest airports in the world. Most long-haul flights come through Rome or here.

For short-haul and budget flights, Bergamo’s Il Caravaggio International Airport offers a great value option that people regularly overlook, but a shuttle runs every half hour to central Milan — plus Bergamo is well worth looking at while you’re there. The best cappuccino I’ve ever had fyi.

If you’re already in Europe, getting the train to Milan is the perfect option. No parking or transfers, you arrive straight in the middle of the city. Milano Centrale is a major terminal with buses and taxis ready to collect you when you arrive.

The tram system, which also has stops right outside Milano Centrale, is probably the best way to explore the city. The official app is called ATM (Azienda Trasporti Milanesi) and gives you live updates etc all in one place.

Download the phone app from the site here.

Where to stay in Milan

Like any major city, Milan has an enormous wealth of accommodation options. The times we’ve been here, we’ve stayed in hotels and private houses, and we’ve found the city’s northeast near Loreto to be perfect for our needs.

Loreto is superbly connected — close to Centrale but also a lot of other metro stops — and is also near plenty of bars and restaurants. It’s also at the end of the Corso Buenos Aires, one of Europe’s longest shopping streets.

For example, the hotel we stayed at here was the Unahotels Galles Hotel — you can read our full review here.

For whatever reason, accommodation in Loreto is also usually quite reasonable.

Where to eat and drink

Italians really can’t help themselves — they just can’t serve bad food. And the trick to it is you don’t have to go to the swankiest restaurant for the best meal; little local places will often out-punch their bigger, flashier (and more expensive) international competitors.

Here are some of the places we like:

Pirati Poeti

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Initially because it was close to our accommodation, but later because we loved it so much, Pirati Poeti (Pirates and Poets) became our favourite bar in Milan.

Not much more than a hole in the wall with a little covered section on the street for tables, this bar pushed out some great cocktails. But it was more about how friendly the staff were, how quickly we became locals (we were best mates with the owners by the end of the second round) and that sought-after feeling of being part of it all.

We watched a local football derby on the TV they’d angled over the street, we share tables with the locals and joined in the jokes through the evening. A great spot.

Luca & Andrea Bar

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There are plenty of bars and cafes along the canals in Milan’s southwest, but we picked Luca e Andrea’s for its friendly, simple and authentic vibe.

The dishes they serve are pretty straight forward, but generous and tasty. My cotoletta alla milanese (Milan-style schnitzel) was a bit dry, but big enough to keep me happy. Apart from a table of locals, who we were friends with by the end of the meal, we were the only customers on that winter’s evening.

During summer, I’m sure the place is packed.

Ristorante Pizzeria la Ragazza

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About as old school Italian as you can get, La Ragazza is full of the charm that Italian restaurants overseas always try to emulate, but never get quite right.

Staffed solely by older Italian men with a bit of swagger and banter, La Ragazza is the quintessential Italian dining experience — none of this being ignored, belittled or overcharged routine you get in over-touristy places.

The restaurant’s food is all on point. Enormous calzone to enormous steak Florentine, delicate entrees and tasty home-cooked desserts, and a beer, wine and spirits shelf to match, this is the real deal.

All’ Antico Vinaio sandwich shop

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There are a few of these sandwich bars scattered around the city, but the one on the outside wall of Milano Centrale Station is the OG.

These guys smash out hundreds of massive sandwiches every day. Made from fresh focaccia baked out back and brought into the shop as they’re ready, these sandwiches are so full of all the Italian deli goodies you can think of and they’re amazing.

Rivoire Oberdan

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This up-market restaurant is one of those rare places that takes itself seriously enough that it has a sense of humour about it. Eclectic, eccentric and at times just plain weird, Rivoire Oberdan on Piazza Oberdan is decorated with the strangest collections of things.

Samurai armour, French vases and Roman busts fill shelves, rose pink marble shines from the floor, and the walls and ceiling are the canvas of Sistine Chapel style classical paintings. But it’s the stuffed animals that catch the eye. Lions — even a full-size ostrich on its own little desert diorama — stand sentinel around the room.

Food here is excellent. Well-plated dishes are delivered by staff dressed as 1950s cruise liner crew, and the steak tartare is constructed at the table on a little trolley. Pretty cool.

Terrazza Aperol

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Overlooking the Duomo and easy to spot from the street with its bright orange umbrellas, this balcony bar is pricy and packed, but gives great views over the piazza.

This place had only recently opened when we were there in 2013, so ignore the prices in our write-up, but here’s our story on Terrazzo Aperol.

Il Bar

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For even better views of the Duomo, Il Bar is a glorious open-air rooftop venue at the top of the Rinascente department store (level 7).

Don’t take too much notice of the queues to get in (or should I say out) to the bar; most people are waiting to go and take photos then shove off. Ask for a table and you’ll usually be whisked past. Very VIP, darling!

Things to do in Milan

Duomo and rooftop

Europe’s biggest Gothic cathedral, the Metropolitan Cathedral-Basilica of the Nativity of Saint Mary — or just the Duomo to its friends, this 14th Century church is one of Italy’s most striking landmarks.

Go inside to see the statues, ceilings, pillars and saints — and also the zodiac signs in the beautiful floor, and down into the catacombs to see more saintly remains.

But it’s the rooftop that offers the most unique and interesting experiences in Milan.

You need to pay an entrance fee to go into the Duomo, but for a few extra euros, you have access to the roof. And for a couple more euros, you get to skip the narrow clambering staircases and take the elevator to the top. Much more civilised.

From the roof, you get superb views out over the city, but you also get close-ups of the spires and statues that adorn the Duomo — perspectives that you just can’t get any other way.

The intricate details of the roof really are something not to be missed.

Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II mall

Directly north of the Duomo, the Galleria shopping mall is a beautiful glass-topped building that has inspired many glass-roofed malls around the world including the Block Arcade in Melbourne.

Housing some of the most prestigious fashion icons (and at one point a McDonald’s!), this mall with its glass-domed atrium is almost as popular as the Duomo itself. At Christmas time, Milan erects an enormous tree in the middle.

Of course, you can come here to shop, but most people are here to admire the building itself.

Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie and the Last Supper

Within the bright Renaissance-era walls of the Basilica di Santa Maria delle Grazie hides one of the most famous paintings in the world. Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper draws millions of visitors each year.

We’ve never been in to see this masterpiece as the ticketing system is not only complicated, requires planning and has non-negotiable arrival times that we find difficult and off-putting, it’s also very expensive.

But this link will get you one of the best skip-the-queue tours out there if you’re planning to see one of the most significant artworks in the world.

Parco Sempione, the Arco de Pace and Castello Sforzesco

Easily the biggest park in Milan, Marco Sempione is at the heart of the Centro Storico — Milan’s old town. At one end is the magnificent Arco de Pace — Milan’s triumphal arch — and at the other the stout Castello Sforzesco, a 15th Century fortress now turned museum and art gallery.

It’s free to explore the grounds of the castle, but around €5 to go inside. Artworks here include a Michelangelo and some di Vinci frescos.

The Arc de Pace frames the park and castle beautifully, and is a popular meeting place (i.e. people-watching spot).

Cimitero Monumentale

It might seem a little morbid — close to ‘dark tourism’ perhaps — but Cimitero Monumentale (the Monumental Cemetery of Milan) is amazing. Full of ever grander and more opulent mausoleums, this cemetery gives you some idea of the wealth within Milan.

You won’t find the graves of anyone particularly famous here — this isn’t Highgate or Père-Lachaise. But only the super-rich are laid to rest here. Many of the Campari family for example. But you don’t come here hunt the stars; it’s more to marvel at the sheer scale of some of these tombs.

Quadrilatero della Moda

Quadrilatero della Moda or Quad d’Oro is the high-end shopping district of the city. If you’re looking for the haute couture that Milan is famous for, you’ll find it here. The finest, most famous fashion houses have premises in the Quad d’Oro.

So get ready to either grip your wallet a bit tighter or let it fly like a bird released. There’s no middle ground!

Corso Buenos Aires

Europe’s longest shopping street, Corso Buenos Aires is full of the modern, regular ‘high street’ retail.

It’s also full of great bars and restaurants, so it’s worth exploring this 1.2km stretch and its side streets. There’s an abundance of cool, fun places to stop in at, and they tend to be more affordable than anything you find near the Duomo.

Aperitivo hour

This fascinating custom seems to have become a bit of a Covid casualty, but there are still some venues that do aperitivo hour.

For the cost of a drink, you can help yourself to the tasty morsels at the counter and you can usually go up as many times as you like. This is as well as the snacks that come with drinks at most bars. Expect pizzi, cheese, meat, fruit, olives, salads frittatas, crudités and more.

Sport in Milan

Its central location has made Milan not only centre of fashion, but also a financial and industrial one too. And let’s not forget all the tourism from sport.

With not one but two internationally renowned football teams of AC and Inter Milan in the city, as well as Bergamo’s Atalanta BC to the north, Milan’s famed San Ciro Stadium gets a good workout.

Then of course you have the Formula 1 in nearby Monza, and with the 2026 Winter Olympics also held here and across the region, sport is central to Milan’s personality.

Milan in winter

We love to travel to places — especially European cities — out of season. The crowds are smaller, the locals are calmer and you get to see the destination for what it really is. It’s like meeting a famous person when their guard’s down.

Milan in the winter can be quite cold, but not unbearable. On average, only December and January get really cold, and temperatures generally don’t dip below zero.

Pretty much everywhere is still open in the winter months in Milan, and though there are far fewer visitors, there’s still a great vibe to the city.

Check out our full write-up on Milan in winter here.

Beyond Milan

Lake Como

Lake Como is one of those special places in the world that everyone should see at least once. It’s so beautiful.

From Milan, it’s a straightforward train journey takes you from Milano Centrale to Varenna — a little town on the eastern shores of the lake — in under an hour.

Varenna is stunning and well worth exploring. Its steep streets that reach up from the lake are full of pretty shops and bars.

From here you can get a ferry across the Bellagio. Apart from being where George Clooney lives, this is the jewel in Como’s crown. From the Venetian style main street and ferry wharf with its grand hotels and over-water restaurants to the hillside hideaway bars and boutiques, Bellagio is lovely.

Find our Ultimate Guide to Lake Como here.

Down at the northern point of the town is Ristorante Punta (only open seasonally) where you can sit and enjoy the views up the lake to the mountains beyond.

On the western side of Lake Como, the ferry stops at equally beautiful town of Menaggio. Not far from here is the hotel that has our hearts. The lady of the lake, the Grand Hotel Tremezzo sits elegantly, with its private pool floating in the lake like a lily pad.

Check out our story on the Grand Hotel Tremezzo here.

Bergamo

Bergamo is a lovely little town north of Milan. Its old town — Citta Alta — sits at the top of a hill. You can drive or even walk up to it, but the funicular train is much more enjoyable.

Read our write-up about Bergamo here, where the local dish is polenta and gorgonzola, and where I discovered the best cappuccino I’ve ever had.

Parma

East of Milan is the gastronomical wonderland of Parma. Everyone here is obsessed with food, and for good reason. This is the heartland of goodies such as prosciutto di Parma and Parmigiano-Reggiano.

This is the parmesan cheese and prosciutto ham tour we did while we were in Parma. Highly recommended. Our full review is here.

You can also find our guide to food and drink around Parma here.

The Lakes (Como, Iseo, Lugano)

North of Milan are the Grandi Laghi Prealpini – the Great Pre-Alpine Lakes.

Lake Iseo is small and quiet, its main town is no more than a couple of streets, some shops and bars, and one hotel.

The island in the middle — Monte Isola — is Europe’s largest island on a lake, but that doesn’t mean much. It’s still tiny. But around its edges are some lovely little spots for a spritz or a snack.

Here’s our story on Lake Iseo.

Lake Lugano is interesting because it’s split in two by the Swiss border. Here you can eat Italian food while paying in Swiss Francs — a novel if expensive process. It’s so interesting though, to feel the difference between the Italian side and the Swiss side. You wouldn’t think it makes any difference, but it really does.

Here’s our story on five things to do at Lake Lugano and some of our favourite photos.

Apart from Lake Como and its train ride from Milan, which we’ve mentioned already, you’ll need a car to get to the other four: Lake Iseo and Lake Lugano, and Lake Maggiore and Lake Orta.

The post Fashion, Football And A Whole Lot More — Essential Guide to Milan, Italy appeared first on Mr and Mrs Romance.

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Italy is one of our favourite destinations. Packed with culture, beautiful landscapes, stunning cities and of course one of the broadest spectrums of delicious food you’ll find in one country.

Christina and I have been lucky enough to see quite a bit of this wonderful country — perhaps more than most with Christina’s language skills giving us access to some of Italy’s less obvious facets. But more often than not, we’ve been here in the spring, summer or autumn.

However, we were travelling with our friends Clare and Dave when we arrived at Milano Malpensa Airport in mid-December wondering what Italy’s sartorial centre would be like in winter.

Is Milan Worth Visiting In Winter?

The short answer is ‘yes’, but I hope you’d probably already guessed that.

So perhaps the question should be ‘what’s different about Milan in the winter?’

Of course, it’s colder. In fact, because it’s quite close to the southern edge of the snow-topped Italian Alps, Milan can be freezing, though the city itself rarely gets snowed in.

Its coldest months are December and January, and — as we found — being outside without a hat or thick coat for very long isn’t a lot of fun.

The upside to being here in winter is that the crowds are usually a lot smaller, though the atmosphere is still just as lively.

Certain areas will always be busy; Milan Cathedral and its enormous piazza will still attract huge numbers of visitors, especially before Christmas as there are excellent open-air markets all around and the lights are spectacular.

However, the queues to go into the duomo itself are short and there aren’t as many people on the roof, which is well worth seeing.

Places that are less busy in Milan in winter

We were shocked at how quiet the canals in the city’s southwest were in December. Here, the little waterside bars, cafes and enoteca like Luca & Andrea Bar are empty, and you can have your choice of table.

In fact, most restaurants and bars away from many obvious tourist spots are delightfully quiet in Milan in winter. As a group of four, we never had any problems finding tables, even at conspicuous venues like Rivoire Oberdan with its crazy decor and stuffed ostriches.

Even the bar with the best views of the Duomo — Il Bar — is quiet enough to find a seat without too much effort. This place is on the rooftop of the Rinascente department store (level 7) and is so close to the Duomo you can reach out and touch it. Many come to take photos, but have a seat, a drink and a bite to eat and the place is all yours.

Our favourite bar — Pirati Poeti (Pirates and Poets) — is the exception.

This brilliant little local street-side spot would struggle to fit more than 20 people. The friendly staff somehow manage a lot more than that though, but everyone’s a local apart from us. We all squeeze in around heaters or cram our way inside up at the bar.

The beautiful parks throughout Milan are so quiet.

Yes, it’s chilly, but during the day, the sun still gives plenty of warmth and strolling through Parco Sempione — the geographic centre of Milan — with the grand Castello Sforzesco at one end and the majestic Arco della Pace at the other without hoards of tourists and hustlers mobbing you is a real delight of winter.

Similarly, the leafy Giardini Indro Montanelli in the northeast is serene. In December, there’s also a little ice rink and park for the kids, set up for Christmas.

For an interesting and somewhat unusual insight into Milanese life and history, taking an hour or two to explore the enormous Cimitero Monumentale — the Monumental Cemetery of Milan — in the city’s north is surprisingly rewarding. The mausoleums and crypts of wealthy Milan families are astounding in their scale.

What about further afield from Milan

Close to Milan, Lake Como is easy to get to by train and attracts understandably huge numbers of visitors.

Our favourite part of the lake is not the town of Como in the south, but further north where lake splits in two, where Bellagio sits.

In summer, this little lakeside town is awash with tourists, as is Varenna, the town you arrive in from the train.

In winter, there’s hardly anyone here. Granted, most of the restaurants are shut, but the ones that are still open still do a great job and you often get the choice of the best tables.

The ferry that goes between Varenna, Bellagio and Menaggio on the western bank is also usually packed, but the day we were there, we had the whole top deck to ourselves.

Check out our Essential Guide to Lake Como here.

Parma and Bergamo

There are hundreds of smaller towns nearby that we can’t recommend enough. Bergamo to Milan’s north is a wonderful little spot — its ‘old town’ is high up on a hill with superb views and quaint shops and restaurants.

In summer Bergamo reasonably busy, but winter is when you really want to be here anyway. This town’s local specialty is polenta and gorgonzola! I can’t think of anything I want to eat more when it’s cold outside than hot, well-seasoned polenta with a slab of rich hearty gorgonzola cheese melting into it.

Parma, east of Milan, is a food-lover’s paradise. I mean, all of Italy is really, but Parma is famous for two things: parmesan cheese and parma ham — aka reggiano parmigiano and prosciutto di parma. You can even do a tour of where these food icons are made.

In summer, the little streets and alleys of this cute country town are surely heaving. In December, it feels like we’re the only visitors here. Even then, restaurants are packed with locals, perhaps all celebrating the lack of tourists!

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Just over an hour’s drive (or train ride) from the busy chic streets of Milan, Parma is a quiet Roman riverside town with the heart of a gourmand. What fashion and finance is to Milan, so food is to Parma.

But what Parma is particularly proud of (and good at) is a simple staple. However, this town’s version of cheese and ham is anything but simple.

How To Visit A Parmesan Factory And Prosciutto Makers

For years now, Christina has dreamt of standing between the towering shelves stacked with huge wheels of ageing parmesan cheese.

So when we were in northern Italy recently, we made this a mission.

It turns out there are quite a few tours that visit parmesan and prosciutto factories from Parma. We chose ParmaLook’s Parmigiano Reggiano dairy and Parma ham maker tour.

This half-day tour leaves in the morning from central Parma and drives us into the beautiful Emilia-Romagna countryside.

First stop is the parmesan cheese factory.

– Read more of our stories from around Italy here.

– Check out more great things to do and tours to take around Parma here.

– Find some of the best prices on accommodation in Parma here.

Visiting A Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese Maker

The tour begins in a huge barn with large conical copper vats half-sunk into the concrete. These vats are the beginning of cheese-making process — if you don’t count the cows that have to be milked twice daily.

From here we learn about the curds and whey, the pressing that gives the cheese its ‘wheel’ shape and the three-week brining process that gives the cheese its rind and extra flavour.

Finally, we go into the ageing room with its shelves of cheese that Christina has always wanted to see. It’s an incredible feeling to stand here with almost four metres of cheese looming over you.

We get to taste parmesan of different ages and drink lambrusco, a sparkling wine peculiar to the region, and that’s traditionally paired with parmesan.

We also learn more about the rules of making Parmigiano Reggiano. Here are the basics:

– Parmigiano Reggiano can only be made in this small region of Italy
– Milk for the cheese must come from cows living in the region and they can only eat grass grown here
– Parmigiano Reggiano must be aged for at least 12 months — there is no upper ceiling, but after about eight years, the flavour loses potency
– There must be no defects or air pockets in the cheese. Inspectors look at every wheel and tap it with a special hammer. If there are defects, the authentication stamp and the maker’s number on the side are scratched off. The cheese can be sold as parmesan, but not as Parmigiano Reggiano.

This factory makes five cheese wheels a day. Each one weighs 50kg and it takes 550 litres of raw milk to make each one. That means only 10% of the milk goes into the cheese itself.

It’s an amazing experience and so interesting to see how this cheese is made.

We also have chance to meet the 120 dairy cows that live on site. They don’t seem very interested in us — if anything, they’re a little snooty — and I wonder if they know just how special they are; a cut above the average bovine.

Next stop the Prosciutto maker!

Meeting A Prosciutto di Parma Maker

We pull up to what seems to be a regular house. From its front door, an unassuming elderly gentleman appears. This is Alfredo. He’s 78 years old and has been making Parma ham his whole life — though he says he’s retired now.

We follow him through the door and find it hard to believe he’s retired at all.

The scale of his operation is impressive. From the inspection room, where Alfredo looks at each ham leg, we move to the first drying room. Each ham is salted for 20 days before being washed, then it’s another 20 days of drying.

After that, hams are given around 120 days of ‘relaxing’ in near freezing temperatures before a paste of yeast and fat is applied to the base of the ham. Then it ferments for 12 months.

And this is all before the ham begins its ageing process.

The rules for Prosciutto di Parma is even stricter than the Parmesan cheese. Here are the basics:

– Compared to Parmigiano Reggiano, the size of Prosciutto di Parma’s Protected Designation of Origin is much smaller and is restricted to the southern province of Parma
– Pigs must live in the PDO region (though cannot live on the site of the factory)
– The pigs’ diet is also restricted. Interestingly, one of the things they’re fed is the whey byproduct of the Parmesan
– Hams are only from the rear legs, they must be between 12-18kg each and they can’t be too lean; they must have a minimum fat layer of 22mm deep
– Additives and preservatives are forbidden — only the pork itself and sea salt are allowed
– Prosciutto di Parma must be aged between 14 months and three years, and this doesn’t include the year and a half of conditioning we’ve mentioned

At the end of the tour, Alfredo gives us a taste of some of his Prosciutto di Parma. He uses his mother’s old slicing machine that’s at least 150 years old. It slices prosciutto so thinly you can see light through it. Our guide Matteo says the machine’s worth around €12,000.

Alfredo is one of the mere 120 Prosciutto di Parma producers, but collectively, they make a staggering six million hams a year! Alfredo works almost completely by himself, getting a guy in once a year when things are hectic.

It’s wonderful to meet these talented producers of two of Italy’s most loved, famed and delicious food products. Not only does it connects us closer to this country’s culinary culture, it fulfils a cheese dream too.

The post Behind The Scenes of Parmesan and Prosciutto in Parma, Italy appeared first on Mr and Mrs Romance.

For the first time in a long time, we’re travelling throughout December. And in an even longer time, we’re in the northern hemisphere for Christmas!

Well, in truth, I will be in the UK for Christmas while Christina is heading home just before to be with her family. It’s going to be strange not spending the festive period together. The last time we did that was way back in 2015/6, so this will be an interesting experiment.

But while we’re away, we’ll be in beautiful Italy – specifically Parma, Milan and on the shores of Lake Como. We’ll also be exploring new parts of Suffolk on England’s far eastern side and maybe a couple of trips elsewhere too. 

We hope you enjoy this Taste of the Month!

Cheers – Jim and Christina xx

Our flight to Heathrow via Taipei was quite long – the last segment was about 16 hours – so this one from Stansted to Bergamo just north of Milan will be a breeze. Especially with incredible views of the Alps keeping us occupied. 

We’re travelling with our wonderful friends Clare and Dave, who we’ve known for 20-odd years now. We’ve travelled together before so we not only know how everyone likes to travel, but also that we all have a main focus: food and drink!

Heading to Parma is the obvious choice then. It’s famous for being one of the great food capitals of the world.

After a somewhat irritating start to our journey (I didn’t think I’d need an international driver’s licence to pick up the rental car at the airport), we settle into our new surroundings of the fascinating town of Parma.

First stop – and in fact the nearest stop – is a little streetside bar called Enoteca Tabarro. It’s a busy spot especially as it’s just the start of passeggiata (an unofficial evening event where everyone in the town goes for a stroll), but the owner still has time to come out and serve us. And lecture us on the nuances of all the natural wines he sells and to tell us that we know nothing about wine. It’s a lot of fun.

This is a great people-watching spot though, so we grin through the man-splain and take in the culture of the evening.

After a few drinks around town, we realise it’s dinner time and try to get a table at what we think is a little restaurant down a side street.

It turns out we’ve come across the Trattoria del Tribunale – an enormous eatery that’s not only big but also one of the best places to eat in town. I don’t realise at the time, but it’s on one of my many lists and a local we chat later in the trip even recommends it.

The service is impeccable, the food is sublime and the prices are surprisingly good. No wonder it’s so popular. By the time we leave, there’s a massive queue waiting for tables.

On our plate here by the way is torta fritti, a kind of fried bread pastry that’s specific to the region and one of the many local dishes you must hunt out when you’re here. It’s the perfect vehicle for prosciutto di Parma and reggiano parmigiano – both of which are made within a few miles of town.

This morning, we’re up early. One of the main squares of Parma – Piazza Giuseppe Garibaldi – is quiet and the sun is just touching the top of the elegant Governor’s Palace. Today is essentially Christina’s birthday present, even though it’s still a couple of weeks away. 

We’ve booked a day at a reggiano parmigiano parmesan cheese factory and a prosciutto di Parma ham factory with ParmaLook, a local tour company that does small group trips around the area.

You can read our review of this tour here.

We start the day with a drive out to an artisanal cheese factory where they’re just about to pull out the day’s cheese. Cooking and fermenting cows’ milk overnight, the curds and whey have separated, and the cheesemaster on the left is inspecting the results.

This factory makes just five cheeses a day and they only make parmesan. It takes 550 litres of unpasteurised milk to make one wheel of parmesan, and the process is laborious and time-consuming. But my goodness, it’s worth it!

This has been Christina’s life-long dream to stand between the towering stacked shelves of a parmesan warehouse and to breathe in the heady aroma. It’s been worth the wait. 

We also get to try a few different ages of cheese. The one here has been aged for 50 months and its flavours are so intense. Nutty, sharp, spicy and peppery, it’s a taste that lasts so long on your palate.

There’s a delightful crunch to the cheese. Tiny crystals form in well-made well-aged parmesan, but they’re not salt flakes. They’re naturally occurring proteins from the milk (tyrosine and calcium lactate) that clump together as the cheese gets older.

It’s been so interesting to learn about the process of this highly-skilled industry. Each wheel has been handled so much before it gets to its maturity (we’re still waiting for that, as you can see!).

The different colours of the wheels show that they’ve been ageing for different lengths of time. The darker cheese have been here longer, and there’s no wax or covering on these cheeses. It’s just a natural rind that forms from brining and ageing. And just to confirm, yes, you can eat the rind; it’s great for soups and stews.

We also get to meet the real stars of the show: the special cows that produce all the milk for the cheese. There are 140 cows attached to this factory and they’re milked twice a day.

Only milk from the DOP specified by the government can be used and the cows must be from the area too. More than that, they have to eat only the grass grown within this Denominazione di Origine Protetta (Protected Designation of Origin). They don’t seem to mind.

Next, we’re back in the van heading to what seems to be someone’s house. But through the doors, we discover a full-on prosciutto di Parma factory!

Room after room, we learn about the whole process of producing this most desirable of Italian meats. Our guide explains how the hind legs of a specific breed of pig come here for butchering then there for the first wash, then there for drying, there for salting, back to washing, back for more salting… it’s a bewildering and enchanting method.

Finally, we move into the curing room where slatted windows, which are only open when the winds are blowing off the distant sea, allow the hams to age and develop their signature flavour.

At the end of the tour, we meet Claudio, the owner and – get this – soul worker of this facility. Now in his 80s, Claudio says he’s retired from prosciutto making, but we look around at the number of hams hanging here and we have difficulty agreeing with him.

Claudio then turns on his prosciutto slicer, a machine he inherited from his mother, and shows us just why prosciutto di Parma is the best in the world. Said to be worth over €15,000, the machine can cut slices so thin you can quite literally see through them.

As for the flavour and texture, it’s delicate and sweet with a saltiness than combines with the all-important layer of fat. The minimum depth of fat can be no less that 22mm or the ham will be rejected. 

Along with the delicious prosciutto, Claudio gives us a taste of local wine. Normally, Lambrusco – a sparkling red wine from the area – is the call of the day, but Claudio prefers a sparkling dry white wine to go with his ham. 

The sharpness and dryness of the wine cuts through the fat of the pork and brings out more of that salty sweetness in the meat. It’s hard to leave this place, but all too soon, we say goodbye to Claudio and his magnificent hams.

Back in Parma, we explore more of the pretty little streets of the town and stop for a drink a couple of places.

Aperitivo – the concept of serving little snacks with drinks, often for free – is a strong and much appreciated tradition in Milan. Parma is much the same, though their snacks really are on another level.

Everything from little pizza slices and mortadella to bowls of nuts and sandwiches adorn tables with our drinks. This golden retriever has his eye on one of everything I think!

With our new-found knowledge of two of Parma’s food crowns, we delve into another excellent dinner. It must be hard to live here and not over-eat.

The third dish here by the way – culatello tagliolini – is a dish from nearby town of Zibello: prosciutto crisped in sage butter and covered in parmesan cheese with thin ribbon pasta. It’s difficult to express just how good this is.

Our last night in Parma, we have what we all agree is the best meal of the trip. Even on the flight home, we’re still talking about Trattoria Corrieri. It’s one of those rare places that just oozes atmosphere.

The food is well-made and homely, and though it may not be worthy of any Michelin attention, it’s the feeling you get when you’re in a place that makes a great meal rather than just what’s on your plate.

This is the place to come if… no, when you visit Parma.

Charming, local, friendly and fun, Parma is yet another one of those hidden Italian treasures that wait to be discovered. It’s a dog-friendly town with fascinating bars and eateries, unique foods, and an understanding of that dolce vita Italy is so famous for. 

Also, because it’s off the usual tourist trail, it doesn’t feel like Parma’s a town that fully understands international tourism yet. It’s still raw and innocent. So get here sooner rather than later.

From the little country town of Parma, we hit the big smoke. We’re in Milan!

We do what we do best in big cities and walk until we’re hungry. It’s such a great way to find those unusual elements of a town you’re visiting. 

Lunch today is at the very peculiar Rivoire Oberdan. The food is fine – delicious actually – but it’s the decor that makes this place so strange.

Eclectic doesn’t really go far enough here. Sistine Chapel style frescos adorn the ceilings and suits of samurai armour stand on the walls. Meanwhile a stuffed ostrich stands guard in the corner and huge chandeliers dangle in kingly opulence above.

Waitstaff are, for whatever reason – perhaps none at all, dressed like ships’ stewards. It’s bonkers. We love it!

We’ve come to the south of the city to its canals. Although Christina and I have been to Milan a couple of times, this is the first time we’ve been to this bit. I think we’ve been missing out. 

However, this is once again another reason to travel off-season. I have no doubt the canals in summer would be a nightmare, thronging with masses of tourists.

The four of us explore the many canal-side restaurants looking for a good place for dinner. We finally settle on Luca & Andrea Bar. It’s quiet when we walk in but by the time my enormous (though sadly a little dry) cotoletta Milanese arrives, the restaurant’s filled up a bit.

It’s hard to know if this place would be part of the tourist trail, but tonight it’s just us and a smattering of locals, which is just the way we like it.

Clare and Dave are missing Ruby and Luna, their fur babies back in England, but the table behind us is happy to lend them one of theirs for a while. I do wonder if this would have happened if we were here in peak season. I have my doubts.

Another day of exploring sees us all the way over at the Castello Sforzesco and its lovely parklands. At its far end is this, the Arco della Pace – ‘Arch of Peace’ – Milan’s triumphal arch.

Probably Milan’s best known landmark is the duomo. This beautiful cathedral is in fact the largest and best examples of Gothic architecture, and is one of the biggest cathedrals in the world too.

We go inside to see the incredible vaulted ceilings, elegant columns and impressive floors, but what we’ve really come here for is the rooftop.

One of the best views in Milan, the rooftop of the duomo is well worth paying the extra for. And what’s even more worth it is paying for the elevator.

Though if you enjoy clambering up millions of tight stone steps with the impending dread of cascading backwards to your death (or forwards when you go back down), please ignore my last recommendation.

The only problem with being on the roof of the duomo is you can’t really see the duomo itself. Plus, there’s no bar. 

However, across the road, at the top of the Rinascente department store (level 7) is Il Bar. This open-air rooftop bar has the best views of the city and the duomo in one. Plus there’s even table service!

Today is Clare’s birthday! We’ve hopped on the train from Milan to the shores of Lake Como – you can find out how here.

We were expecting it to be blisteringly cold here with wind from the distant Alps and the lake, but in the sun it’s actually lovely. And even better, there are virtually no other tourists here. We have the passenger ferry to our selves and we enjoy the views of this incredibly stunning lake as if it’s a private cruise.

We stop off at Bellagio for lunch and somehow score the perfect table in one of the few restaurants open at this time of year (one of the hazards of off-season travel) and feast ourselves silly. Just as the sun begins to dip below the mountains, we board our train back to the city.

We’ve loved our time in Italy’s winter wonderland, and even more so to be able to do it with such good friends. The bar on the right here, where Dave and I are cheers-ing, is a cracker. PiratiPoeti (Pirates and Poets) is a wonderful local spot in the city’s northeast.

Back in the UK, we’re spending some time with my parents and brother, who has also flown over from Australia to spend some time with the family. My mum and dad live fairly close to the historic town of Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk. It’s the first time Christina and I have been here, so we take the opportunity to have a quick look round.

The Medieval ruins of the old abbey are as fascinating as the current 16th Century cathedral, and further in the town, we discover Britain’s smallest pub, the Nutshell. It’s appreciably strange inside and its locals are even stranger. It’s excellent.

It’s just 4.5m x 2m, has enough space for about eight patrons at a time and has been here since 1873. Plus there’s the corpse of a 400-year-old desiccated cat hanging above the bar; can you spot it?

Because Christina’s heading back to Australia before Christmas, Clare and Dave have decided to throw Christmas dinner early. 

Dave is a stupendously good cook and knocks up a full lamb roast with every trimming known to man.

Yes, you are correct. That’s five-hour roast lamb shoulder, roast carrots and potatoes, mashed swede, brussels sprouts, Yorkshire puddings (Dave’s from Yorkshire, so these are the real deal), and a whole cauliflower cheese! What a legend. 

Absolute nutters. Love ’em.

Christina and I have decided to drive to the little Suffolk town of Lavenham today. It’s a pretty place full of wobbly Tudor houses and is even the site of a Harry Potter movie shoot – Godrick’s Hollow was filmed here.

It also has a brilliant butcher shop and I’ve been waiting to try one of their pies for ages. The one in the photo is not this. Today the butcher’s is closed.

However, the Cock Horse pub down the road is serving lunch and we score a table. We also have to see what a AU$90 pie looks like. As it turns out, it’s bloody brilliant. And $45 per person for Christmas lunch isn’t so bad if you think about it like that.

It wouldn’t be a trip to England – or a stay with Clare and Dave – if we didn’t venture into London at least once. 

While we’re mooching around South Kensington, Clare spots this place for lunch: Ceru, turning out an excellent range of pan-southern Med food.

We decide to pop our heads round the door of the Natural History Museum. It’s been years (as in since we were all at primary school) since Clare, Dave and I have been here, and Christina’s never been inside.

We start that slow museum-paced walk through the exhibits and check out a truly brilliant photography exhibit. By the time we exit the museum, we realise we’ve been in there for hours and it’s now dark!

It’s actually pretty good timing though and we enjoy the Christmas lights in all their glory shining out from the beautiful stores along Knightsbridge.

It shows how long Christina and I have been away; we’ve forgotten just how magical London can be at Christmas.

Soon we’re feeling hungry again, so we high tail it to Chinatown. We pick a place at random and find ourselves on the second floor of the Golden Phoenix. This place has been here over 30 years and the kitchen really knows what it’s doing. 

The food and service are both outstanding and I even spot a celebrity: the comedian Lee Evans has come in after us and is sitting a couple of tables away from us. I wonder if he’ll recognise me…

With Christina back in Australia, there’s not much left for me to do but hang out with my folks. My dad’s had some health problems recently, but has just had his oncologist give him the all-clear from non-Hodgkins Lymphoma, but it’s been a tough year.

It’s lovely to spend so much time with these loonies, and Christmas dinner is just like old times, though it’s salmon en croute rather than turkey and the bubbles are all sans booze, but the people are just the same.

We hope you’ve enjoyed this month’s tasty morsel. The story of my UK trip continues next month, however, when I check out a Cambridge steakhouse and a Suffolk country manor, as well as lots of fun on my return to Sydney.

The post Parma, Milan, Como… and Bury St Edmunds appeared first on Mr and Mrs Romance.

From the top of St Mark’s tower to the steps of the Rialto Bridge, Venice is one of those rare places in the world that feels like a living museum – or more accurately a living gallery.

It’s little wonder so many poems, books, films and paintings have Venice as the central character.

A sea of terracotta rooftops, waterways stitched with tiny bridges, and streets and canals so narrow there’s barely space for the buildings to breathe. It’s easy to get lost as you wander, but that’s where the real fun of Venice begins.

Getting lost in Venice – finding the city’s heart

I’ve been to Venice several times now – with my family, on my own and together with Jim – and each time I see something new. Even travelling the same path you’ll notice different things, meet new people and take away a whole other side to Venice.

And the most important thing to remember is getting away from the main tourist areas of Venice doesn’t mean you’re away from the most beautiful parts.

In fact, most of the time that’s quite to the contrary, and you’ll have it all to yourself as well.

We’ve shared our 5 things you must do in Venice and we stand by those, but we really wanted to focus on that extra tip of allowing time to wander.

We recommend avoiding the heaving summer crowds and try to plan your visit for autumn or spring instead. If you do visit in winter, you’ll find some places are closed, but you’ll have the city to yourself.

So put away your map, take your vaporetto ticket and put on comfortable shoes. Venice is a romantic city that needs more than a guided day trip to really experience it.

And if you can’t get to Venice right now, here are our Postcards from Venice.

Have you been to Venice? What was your fave spot? Tell us in the comments!

PS. You may also like these posts on Italy –

• How to find the real Italy
• The best way to get around Venice
• How to order coffee in Italy
• How to spend a week in Tuscany
• And for more of our Postcards From… series, click here.

The post See the the world’s most romantic city – Postcards from Venice, Italy appeared first on Mr and Mrs Romance.

Marking the halfway point between the venerable city of Florence and the ancient Italian stronghold of Rome, Orvieto is the perfect punctuation to a driving holiday through Italy.

But the two-hour road from Florence is full of hilltop towns, each offering its own wonderland of the ancient world still alive in modern-day Tuscany. So what’s so special about Orvieto?

Well for starters, Orvieto is not Tuscan. It’s in Umbria, the region sandwiched by Tuscany to the north and Lazio south.

Just as the every Tuscan town has a different feel and personality, so Orvieto feels very different from them all. Though there are similarities.

The duomo at the heart of Orvieto is reminiscent of the striped cathedral in Siena, and its beautiful walled outlook high above the vistas of the central Italian plains is as just as stunning as Certaldo, Volterra or San Gimignano.

But there’s something else here that sets Orvieto if not apart then certainly adjacent.

Exploring Orvieto, Umbria

Climbing to the top of what once was a volcanic peak, the walls of Orvieto open to welcome you in. There are a few ways to get to one this ancient town’s gates. You can either hike or drive, or on the town’s northeastern side, you can ride the funicular train to the summit.

Once inside the walls, the city squeezes you between narrow cobbled lanes into flagged piazzas and leaves your neck sore from gazing at the grand walls of the duomo.

But it’s what’s beneath your feet that’s the real treasure here.

Under Orvieto – the volcanic caves of the Etruscans

Near the doors of the great duomo, you guide takes you down age-worn stone steps deep beneath the city.

You see, the city of Orvieto has been around for over a thousand years. Its first inhabitants – the Etruscans – created tunnels and chambers in the soft rock of the volcano for storage, olive pressing, fresh water access and escape passages in case of attack.

It turns out the Etruscans were wise to do so.

When the Romans came to take the city, the Etruscans closed their doors and holed up. The siege lasted a whole year but the locals were able to survive thanks to their wells and the pigeon lofts they’d built into the rocks.

Descendants of those pigeons still inhabit the caves you visit on the tour and you can also see the wells every house in the original city had. Some of the current houses still have access to their private caves too.

Unfortunately the Romans finally lost their patience with the siege and stormed the city utterly destroying it and its human inhabitants.

Though there’s no sign of the city left above ground, these caves and tunnels tell a different story.

The 45-minute tour really is intriguing and gives an insight into this mysterious history of the now-extinct Etruscan race that still very little is known those people.

You can book your tickets to the Pozzo della Cava here or at the ticket office in town – though pre-booking is a good idea to avoid missing out. They only take small groups at a time.

After the tour

Back above ground, you seem to look at the town differently, knowing what’s under it and what went on here so many hundreds of years ago.

If you time things right, your very welcome post-tunnel spritz will be accompanied by platefuls of snacks. Umbria, like Tuscany, enjoys a very hearty aperitivo hour.

And if you’re still hungry after that, there are some amazing bars and little cafes worth looking at, and let’s not forget the salumerias with their cured sausages, cheeses and wild boar proscuito hanging in the windows.

It’s a lovely way to watch the sun go down with a selection of local produce, sitting on the walls of this ancient city.

Where to stay in Orvieto

We’ve always found staying within the walls of European cities quite bad value for money. And you don’t usually get much space either.

Christina found a little family-run hotel less than five minutes from the town. Villa Aquafredda is a converted homestead and has big comfortable rooms, and amazing views over to Orvieto and across the plains. There’s even an outdoor pool if you fancy a dip.

Perfect for a night or two, it means you can easily have a full day in Orvieto without having to travel too far from your accommodation.

The post What’s hiding under the mountain – Orvieto, Italy appeared first on Mr and Mrs Romance.

As the Harbour Bridge has always spanned the city’s sparkling waters, and the sails of the Opera House have forever craned their necks for the view, so it seems that Lucio’s has been in Sydney since the beginning.

I mean, imagining a Sydney without any of these three landmarks is imagining a different Sydney altogether.

Since arriving in Sydney when he was just 21, Lucio has been making the finest pizza in the country.

In fact, in 2018 Lucio won best pizza in Australia at the Campionato Mondiale Della Pizza in Parma. He was also awarded fifth best pizza in the world.

And these accolades make absolute sense. All you have to do is try one of his masterpieces.

These days, there are two Lucio Pizzerias in Sydney – one in Darlinghurst and, since 2015, one in Zetland. But the original in Darlinghurst is where you really sense that Napolitano soul.

Lucky numbers, perfect pizzas and free dinners – Lucio Pizzeria turns 13

Unlike the rest of the world, Italy believes that 13 is a lucky number. The call of ho fatto tredici! – I have thirteen – is a favourite expression when someone hits the jackpot.

We’ve got the whole story about how 13 isn’t bad luck in Italy (but why 17 is) right here – it’s an interesting tale.

But this celebration isn’t just about a lucky number.

Not only has Lucio survived the hospitality-crushing effects of 2020, his baby has just become a teenager as well. Of course he should celebrate.

And in true Italian style, Lucio wants to celebrate with everyone!

So if you’re also celebrating 13 – whether it’s a birthday, wedding anniversary or if you celebrate the 13th of the month for whatever reason, Lucio is inviting you to come and eat for free! Check out the deal here.

Christina and I have just started our thirteenth year of being married, so we feel a bit of connection with Lucio’s. Even more so when I think we’re all on the same wavelength when it comes to food.

The dinner we enjoyed in Darlinghurst recently was excellent. And we got to chat to Lucio about Naples, food and his plans for the future as well.

Dining at Lucio’s Darlinghurst

The first thing that strikes us as we sit down at our al fresco table in the courtyard on Palmer Street is how very much like Naples it feels.

There are neither bells nor whistles here, and in a good way.

It’s a true reflection not only in the authenticity of the food, but also Lucio’s down-to-earth personality and his confidence in his food.

Sitting here with everything going on around us, we’re transported to the alleyway dining and true Italian-ness of Naples. It’s a wonderful city – a living museum. It’s good to feel we’re back.

The only difference here is that there are printed menus, which makes ordering much easier!

The food

For entree, we order the burrata con pan gratatto e spinaci. Sitting atop a pile of wilted spinach and covered in the crunchy crumbs of gratatto, this huge, glorious balloon of milky cheese bursts at the merest touch.

Decadent and delightful, yet simple and perfectly balanced. That’s Italian cooking for you.

We also try the casarecce con ragú d’angello. All made in-house, this is a real southern Italian dish. Spirals of firm, chewy pasta embracing the rich, unctuous slow-cooked lamb shoulder and its dark tomato sauce.

The casarecce here is different to the stuff we’ve had before. It’s made of tighter twists than fusilli but looser than those we’ve found further east in Puglia. It’s excellent nonetheless.

Finally we have the pizza from the monthly specials board. I’ve become obsessed with n’duja, so this pizza was an easy choice for me. If you haven’t had it before, n’duja is a super rich meat that’s soft and crumbly and turns to almost a sauce when you heat it.

It’s a traditional spicy sausage from southern Italy, but it’s only now becoming known elsewhere in the world.

This pizza – along with n’duja – has mozzarella and fresh ricotta. And it’s nothing short of perfect.

In true Neapolitan style, the edges of the pizza are quite puffy and ‘deep pan’ but it’s not dense. The centre is soft and gooey, but it’s not undercooked, which is something people tend to think the first time they have southern-style pizza.

Thin and crispy is not Naples’ style at all and I doubt it ever will be.

We finish off with a caffè corretto. This is a simple espresso ‘corrected’ with a shot of grappa – definitely my kind of dessert.

We leave feeling very satisfied, but still missing Italy hard.

It was wonderful to chat to Lucio, to hear his story and have a laugh.

Next up for Lucio

In mid-2021 Lucio’s pizzeria pair will become a trio, with a new venue opening in Kensington called Bar Lucio.

This will be a traditional Italian cafe offering proper Italian coffee and some classic Aussie breakfast and lunch snacks. The perfect storm.

We dined as guests of Lucio’s but our opinions remain our own.

The post Lucio Pizzeria – where to find a slice of Naples in Sydney appeared first on Mr and Mrs Romance.

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One of – if not the most important things about travel is how it opens your eyes and broadens your mind. Experiencing other cultures is not only so important but also truly fascinating.

And few things illustrate cultural difference better than superstition.

Some of the superstitions we’re familiar with come from understandable origins. Of course it’s bad luck to walk under a ladder; something could quite possibly fall on you.

But what about the harder-to-explain beliefs – like it’s bad luck for a black cat to cross your path? Actually, this is good luck in the UK, which is another interesting thing about superstitions.

For some reason, numbers play a huge roll in superstition.

In China, four is famously bad luck because it’s a homophone of the word for death.

In most of western culture, 13 is the unlucky number. Probably stemming from the Last Supper where Jesus and the 13 apostles gathered before the crucifixion, or perhaps an Old Norse myth of the gods.

But not in Italy.

13 – unlucky for some… but not Italians

Before Judas Iscariot ruined everything and made 13 the unlucky one, the Romans had 17 pegged as the bad guy.

In Roman numerals, XVII easily becomes an anagram of vixi, which in Latin translates as ‘I have lived’ or ‘I lived’.

This was and still is a popular epitaph in Italian gravestones, which is why 17 remains to be the traditional unlucky number there.

As for Italians’ relationship with 13, in 1946, the football pools betting system Totocalcio (meaning roughly ‘football totaliser’ in English) started in Italy. At that point, you could bet on 12 games, but due to its popularity, the number of games increased to 13 in 1950.

From that point on, the expression ho fatto tredici – ‘I did 13’ – entered the vernacular and is still a triumphant shout to be heard in Italy today.

It basically means ‘that was lucky’ – ‘I hit the jackpot’.

Even after the 2003-2004 football season, when other syndicates with bigger jackpots forced Totocalcio to adjust their system and increase the programme to 14 games, the expression still remains.

Of course, 13 has also become known as bad luck in Italy as with much of the world, but thanks to football, gambling and the Romans, the unlucky number gets a bit of leeway for once.

Fun facts about 13

– Traditionally, hotels, apartment blocks and even office buildings don’t have a 13th floor.

– Some airlines still don’t have a row 13 on their planes and some ship-builders omit the 13th deck on their cruise liners.

– The word ‘triskaidekaphobia’ is the fear of 13.

– Lots of figures from history suffered triskaidekaphobia: Napoleon, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Herbert Hoover, Mark Twain to name but a few.

– Traditionally there were 13 steps leading up to the gallows when public executions by hanging were common.

We love talking about beautiful Italy. Check out some of our other Italian stories here.

Postcards from Lake Lugano and 5 things to do there
10 towns not to miss in Puglia
DIY Pompeii tour – how to get the best out of Pompeii

The post Hai fatto tredici – why 13 isn’t bad luck in Italy appeared first on Mr and Mrs Romance.