A Glorious Week of Eating Our Way Through Northern Italy

With kids in tow, we enjoyed strolling through charming towns and indulging in Italian cuisine.

Author with her kids in Modena, Italy in 2018, which was relatively empty compared to the packed streets in Florence just a day earlier. (Photo by author’s husband)

I was 42 years old the first time I went to Europe. I know many Americans haven’t traveled beyond our borders because of the expense, limited vacation time, or lack of interest. For me, it’s been a combination of the first two factors as lack of interest was never the problem. As someone who loves to eat, I have long wanted to visit Italy and savor freshly made pasta; Parmigiano Reggiano cheese; Mortadella, Prosciutto, and other Italian meats; Italian truffles; gelato; and Balsamic vinegar from the source. So when we finally had the opportunity to plan a trip in 2018, I lunged for it.

Fortunately, my husband and daughters also love to eat. We plan our vacations around food and pick our destinations accordingly. Sometimes we end up in locales not known for food (e.g., when we rent a houseboat on Shasta Lake), but then we bring delicious food with us. Most of the time, we think about what we want to eat and prioritize accordingly. We like to avoid crowds and we don’t try to pack a schedule full of sightseeing. Thus, it seemed natural to target Bologna rather than Rome, Venice, or Florence (the three more tourist-centered destinations in Italy). The Emilia-Romagna…