Eat, Party, Live: My roadtrip through Emilia Romagna
If Elizabeth Gilbert had only traveled through Italy, she would have replaced “pray” and “love” with “party” and “live”. Italians seem to be masters in these things. Why? During our day-trip in the valleys of Rimini, every medieval town and village celebrated. What? Life – and delicious food as well as wine are important parts of it. We are in Italy, that´s for sure!
Old cobble stone paths in small streets. The buildings a little bit destroyed but still great testimonials of a time, which cannot be shown appropriately by the best Hollywood movie. In between pieces of art, modern red-yellow-paintings on the walls next to lovers made from stone or metal snails serving as fountains. Surrounded by green-yellow fields, the villages are located in a hilly landscape. The villages and towns of the region Emilia Romagna, in the Marecchia valley to be precise, present themselves rather idyllic, even kitschy. You might even forget the crowded beaches of Rimini only about an hour drive away. 
“Take care!” I scream. Too much dreaming. One of the crazily fast driving Italians in their tiny Fiats would have pushed us from the streets. My boyfriend stays calm, and again, I am grateful not to drive right now. I would have difficulties with the spirit and the driving skills of the people here.
Route: Rimini – Penabilli – Petrella Guidi – Sant´Agata Feltria – San Leo – Montebello
“One, two, three – go”, that´s what we hear when we get to San Leo, one of the so called “most beautiful villages in Italy”. And immediately, a group of people in blue t-shirts runs towards us. Chased by another bunch in yellow and red shirts. We are in the midst of a team building seminar. Yes, Penabilli, Sant´Agata Feltria, Montebello,… – and all the other villages on our route are definitely alive. Even in the “ghost town” of Petrella Guidi, we hear dogs barking, the smell of pasta comes through windows and trucks are parking on the street. Lonely? No. Following an invite of the former artist Tonino Guerra, who left imprints everywhere in the region, families are living close to the fortress nowadays.
Despite our GPS and due to the lack of signs and arrows, we get lost on the road searching for the villages. But there, we find our way easily. In all of them, our first way leads us up to the fortresses where we decide to stay outside. The incredible heat does not tempt me to go inside the museums, even though the rooms of the old stone buildings might be quite refreshing. I prefer to enjoy the view over the red roofs of the cities – while sweat is dripping from my face. My favorite view is right in the village Penabilli, our first stop. By chance, we get up to the hill “Campana di Lhasa”, where Tibetan flags remind of the visit of the Dalai Lama seven years ago.
But back to Italy! In the morning, we already knew our plan for the evening: We wanted to go to the 16th Festa Artusiana, a Slow Food Festival in the village of Forlimpopoli. But it would not be Italy, if this was the only food festival during these days. No, this weekend, there is also the “Festa del Pane” in the village of Maiolo. For two days, the village turns into a big bread oven, at least during the night, because when we arrive in the afternoon, they are only preparing for the show. We can watch people carrying tables, preparing plates, decorating the gardens and – of course – baking. At one of the six restaurants, where they serve sweet, sour, hard and soft white bread later, they sing for us: Italian and rather kitschy, we listen to the words of a bearded guitar player telling us about “amore” and “bella vita”….
We don´t pay 9 Euros to indulge “Pen e cumpanatic”, “Dulc Dulcin e Dulcet”, “Crustein ad tut i tip” and other bread viands. We want more! Pasta and dried tomatoes, basil and fresh Piadina, sweet dripping icecream, ripe peaches and refreshing melons, cheese and strong coffee… we leave the Marecchia valley rather hungry and drive to the north of Rimini, to Forlimpopoli. It´s not exactly on our route and we would have explored this area another day, but we don´t have enough time. Faster than expected we arrive in the city about an hour later. First impression: Disappointing. It looks like an industrial town. But only for the first moment. After getting into the city center, we are back in “our” Italy with its cobble stones, illuminated castles (this time right in the center, not on a mountain!), beautiful people, playing kids, decorated restaurants and stands with plenty of food. And we? We celebrate our last evening, which is the last evening for the Festa Artusiana as well, and practise exactly what we have learned in Emilia Romagna: Eat, party, live!
Book- and Movie-Recommendations:
Very helpful are the brochures “A journey in FC. The unveiled soul of the green heart” (www.turismo.fc.it), Mouth-watering breaks in Emilia Romagna. (Wine Food Festival Emilia Romagna) and “Malatesta & Montefeltro: A journey through the hills of Rimini” (Camera di Commercio Rimini)
