Italian Father’s Day falls today, in coincidence with the feast of Saint Joseph, an older dad whom it is nice to celebrate with various wonderful San Giuseppe pastries enjoyed today Italy-wide.
Bigne di San Giuseppe for Father’s Day
Simply extraordinary pumpkin filled tortelli in Reggio Emilia
Today three fathers with their children are traveling with us in Italy — and are well spread out over this remarkable country.
Italy, though just the size of New Mexico, offers a near unimaginable variety of locations, experiences, foods, wines and landscapes.
One father, with two children, is celebrating spring break in one of the most progressive and dynamic places in Emilia Romagna — and with (in our minds) the best food of any of the Emilia towns.
This is the city of Reggio Emilia, which does not know tourism, and is one of the many places we — and the families we plan for — love most. While we have a wonderful, superbly located hotel here, this father chose to stay with his family in an important 17th century palace in the heart of the city, replete with furniture that has been in the owner’s family for centuries and where the owner herself, a dear friend of Insider’s Italy, assured our clients a most interesting as well as comfortable stay.
Reggio Emilia
With his teenage kids this father is also using Reggio Emilia as a base : first for Ferrara (his family all loved the Gardens of the Finzi Contini, filmed there in 1970) where today they are exploring the lesser-known and quite extraordinary late 15th century Palazzo del Te Museum, and later walking around the four mile cycle of unbroken late medieval to 17th century walls, offering a journey through the greenery of the surrounding esplanade. Towers, gates and ramparts can be seen along the route — something his medieval-mad son will love.
Tomorrow they will spend watching Parmesan being made — rising early and carefully shadowing a Parmesan maker’s morning. And sampling Parmesans from an unusually representative cheese maker — trying Parmesans made from various milks including our much loved Bianca Modenese, a Slow Food presidia that makes many other Parmesans pale in contrast.
Learning about Parmesan at the source
Bologna is half an hour away, and will be their destination on Saturday — a vibrant university city with one of the most interesting churches in Italy (our own kids’ favorite); wonderful children’s bookstores (this is the center of the Italian children’s book publishing industry); the grand 498-steps-up Asinelli tower (12th century) that dominates the Bolognese skyline; and mile after mile of wonderful arcades (lovely stores !) where light and shadow change all day long, creating a moving picture show that is worth a visit in and of itself.
Another father is in Lucca (where we just spent the weekend, truffle hunting with our lagotto romagnolo Teddy : keep your eyes on this space !) This father and family elected to use Ultimo, our most requested and most personalized service. We have had the pleasure of planning all of the details of the daily schedule for this family, which also rented one of our glorious Lucca villas. They awakened this morning to flowering fruit trees and a garden full of camellias (the Lucca specialty.)
Lucca family villa in the spring
Family biking on the Walls of Lucca
… and then took a one-of-its-kind children’s tour around the city with Paola, one of our most appreciated guides. Paola has a magic box of relevant and imaginative tools that she brings out during a family tour — special puzzles, cryptograms, hunts, mazes and other smart, creative interactive aids — that help children make sense of one of Italy’s single most charming cities.
The afternoon is spent visiting olive orchards (with the producers themselves, trying together some of the best extra virgin oils in Italy.) Children’s questions are always very welcome, and having a producer show kids the step-by-step process of how oil is made — starting in the olive grove — is an unforgettable experience.
Olive groves north of Lucca
The boys at lunch on the beach
Bike ready to go in Forte dei Marmi
Walking up from Amalfi
Family cooking class : making gnocchi (with Cristina’s own celebrated potatoes)
To end this Italian Father’s Day blog, here is me with my papa, in Rome, my birth-place, during one of the major winter snowstorms that Rome used once to have. This early spring blog is dedicated to him — and to fathers everywhere. Buona Festa del Papa !
Snow in Rome Winter 1960s
