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Emilia-Romagna is the soft underbelly of Italy, with neat and prosperous towns, Romanesque churches and ancient fortresses nestling in cool, forested valleys. It is also the Italian food capital.

 

Locals attribute their food prowess to the fresh clean water and air flowing down from the Apennine Mountains north to the plains of the River Po – all I know is that here you can taste the King of Hams and the Queen of Cheeses.

The world-famous Prosciutto di Parma comes from selected varieties of pigs fed on a special diet of cereals and whey, which is a by-product of the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese also crafted in the region. The meat is first salted by the maestro salatore (Master Salter), then cured by passing through various seasoning cellars for a period of 12 months. Only then can it be stamped with the Ducal Crown and sold as Parma Ham.

It is one thing to taste Parma Ham in your local delicatessen; it is completely another to taste it in a restaurant in the Apennine hills, washed down with a glass of the local dark red, fizzy wine. (Yes, it's Lambrusco, but not as we know it, Jim.). The local Parma Ham is sweet and nutty, with flavours of mountain herbs. One strip is just not enough. Luckily, it is also full of minerals and low in cholesterol.

The region's other world-famous food, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, also known as parmesan, has been highly valued for centuries. The classical French playwright Molière asked for a chunk on his deathbed. In 1666, Samuel Pepys buried his treasured Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese in his London garden before fleeing from the Great Fire.

It takes its name from two of the five producing regions: Parma, Reggio Emilia, Modena, Bologna, and Mantova, and.is produced by cooking rather than pressing. It is then salted and stored for up to 30 months.

Young parmesan, matured for up to 18 months, is what you crumble on a salad. After 18 months, it is designated Red Stamp, and is ideal for pastas and risottos. Silver Stamp, at 22 months, is good with gnocchi and vegetables. And Gold Stamp, at 30 months, should be enjoyed at the end of a meal, with a ripe pear or a glass of red wine.

Nobody knows how long they've been making cheese this way, but Parma Ham goes back two millennia. And it's not just the food that's suffused with history. As a major pilgrimage route from Rome to Canterbury, this region has been visited by travellers for hundreds of years. Geoffrey Chaucer's fictional and saucy Wife of Bath, for example, would have passed this way in the 15th century.

 

 

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Wandering Minstrels

 

Borgo Val di Taro, just southwest of Parma, was right on the pilgrimage route through the mountains. Now, however, it's pleasingly remote and a very pleasant spot to idle away a couple of days. If you're keen, you can rush off and visit the 20 or so medieval castles built by the Farnese dynasty in the area. Even better, you can stay at the 9th-century hilltop fortress of Castello di Compiano, which is now a 4-star hotel.

In the village below the castle, there is a quaint museum with a life-size statue of a bear outside. It commemorates the thousands of Italian musicians and entertainers who travelled this road to seek their fortunes in northern Europe. Why the bear? Many wandering minstrels and troubadors travelled with an animal, a bear or a monkey, to help them entertain potentially awkward crowds.

Borgo Val di Taro is accessible only by winding mountain roads, but it is a stop on the railway from Parma to La Spezia, and travellers still come through nowadays. At the weekends it's more likely to be a peloton of middle-aged Italian cyclists, all bright yellow jerseys and tight black shorts. To sit in the bar of the Hotel Firenze, sipping a Peroni or a prosecco on a Sunday morning and lazily watch them come wheezing in and go wheeling out again is just one of the innocent pleasures this town affords.

Another is a meal at the Pizzeria Bottega del Chisolino on the Via Torresana on the east side of town. Go via the Bar Centrale on the Via Nationale, through the throngs of young Borgoans strutting their stuff, and you will be more than ready for one of their fabulous pizzas, made from wholemeal soya flour. The 'goloso' version contains both mozzarella and parmesan, and don't be fooled by the layer of fresh, healthy green rocket on top – this is a calorific heavy-hitter.

 

Dip your toe in the sea

 

If you want to dip your toe in the mainstream, stray down to the Ligurian coast, where the five villages known as Cinque Terre, Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore, are well worth a visit. Formerly with a fearsome reputation for piracy at the time of the Maritime Republics, they are squeezed into narrow coves between steep cliffs, with an occasional surprise beach. Recently endowed with Unesco World Heritage status, they are great for wandering around, and all the better for being relatively inaccessible by car. Most people take the train between the villages, but the best way to village-hop is by boat.

Unless, of course, like Byron, you are an expert swimmer. The swashbuckling poet was staying at Portovénere just along the coast when he was seized with an urge to see his pal Shelley across the bay in San Terenzo. Not bothering to wait for the ferry, he had a Darcy moment, stripped down to his shirt and breeches and swam across. It's about four miles. Let's hope Shelley offered a hearty breakfast of ham or cheese – preferably both.

 

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