Fast Cars - Slow Foods
Engines roar. The scent of aged balsamic drifts through the air. This is Via Emilia, a road where the world’s most beautiful machines meet the richest tables in Italy. From Ferrari and Lamborghini to lasagna and Parmigiano, each turn pulls you deeper into the heart of Emilia Romagna’s Motor Valley and its slow food soul.
The journey winds from Parma, UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy, through Reggio Emilia, birthplace of the Italian tricolor flag, to Modena and Maranello, where fast cars share the stage with aged balsamic and the genius of Massimo Bottura. It ends in Bologna, the masterpiece of Emilia Romagna, home to lasagna, medieval towers, and the oldest university in the Western world.
Here, speed meets tradition. Every stop offers a taste of the region’s abundant flavors and the precision of Italian engineering. Buckle up for a journey that lingers long after the last bite and the final turn.
Panoramic view of Parma, Italy
Parma – Where Flavor Takes the Lead
The road begins in Parma, a city where every bite tells a story centuries in the making. In the heart of its cobbled streets, Salumeria Garibaldi tempts with rows of Prosciutto di Parma DOP, Culatta, and wedges of Parmigiano Reggiano from the noble vacche rosse. Just beyond the city, the air grows sweeter in Langhirano at Pio Tosini, where prosciutto hangs quietly in cool cellars. A glass of Lambrusco or Malvasia lifts the flavors, the fizz catching in the light before the next turn in the road.
View of a Parmigiano Reggiano production line in Reggio Emilia.
Reggio Emilia – A Taste of Time
Further south, the birthplace of Italy’s tricolor flag greets visitors with the quiet elegance of its piazzas. Here, patience is an ingredient, especially at Il Borgo del Balsamico, where each drop of aged vinegar holds decades of care. The Consorzio Vacche Rosse reveals Parmigiano Reggiano in its purest form, nutty and crystalline. Made only from the milk of rare red-coated cows, this cheese follows an ancient method almost lost to time. Few outside Italy know its name, but once tasted, it is unforgettable. Lunch might be at Burani Ristorante, a place where recipes stay loyal to tradition, or at Stria Pane e Cucina, named the best bakery in Italy, where the scent of fresh bread follows you back to the car.
Modena & Maranello – Where Passion Meets Precision
In Modena, the hum of engines feels as constant as the toll of church bells. The city’s markets brim with tortellini, mortadella, and shimmering bottles of aceto balsamico. Behind the discreet door of Hosteria Giusti, a small dining room offers plates that could stop time. Nearby in Maranello, the Ferrari red draws you in, from the museum to the factory floor. Ristorante Cavallino pairs the spirit of Enzo Ferrari with Massimo Bottura’s touch, while Ristorante Montana serves comfort with a side of racing history. A short detour leads to Castelvetro di Modena, where dinner at Il Castello unfolds like a quiet poem over the hills.
Bologna – The Grand Finale
The final stretch brings the towers of Bologna into view, their shadows stretching across medieval streets. This city is generous with its flavors: lasagna layered with ragù, tortellini in brodo, and tagliatelle that gleams with golden egg yolk. Paolo Atti e Figli keeps the art of fresh pasta alive, while Al Cambio and Osteria Bartolini fill tables with dishes that carry the region’s heart. At Ahimè, sustainability and tradition meet in perfect harmony. Nights here end with the hum of conversation under porticoes, the journey lingering like the final notes of a well-tuned engine.
Display of fresh handmade pasta in a typical shop in Bologna
Via Emilia does not truly end in Bologna. The road keeps pulling east toward the Adriatic, where the hum of engines fades and the rhythm shifts. Slow food and fast cars give way to the scent of the sea, to beach clubs and late-night laughter, to plates of grilled fish under a salt-streaked breeze. By the time Rimini comes into view, the mood has changed. The tables are set for summer, and the road has quietly traded horsepower for waves.
In Rimini, a table waits by the window at Da Lucio, one of Italy’s finest seafood restaurants. The view stretches across the Adriatic, light shimmering on the water. While the fish is prepared, the mind drifts back: flashes of Ferrari red in Maranello, the hush of Casa Maria Luigia, the nutty crystals of vacche rosse Parmigiano breaking under a knife. Then the plate arrives, carrying the sea to the table, and with it, the perfect closing note to a journey through Emilia Romagna’s food and motor heartland.
Photo of a Rimini’s Beach Club.