Jeanne's Next Chapter: Not that Parma

There is another city named Parma and this one is also known for food. But instead of pierogies and kielbasa (Parma, Ohio), this is the land of prosciutto and parmigiano-reggiano cheese. It is a city located in the beautiful countryside of the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy with a history that dates back to the pre-Roman days of the Etruscans.

I was invited to join three friends on a road trip motivated by a Groupon offer at a thermal spa. We stayed two nights at the Hotel Delle Rose at the Termi di Monticelli, about 20 kilometers outside of Parma so we were able to enjoy the pools filled with naturally heated waters. We took a bus into the historic city center of Parma and spent the day walking around the city soaking up the architecture and the beautiful spring day.

Our little traveling group represented Ohio, Finland, Northern Ireland and Hong Kong but the others have lived in Italy for much longer and are helping me learn more about the culture of food here. We ate at Romeo's Trattorio for lunch and I enjoyed a dish of tortelli d'erbetto which is a Parma specialty. Of course, we also ordered a plate of antipasto to sample the prosciutto and salami.

Monticelli, where our hotel was located, is a smaller town surrounded by farms. We walked several kilometers down a country road to find a place to buy some of the famous Parma ham. We had been directed to a salumificio artigianale (producer of artisan cured meats) where we found Enrico Mazzoni who helped us sample and buy some meat to take home. We saw a glimpse of a gentler time and for a few hours, time seemed to stand still.