Our one day in Modena was lovely. First, for me, we walked around the city center, heading for Mercato Albinelli. The ancient city was full of flourishes that reminded us of its long history, and I was enthralled.
I was on something of a quest to find the Premiata Salumeria Giuseppe Giusti, a shop selling local gastronomic delights since 1605.
It was tiny, and packed with tourists and locals. My favorite moment was when an older woman, clearly a local, walked in and was immediately helped, before others. She just wanted a little of their cooked agrodolce salsa, which looked delicious - as did everything in their case. But, honestly, I felt a little lost. I didn't really know what I wanted, and as I mentioned, it was packed. Hart was smooshed in a corner feeling claustrophobic, so we left without buying anything. It was enough just to witness a moment of their four hundred and fourteenth year in business.
Mercato Albinelli was great. We wandered around for a while...my favorite thing to do...
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| Candied fruits - I guess if you want to make your own panettone...? |
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| Modena and the whole of Emilia Romagna take their tortellini very, very seriously. |
Just as we were starting to feel peckish, we found a place selling Modenese specialties. It was really cold, and the idea of tortellini in brodo was too tempting to resist. As was a glass of crisp prosecco which actually complemented the rich capon broth and meaty pasta. Not that I got to eat that much of it - Hart went on "inhale" mode.
We also split a piadina with prosciutto di parma, parmigiano reggiano, and aceto balsamico. It was, quite rightly, called "The Modena."
The bread - the piadina - was grilled to order, and was similar to a flour tortilla, but more bready. Super yummy.
We wandered back through town, delighting in the holiday touches...
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| The house where Enzo was born. |
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| Hart's favorite. |
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| My favorite. |
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