I Love Touring Italy – Springtime In Emilia-Romagna
The region of Emilia-Romagna stretches nearly all the way across northern Italy from the Gulf of Venice on the east to Tuscany and Liguria (the Italian Riviera) on the west. As with so many other parts of Italy the spring months are not very pleasant in early spring but it warms up fairly quickly. This region is known for its great food, even the perhaps unfortunately named provincial capital called Bologna.
In the middle of Lent the town of Forlimpopoli, population about 13 thousand celebrates Segavecchia, the burning of the effigy of “Old Woman Winter.” This story can get pretty bloody; in one version a woman is sawed in half by her husband and sons but they repent and she comes back to life. On the second or third Sunday in March the small town of Casalfiumanese, population about 3 thousand holds the Bologna Ravioli Festival. In this case Bologna refers to the provincial name. By the way, the city of Bologna is known for its excellent tortellini. You don’t have to go very far in Italy to change the local pasta specialties. On or about the 25th to 27th March, the city of Cavriago, home to about 9 thousand, hosts the Festival del Bue Grasso, a two hundred-year-old cattle fair that includes many demonstrations of old crafts and great food stands. The small town of Rocca San Casciano, population about 2 thousand, located about 40 miles (60 kilometers) southeast of Bologna hosts its Festa dei Falo (Bonfires Feast), said to originate in Celtic Pagan rites.
Start the month of April a few days early in the city of Vignola, population 23 thousand with a cherry festival. You can eat all kinds of cherry dishes and drink cherry wine. There’s a free train ride from Vignola to Bologna and back where you can learn about the