Il Comm. Ensale

D&B OSTERIA DEI FRATI

How very lovely is this place !
We are in Roncofreddo, a pretty hill town of Romagna, where the grounds are gardens and where the Coast with its crowds and its amazing events close and yet so far away.
We are between Rimini and Cesena, both important Malatestiane town, and in this sweet part of the sunny Romagna the Malatesta family are still among us as we run into their history everywhere.
To stay in Roncofreddo, at the D&B OSTERIA DEI FRATI is a very smart choice.
D&B OSTERIA DEI FRATI is located at the top of Roncofreddo where, several centuries ago there was an important monastery.
Every day we can have lovely trips and visit Ravenna with its magnificent mosaics and churches, Forlimpopoli with its Casa Artusiana, San Marino, the most ancient Republic of the world (San Marino is not Italy, it is a different State), or San Leo with its Rocca.

I am sure, some days, after the rich breakfast, your desire will be to go nowhere and do nothing but enjoy the delicious Roncofreddo and its small hamlets.
The Bed part, in fact, is the house of Anna, the daughter of Renato.
Renato is the father of Anna, did I tell you ?
For the welcome guests three cute rooms are available; their names are the colors orange, blue and green.
From the terrace of each room the view is very beautiful and enriches our soul with quiet and peace.
Do not ask which is the best; it depends on which view you prefer. Really do you want my personal opinion ?!? Well, I prefer the blue or azzurra in Italian.
The Dinner part is so sweetly delicious. Anna takes care of the dinner but here the strong help of Renato is useful and mandatory, as Renato takes care of the procurement and, especially, he puts on the table, so to speak, his great expertise about cheese and salami.
You will choose or not, a delicious first course and often pasta is homemade.
You will choose or not a delicious second course.
But for sure what you should choose here is a main course based on the cheeses and the salami by Renato. Among the cheese, please, do not miss the typical Formaggio di Fossa made by Renato once in one year, beginning in August and finished in November.
This is the true Formaggio di Fossa !
No bread or yes only if you ask for it, because the true bread role, here, is played by piadina, the most typical bread of Romagna.
Piadina will be always on your table, every time just made, every time hot enough to enjoy with the best cheese and salami.
My advice for wine is Sangiovese di Romagna.
Oh, very probably during the dinner we have developed a friendship with the other guests of the D&B; this is the nice atmosphere encouraged by the generosity of Anna and Renato.

D&B OSTERIA DEI FRATI
via R. Comandini, 149
Roncofreddo (FC)
Tel +39 0541 949649
www.osteriadeifrati.it

Bed price 90 € in double room, breakfast included
Dinner price 30 € per person, exclusive of wine

Scritto da vincenzod alle 8:16, in Emilia-Romagna

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We are on the Southern edge of the Adriatic Coast of Romagna; in fact if you cross a little bridge you’re in Gabicce Mare which is the region of Marche.
So, here in Cattolica, coming from the South, with the Adriatic Sea on your right, you have arrived in Romagna.
Cattolica, let’s be brutally honest, is a very cute town for 10 months per year. In fact, as it is a famous and very traditional beach town, in the months of July and August . . . oh, better for you stay far from here.
In the center of Cattolica, on one of its main streets, Via Carducci, there is this very unusual, charming and luxurious D&B: D&B Vicolo Santa Lucia.
The Bed part consists of several very large and beautifully furnished rooms.
The Dinner part is the kingdom of the very clever chef Stefano Ciotti.
His training was based on two fundamental experiences: Lido Lido in Cesenatico with the great Vincenzo Cammerucci and Don Alfonso in Sant’Agata sui Due Golfi with the great Alfonso Jaccarino.
The team is young; in fact the chef Stefano Ciotti, the sommelier Alan Mancini and the pastry chef Tomas Morazzini are each under forty.
The dining room is very elegant and also so elegant is the mise en place.
The name of the antipasto that we chose is self-explanatory : SOLOCRUDO. It consists of tartare of branzino alla cannella e neve al limone and carpaccio of ricciola ai ricci of mare e pomodori secchi of Pantelleria. You cannot miss it !
The first course was spaghetti Mancini with cozze, sardoncini and fagiolini.
The bread, by the way, is home made as are the little cassoni and the little piadine.
The second course was branzino alla griglia con salsa anconetana.
As dessert we were delighted with a masterpiece: the summer version of tortino al cioccolato colante.
The wines were excellent. We enjoyed Verdicchio Classico.
Then, we swam on the street and, believe me, even more and more we appreciated to cross again the gate and be immersed in the elegance of this charming D&B enjoying the deep night relax in so wonderful room.
The breakfast in the morning, how possibly not, was excellent and outstanding.

D&B VICOLO SANTA LUCIA
Viale Carducci, 76
Cattolica (RN)
Tel +39 0541 954677
www.carducci76.it

Bed price 190 € in double room, including breakfast
Dinner price 120 € per person, exclusive of wine

Scritto da vincenzod alle 17:21, in Emilia-Romagna

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We are on le prime colline of Romagna in the area called Valmarecchia.
Marecchia is the river which though small, pretends to be a huge river and in a quiet way arrives in Rimini to make its meeting with the Adriatic Sea.
And Rimini is not so far, but surely far enough to be sure we are in the kingdom of the peace and serenity: no noises, never crowded.
The small and cute hill town is Torriana. Its past name was Scorticata, to mean the opposite of a soft surface, to mean that here the rocks of the hills are big and evident.
And Scorticata is also the name of the festival that every July makes Torriana a lovely meeting point (though still not crowded) of gourmet.
By the way of gourmet during the whole year, Torriana is the right place for it (quorum ego) thanks to the D&B POVERO DIAVOLO.
Torriana is a good place for day trips: two are the mandatory, in my opinion: Ravenna and Urbino.
The location of the D&B POVERO DIAVOLO is in the center of the small town (pop, less than 1,200).
The souls of this sweet D&B are Fausto and Stefania, who are always ready to satisfy your needs and your desires.
The Bed part consists of five rooms, each one very elegantly furnished and with its corner for reading and thinking.
Your morning begins with breakfast and it will help you to begin a new day.
The breakfast is very rich and the passion in its preparation is evident. Fausto and Stefania will very often be in attendence at breakfast and they can suggest how to spend your day.
The Dinner part is the kingdom of the young and very clever chef Pier Giorgio Parini.
Let’s pick up from the memory to suggest several courses.
To begin, La mazzola nel fiore di zucca.
To go on with a delicious and particolar first course: Cappelletti del Povero Diavolo al pecorino di fossa.
As a second course, Tonno scottato, melanzane, pesca e menta.
As dessert, Tortina tiepida d’ albicocche, mandorle e pistacchi.
About the wines, the choice can be among several hundreds labels, therefore ask to accompany Fausto to visit the cellar and come back from there hugging one bottle (or two!).
A walk along the street to the small square with its belvedere to appreciate the valley and the opposite hill town named Verucchio.
Thanks, Torriana. Many thanks to Fausto and Stefania; we’ll see you tomorrow and good night.

D&B POVERO DIAVOLO
Via Roma, 30
TORRIANA (RN)
Tel +39 0541 675060
www.ristorantepoverodiavolo.com

Bed price 80 € in double room, including breakfast
Dinner price 60 € per person, exclusive of wine

Scritto da vincenzod alle 10:38, in Emilia-Romagna

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Bologna is a very beautiful town. Its only weakness is that it is close to the more famous Florence. It often gets lost in the shuffle of planning one’s travels in Italy.

But it is a mistake: Bologna deserves a visit and, please take your time here because it is revealed slowly as the slowness is the way of life.
And, by the way, Bologna is good starting point to visit Ferrara, Modena, Parma, Ravenna, Rimini; oh, my God, several among those are the best Italian towns.
The best place to stay in Bologna is . . . just outside of Bologna.
Our smart choice is the D&B MONTEVECCHIO ISOLANI, located on the first hills surrounding Bologna, close enough to Bologna to enjoy it, and far enough to be fresh and cool in summer and to enjoy this true rural life with every comfort, in this charming historical palace.
In fact, the Bed part consists of two different structures. The first one is named La Torre, built in the XVIII century; on the first floor are three rooms.
The second one is named Il Colmo where there are four charming and very comfortable rooms.
The Dinner part, located on the floor of La Torre, is the kingdom of the chef Massimiliano.
The genuine specialties consist particularly of local meats cooked on the ancient fireplace located in the visible kitchen.
But not only meats come from a short supply chain; it is so also cheese, potatoes and vegetables, The bread is homemade daily.
And about wines, don’t worry, as the owners of this D&B, Cavazza family, are also wine makers and, by the way, ask for a cold bottle of sparkling Pignoletto in your room ready to drink when, in late afternoon, you come back after an enjoyable day.
Do you ride horses ? Here you can do so.
You will enjoy the D&B MONTEVECCHIO ISOLANI and from now on you have more reasons to visit Bologna and its surrounding area again and again.

D&B MONTEVECCHIO ISOLANI
Via Dondarini 1
Monte S. Pietro (BO)
Tel +39 051 6766882
www.montevecchioisolani.it

Bed price 90 € in double room, breakfast included
Dinner price 30 € per person, including normal wine

Scritto da vincenzod alle 11:36, in Emilia-Romagna

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Where are we now ? Are we in Romagna ? Yes, formally we are in Romagna, but Tuscany is very close and hugs this territory so that, the best answer is to say that we are in Casentino.
In fact, the whole area is called Casentino and, as it is full of large and wide woods, the best name is Foreste Casentinesi.
And this D&B, the D&B AL VECCHIO CONVENTO is unique for its location, this medieval hilltown named Portico di Romagna, its structure is an ancient palace with its magical atmosphere in every season of the year.
Portico di Romagna, indeed, seems an island in the middle of a green sea, where the green consists of the woods.
The way to spend the relaxing days during our stay here is mainly to walk along the paths in this National Park named Parco Nazionale delle Foreste Casentinesi.
My strong tip is to spend one day to visit the small hamlet called San Benedetto with its great falls, called Acquacheta and its Abbazia built in the IX century.
And one should also visit the small hidden jewel of a hill town called Tredozio.
The Bed part of the D&B AL VECCHIO CONVENTO consists of 15 pretty and elegant rooms, furnished using antique furniture of the XVIII century; obviously the comfort is high, but with a modern standard.
The breakfast in the morning is gorgeous and it is the best way to begin a lovely day.
The Dinner part is to live and then you will never forget it.
Depending on the season, you cannot miss truffles and mushrooms. Also the cheese offering is smart and here you can taste the formaggio di fossa.
The wine list is well done and there is a very good selection of the best labels of Sangiovese di Romagna, Albana di Romagna and also Pignoletto.
The D&B AL VECCHIO CONVENTO transmit such a big charm that it is hard to leave.

D&B AL VECCHIO CONVENTO
Via Roma 7
Portico di Romagna (FC)
Tel +39 0543 967053
www.vecchioconvento.it

Bed price 90 euro in double room, including breakfast
Dinner price 42 euro per person, exclusive of wine

Scritto da vincenzod alle 9:12, in Emilia-Romagna

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I know, I do know that our Italian longest river, by the way with the smallest name: Po, is a bit more than a secondary bayou of Mississippi; nevertheless, the charm of Po and of its surrounding area, named Polesine, is great and unique.
Rather than to sail on it, we drive along its right coast and we arrive in the small town Polesine Parmense.
We are in the land where the great Maestro Giuseppe Verdi was born and lived. His music is great and well known everywhere. Can you ignore “Va pensiero” ?!? It is also the land of an important Italian writer, Giovannino Guareschi, the author of the serial books with the priest Don Camillo and the major of the left party Peppone. These stories became famous movies.
We are along the road of the Culatello di Zibello, and Zibello is the next town after Polesine Parmense.
Culatello di Zibello is the best part of the pork, aged in the best place. In other words, a true masterpiece to taste at least once in the life.
The D&B is Antica Corte Pallavicina.
An ancient palace build more than six centuries ago.
In the cellars there are more or less five thousands culatello waiting. That is the only key factor, the flow of the time which enables them to become ready to eat.
And it means at least two years.
Upstairs 4 very comfortable and charming rooms and 2 suites, and I do not have words enough to describe them: two dreams !
We sleep in a very ancient palace with the comforts of this century.
The breakfast is the masterpiece of the morning.
The very kind and very clever Valerio cares about it.
Unbelieveable how much food and how high quality it is!
Having a rich breakfast, believe me, the next time we eat in the day is the dinner.
And, by the way of dinner, the Dinner part is the linked restaurant Al Cavallino Bianco, whose chef is Massimo Spigaroli, the patron of Antica Corte Pallavicina, your guide to visit the cellars with Culatello and your teacher, if you choose, for useful cooking lessons.
To listen to your desires and to care for you is the brother of Massimo, Luciano.
The menu is excellent and you cannot miss the “verticale” of culatello, meaning culatello at its different ages. Also please consider the fish from the river, the storione.
The experience at Spigaroli’s house is unique and unforgettable.
Look at the photogallery of its website to begin to understand better what you are missing until you will stay there for some days.

UPDATE

During 21-22-23 October, you may attend a day-long course to learn to make salumi.
For further information or to sign up, send an e-mail to Valerio

D&B ANTICA CORTE PALLAVICINA
Strada del Palazzo Due Torri, 3
Polesine Parmense (PR)
tel 0524 936539
http://www.acpallavicina.com/

Bed 130€ per double room including breakfast
Dinner 45€ per person, exclusive of wine

Scritto da vincenzod alle 9:49, in Emilia-Romagna

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