Parma

Today’s destination was Parma, famous for its Parmesan cheese and Parma ham, among other things. We haven’t been here before and it has taken us by surprise. It is such a pretty town filled with colourful buildings (which I love), picturesque laneways, stunning historic sites, many churches for us to explore, and way too many enticing restaurants and cafes. It is a foodie’s paradise so Brad is very happy - very VERY happy.

Today’s plan was to just acquaint ourselves with the town before our more in-depth exploration tomorrow. And what a beautiful day to just wander and admire the town. The bad weather didn’t follow us and we are back to unbelievable blue skies and warm sunshine. Perfect for taking photos of the amazing buildings and sites. #nofilter

We had our first of many delicious meals, with lunch at da Mat bistro cucina. And the food was AMAZING. We enjoyed an entree of torta fritta, a delicate fried puffy deliciousness which is basically dough that is fried in lard. It puffs up while cooking to form a pocket and can be cut open to stuff with prosciutto di parma. We followed this up with ravioli for me and pappardelle for Brad. Both meals were amazing, paired with the local wines and beers. It was a great introduction to the food we were looking forward to sampling in Parma.

We are so excited to see more tomorrow and have a food tour booked for Tuesday. I don’t think the scales will be my friend when we get home but you only live once.Read more