Every locality has 'its piada'.From Ravenna to Rimini, via Forlì and Cesena, this culinary speciality is a real local treasure, with unique variations to savour.Discover the differences!
Explore the variety of piadina romagnola on a tasty journey through the provinces of Romagna.
Each area of Romagna has its own version of piadina. From Ravenna to Rimini, via Forlì and Cesena, this dish is an art that varies from place to place. Its production covers the provinces of Rimini, Forlì-Cesena, Ravenna and some municipalities south of Bologna.
Its history began as a humble food, evolving from Etruscan and Roman farinata. In the Middle Ages, it became a food of the peasant population, characterised by the use of a few simple ingredients.
The first written record dates back to 1371. In the 1970s, artisanal production began, with the appearance of the first kiosks along the coast.
Today it is a PGI product, but the basic ingredients have remained the same: wheat flour, water, salt and fat (lard and/or oil), with the possible addition of raising agents. It can be cooked on a baking tray, in a frying pan or on an earthenware stove. The main difference between the varieties lies in their thickness: thinner (2-3 mm) in the Rimini area and Riccione, thicker (4-8 mm) in the province of Forlì and Ravenna. Other differences can be found in the consistency: the so-called 'Piada Romagnola' is, in fact, more compact, rigid and crumbly than its 'cousin' from Rimini, which is softer and more flexible.
Wherever you decide to eat it, this gastronomic excellence will conquer your palate. Any combination is good, you can enjoy it with all cold meats and cheeses, all grilled or baked meats, all grilled fish and many cooked and raw vegetables. A must try is the version with grilled or marinated sardines combined with radicchio and onion.
The first stop can only be the piadina museum in San Giovanni in Marignano.
It is called the Piadina Experience, and it is the first museum in the world dedicated to the symbol of Romagna. This place manages to engage the visitor in a series of immersive, unique and memorable experiences. It is a journey that starts from the kitchens where grandmothers and great-grandmothers kneaded flour and love, through glimpses of country life, the story of work in the fields, the moments when people gathered to dance and share piadina with loved ones.
Finally, the discovery of how today, thanks to technology, the gestures of our grandmothers' skilful hands can be reproduced: suspended inside the 30-metre-long panoramic tunnel, one can observe how they are kneaded, rolled out, baked and bagged. This is the first time ever that a company that produces them is opening the doors of its production facility to the public.
Here you can also learn how to make it at home; after the tour, dedicated workshops are organised. Otherwise you can stop at the OSTERIA and enjoy the wide choice of gourmet piadinas too.
The second stop takes us to the seaside resort of Bellaria Igea Marina, located in the heart of the Adriatic Riviera of Emilia-Romagna. Here, the city parks, sports facilities, shows, shopping in the cosy pedestrian islands, the many cocktail bars and restaurants, and modern hotel facilities make for a pleasant holiday.
Culture is also an integral part of the experience, with the 17th century Saracen Tower housing the Museo delle Conchiglie, a rich malacological collection. Also not to be missed are the Bellaria Igea Marina Museum of History and Memory and the Casa Rossa (Red House), the summer home of writer Alfredo Panzini.
Finally, the traditional Piadina Festival is celebrated in September, where this delicacy can be enjoyed in various versions.
We now move to the Forlì area, where we suggest you visit the charming Forlimpopoli, birthplace of the famous Pellegrino Artusi.
Founded by the Romans in the 2nd century B.C., this town welcomed pilgrims on their way to Rome in the medieval period and preserves important monuments, such as the Rocca Albornoziana that dominates the main square.
Forlimpopoli is most famous for being the birthplace of Artusi (1820-1911), considered the father of Italian cuisine. Here is Casa Artusi, the first centre of gastronomic culture dedicated to Italian domestic cuisine, located in the monumental complex of the Chiesa dei Servi. Here you can enjoy traditional cuisine and take part in courses at the famous Cookery School to perfect your cooking techniques, including the art of piadina romagnola, typical of this part of Romagna, characterised by its smaller size, greater thickness, softer texture and richer seasoning.
Our gastronomic journey ends in Ravenna, where we can stop at one of the many small kiosks with vertical stripes, reminiscent of the classic beach huts of the Romagna Riviera. These are the piadina kiosks, guardians of a rural tradition that merges with the identity of this land.
Between a tour to discover the magnificence of its monuments, with its eight buildings declared World Heritage Sites by UNESCO, and following in the footsteps of the Father of Italian Literature Dante Alighieri, a stop to taste the Ravenna version of piada is a must.
Usually filled with salami, cheese, squacquerone cheese and caramelised figs, it is presented here in its 'taller' version. About a finger thick and with a dense consistency, it is also very well known in its closed version, the so-called cress.
