According to the World Travel & Tourism Council, nearly 49 million tourists visit Italy annually, many lured by its reputation as a coveted culinary destination. While that's great news for Italy, visitors -- especially in high-traffic destinations such as Venice, Naples and Milan -- may find themselves overrun by their fellow travelers.
Emilia-Romagna, a region north of Tuscany that spans from Piedmont and Liguria in the west to the shores of the Adriatic Sea, offers a respite for those seeking an authentic taste of Italian culture and history.
Visitors to Bologna, Emilia-Romagna's capital, will discover not only a plethora of regionally sourced ingredients but also the opportunity to learn firsthand some of the kitchen traditions passed down through the generations by way of Il Salotto di Penelope, a charming cooking school nestled on a quiet street in the city center.
The kitchen at Il Salotto di Penelope. Photo Credit: Matthew Wexler
Barbara Zaccagni and Valeria Hensemberger launched Il Salotto di Penelope, which loosely translates to "Penelope's living room," in 2012. (There is no namesake; they simply found the name charming.) The intention was to create a welcoming space where guests would feel at home while learning the core principles of Emilia-Romagna cuisine in a professional kitchen.
Participants can immerse themselves in three of the classics: tagliatelle, tortelloni and ragu alla Bolognese sauce.
Made by hand, tagliatelle and tortelloni are made from all-purpose flour, semolina (the hard part of durum wheat grain) and egg. With a bit of elbow grease, participants roll the dough into a thin sheet. You won't find a pasta crank or an electric pasta machine within sight. Per the exacting records of the Accademia Italiana della Cucina, tagliatelle is cut to a width of 8 millimeters.
Tagliatelle is one of the traditional dishes students learn to make at Il Salotto di Penelope cooking school in Bologna, run by Barbara Zaccagni and Valeria Hensemberger. Photo Credit: Matthew Wexler
The ragu is equally as meticulous, beginning with a saute of carrot, onion and celery and finished with ground pork and beef, wine and milk.
For the tortelloni, pasta sheets are cut into squares then filled with a combination of ricotta, Parmigiano-Reggiano and parsley, which are folded with delicate precision into the shape of a bishop's hat.
The class concludes with an abundant meal and free-flowing wine. Zaccagni and Hensemberger emphasize the importance of regional identity and also offer guided tours of the Mercato della Terra (Bologna Earth Market), a market organized by Slow Food, an international movement to preserve traditional and regional cuisine.
Il Salotto offers a 10% commission to agents. See www.ilsalottodipenelope.it.