May, 2024
Our first road trip from Bologna took us to little gems around the Emilia-Romanga region, starting in San Giovanni in Persiceto.
San Giovanni in Persiceto
First stop: San Giovanni in Persiceto. This little town near Bologna is very much a locals place but Piazzetta degli Inganni is what attracts the occasional visitor. Back in the early 1980s, in an attempt to bring this little square back to life, the town enticed the Italian film set designer Gino Pellegrini to paint murals all around the square for its summer film festival. Well, this fabulous artwork lasted long beyond the summer festival and remains the big draw for this little town.
As with everywhere in Italy, there are many places to stop for a “chiacchierata”. When you listen in, everyone sounds like they’re old friends catching up, sharing the latest gossip, regardless of which generation they belong to. Young and old are connected.
Wildlife in San Giovanni in Persiceto.
The gelato research continues! Even in a little town they take it seriously.
And what better place to sit than on a stack of macarons!
How’s this for a vending machine! Where else would you find fresh pasta sold this way? Clearly pasta is important to one’s survival in Italy so they need to make sure people can get it when they need it if the shops are closed or their nonna has gone to sleep.