[May 2025] We spent two nights in the town of Correggio in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy.
This time, it was a short trip to celebrate my husband’s birthday.
We use our anniversaries as an excuse to enjoy short trips.
Correggio is a small town that my husband discovered online, known as the birthplace of the Renaissance painter Correggio.
Speaking of the painter Correggio, we had recently seen his masterpiece, the “Assumption of the Virgin Mary” ceiling painting, in Parma.
That’s not why we chose this destination, though.
When we arrived, the whole town happened to be in the midst of a festival.
The festival was called the San Quirino Festival, and it apparently celebrates the feast day of the town’s patron saint, Saint Quirino.
So, while there were likely various religious events, all we saw were street performers, craft and food stalls, and a food court in the square.
The weather was beautiful, a pleasant summer day, perfect for a festival, and the place was bustling with people.
All towns in Emilia-Romagna have many porticos, and this one was no exception.
The townscape was quite picturesque.
After walking around for a while, it was already evening, so we had an aperitif at a cafe called La Zecca, which we had researched beforehand.
We were looking forward to Emilia-Romagna cuisine, but the tagliere didn’t reflect local ingredients, which was a bit disappointing.
So, my husband suggested we try the festival food court, so we headed there.
In addition to the gnocco fritto we were looking forward to, my husband had ravioli, a local specialty, and I had arrosticini, something completely unrelated to the region.
Arrosticini are skewered roasted lamb, a specialty of Abruzzo.
Surprisingly, people in Northern Italy don’t eat lamb, and it’s rarely sold in supermarkets, so as a lamb lover, I take advantage of opportunities like these to eat it.
The food here was very delicious.
This food court was sponsored by a local school.
As a result, children were busy serving customers.
This is a great idea.
It allows children to learn about work through practice and has the possibility to bring out their potentials.
We were all seated at a long table, and 7-year-old Giulia, sitting next to me, asked me, “Are you Chinese?”
She was so innocent and adorable.
According to my husband, people in Emilia-Romagna are generally simple, hardworking, and friendly.
