Matilda of Tuscany Educational Tour was organized in collaboration with Emilia Romagna Region Tourist Board, on the occasion of Wolgang Minaty visit. The journalist and his photographer Mrs. Egger were welcomed by Itinere and Club di Prodotto Reggio Tricolore from June, the 14th to 17th. They had the pleasure to experience the Via Matildica of the Holy Face, a sacred itinerary that travels through the life of Matilda of Tuscany (Matilde of Canossa), one of the most important and interesting figures of the Italian Middle Ages.
The itinerary was also presented to RIMINI Meeting 2017, a fair about friendship between different communities.
The Matilda of Tuscany Educational Tour started with the famous Parmigiano Reggiano cheese production, in which the morning milk is mixed with the evening milk and 550 liters are poured into a big copper pot, and continued with tastings of Lambrusco and Traditional Balsamic Vinegar. Our next stop for the overnight was Rossena Castle, built by Matilda of Tuscany’s ancestors and a final gourmet dinner: Erbazzone, a savory pie made with spinach or other greens, and Tortelli, a typical reggiano pasta filled with ricotta and some herbs.
The story of Matilda’s land is enriched with other beautiful castles that the guests had the opportunity to visit: the Canossa Castle and the Bianello Castle, locations of “La Gran Contessa” life. Mr. Minaty e Mrs. Egger enjoyed one of the most renewed farm of the territory in the hills of Parma: here, the premium quality breed of black pig is raised and the results are delicious Parma Ham, Culatello and Salami.
Our final stop is a 2 hour walking in the Matilda Trail, along one of the strategic ridges for hiking across the province of Reggio Emilia and through the Apennines and Tuscany. An aperitivo and a Jazz dinner surrounded by beautiful vineyards in front of Torrechiara’s Castle made their day!
Here the article of Mr. Minaty on the German newspaper Rhein Neckar Zeitung. Enjoy!
Images extracted from the Rossena Castle’s website.
