In a few months everybody in Bologna will talk about FICO – Eatalyword. The huge food park is opening this Autumn and the hype is growing. 
I had the chance to visit the work in progress so, like an original umarell (the old bolognese men who like to watch construction sites), I took a walk inside with my camera to show you a preview of how it will be.

F(abbrica)I(taliana)Co(ntadina) [Italian Farming Factory] is an 80,000 sqm food park in the east-suburbs of Bologna, born with the aim of becoming the reference venue for sharing of knowledge on Italian food and wine excellences. 
Founded by Oscar Farinetti (Eataly), Tiziana Primori (Coop) and Andrea Segreè (University of Bologna), it will be a mix of food market, didactical farm and place for food-related events and congresses.

Lots of things. But let’s start from the food: 40 companies from Sicily to Trentino, big brands and small producers together.
My favorite? Early to tell, but it will be great to have in Bologna the organic meat grown in the hills of Tuscany of Savigni and the fresh Romagna’s cheeses of Mambelli. Some of our food tours partners such as Forno Calzolari and La Consorteria will also be there to bring local bread and Balsamic Vinegar of Modena.

Of the 16 restaurants inside, my curiosity goes to fish, handled by Rimini’s restaurant Guido, to the fresh pasta of Amerigo (one of the Michelin restaurant you should visit if you are in Bologna), and the unusual potato-bistrot by Pizzoli, a popular company of my home town.

Education is another key word of FICO: 6 educational carousels with hands-on activities and games will help children and families discover the origins of Italian foods. Workshops and course in collaboration with the University of Bologna complete the offer for students and foodies.
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A small arena for intimate concerts or book presentations, a cinema, a meeting hall and a beach area for sports and relaxation will help FICO become a place to spend time after work or an evening with friends.

At this stage is still too early to tell. I saw lots of people working hard to open in 2 months. It’s a huge bet to become a world reference for food and it could be very important for Bologna to grow both economically and a touristic destination.
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Some will certainly criticize this kind of entertainment, but at the moment the only food you can get is from the yellow food truck just outside the entrance.

​So keep reading and we’ll see how it will appear. I’m really curious about it, and you?

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Yes, it happened. I finally had dinner at Osteria Francescana in Modena. I took a photo with Massimo Bottura, I ate his most famous tortellini with cream of Parmigiano Reggiano and met the fake national guard at the entrance.
​Did it worth it? Was it the best dinner of my life? Let’s start from the beginning.

How I got in
For those who don’t know it, Osteria Francescana is 2017′s #2 restaurant in the world (former #1), 3 Michelin’s stars, and the most famous restaurant in Italy so far. Finding a table at Massimo Bottura’s is not a simple game: with only 12 tables and a 3 months in advance reservation policy, you should feel lucky to at least sit in there.
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But like in standard restaurants, sometimes people cancel and that’s what happened when Monique wrote me. She’s a passionate foodie, owner of a food tour company based in Melbourne, who spent a few time in Bologna to learn Italian.
She had to fill a table for 4 and I ended up with her and 2 other classmates. I didn’t expect my first time at Francescana with 3 strangers, but I had such an amazing time and fun.  

I also was the only Italian customer in the restaurant, which made me think a bit, but what I care most is: 

The food
I didn’t entered Osteria Francescana with the thrill of coming into a sacred place and I felt no pressure to have the best meal of my life. ​Maybe because I don’t have TV, I don’t blindly trust rankings and basically because it’s just a dinner, what I care the most is the food.

We chose together the cheaper Festina Lente menu of 9 dishes (220€), paired with the wine tasting (130€). 
At least 4 of my 9 dishes were just perfect: “Tempura of aula with carpione sorbet”, “Suckling pig tender and crunchy”,  “Ceasar salad in bloom” and “Yellow is bello” are a great combination of skills, prime ingredients and fantasy. You don’t get 3 Michelin stars by chance and in these dishes I could taste the idea of Bottura’s cuisine. 
Also the wine pairing (mostly French, a couple of Italian Trebbiano and Nebbiolo) was a good choice. 

Why to go
The reason “to say to friends I’ve been #2 restaurant in the world” is not enough for me. Osteria Francescana worth your efforts if you’d like to taste the flavors of Emilia Romagna on a different perspective. Like Modena’s borlenghi on the finger food entreè; polenta with eel and saba (a cooked must syrup you should know if you took our Modena food tour), a typical poor dish of Ferrara; or the aula on tempura, a river fish hard to find in restaurants but common amongst the farmers of Pianura Padana. 

Why not go
One simple reason: the price. If you can afford a 360€ dinner monthly, don’t think about it: reserve. But if for you (like for me) that’s a huge amount of money you have to save for, well in this case think about the alternatives. A few ideas? You can visit at least other 2/3 Michelin Starred restaurant around Bologna, take a fly to Lecce and eat at Bros or eat fish and drink Porto wine for 10 days in Portugal.
So if you envy your friend who, after years of waiting, finally got in, please don’t. You can be happy in lots of other foodies ways.

Info
Osteria Francescana
Via Stella, 22, 41121 Modena 
Tel. 059 223912
www.osteriafrancescana.it

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I honestly didn’t know Rick Stein before a call I got last November. Elizabeth from Denhams TV told me that BBC was planning to film an episode of “Rick Stein’s Long Weekend” in Bologna. They needed someone that helped Rick Stein to find the most traditional food of the city, its legends and the best places to find it. So we created a teamwork in collaboration with Alice of Bologna Welcome and Sara of Turismo Emilia Romagna to share our knowledge with BBC crew.
The filming happened in a rainy week of March 2016, we made a really hard work to make it happen. Watch the full episode and some behind the scenes videos and photos.

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