Perhaps left out of the darkest months ofCoronavirus emergency, we are trying to resume our lives, our habits, returning to go out, to see each other, to go to the restaurant. Some things, however, could not return immediately as before: this summer, for example, we are missing out on festivals, festivals and all those events who took us around the peninsula and made us stay together. Many have been canceled, others postponed. There are some that have reinvented themselves and we will soon be able to take part.

In Parma for a Gastronomic September

This is the case of the event Gastronomic September that from 30 August to 27 September get back to Parma, Italian Capital of Culture 2020 + 21: the culture of vibo will invade the whole territory with an event, for the first time, spread throughout the province, which celebrates the gastronomic excellences of the Food Valley, from PDO Parmigiano Reggiano and Parma ham to pasta and tomato. A mix of traditions, know-how, craftsmanship and passions that makes Parma a unique reality in the world, as also recognized by UNESCO, which in 2015 elevated the ducal city to the Olympus of Creative Cities of Gastronomy.

Two large supportive dinners

Among the events not to be missed, the charity dinner "Parma meets Bergamo" that on September 1 the kermesse will open at the Reggia di Colorno. In the kitchen, the chefs of Parma Quality Restaurants will be protagonists, exceptionally led by chef Enrico "Chicco" Cerea of the restaurant "Da Vittorio" in Brusaporto (Bg), three Michelin stars. The evening aims to seal the friendship between the cities of Parma and Bergamo and wants to be a thank you for the commitment of the chefs of Parma Quality Restaurants, who, during the Covid-19 emergency, helped to collect food for the hospital da campo in Bergamo, managed by chef Cerea.

On September 15th there will be the second solidarity dinner, this time under the Portici del Grano, in the historic center of Parma. To characterize it will be the collaboration between Parma and Genoa: in fact, the chefs of Parma Quality Restaurants and lo will work in the kitchen chef Matteo Losio, Trattoria “Bruxaboschi”, a place that has made the history of traditional Ligurian cuisine. Since last April, the Emilian city and the Ligurian city have entered into a collaboration agreement, to develop synergies in the field of tourism promotion, in particular by focusing on culture and music: Genoa, in fact, was the birthplace of the violinist Niccolò Paganini, while Parma is the city of Maestro Giuseppe Verdi.

For both dinners the places available are 150 and tickets, at the cost of 75 euros, are available for purchase starting from 1 August at theIAT Office of the Municipality of Parma, in Piazza Garibaldi, and on the website www.parmacityofgastronomy.it. Part of the proceeds from the dinners will be donated to Emporio Solidale Parma which supports many families in the Parma area especially with free shopping.

Dinner with the director

On 24 September, in Parma, at the Liberty-style Bersò located in the former Eridania park, instead the dinner show with the opera director Gianmaria Aliverta, made possible thanks to the collaboration with Teatro Regio di Parma – Verdi OFF. Born in 1984, Aliverta founded the VoceAllOpera Association in 2011 which aims to disseminate the opera in unusual contexts. On the occasion of the evening, the director will stage the show "In the kitchen with Verdi": the idea is to reveal a lesser known side of the Maestro, his nature as a refined lover of cooking. It will be a show played on the art-culture-cuisine triad, which alternates the execution of Verdi arias, the story of anecdotes and the activity in the kitchen: Aliverta, in fact, for the occasion will cook a saffron risotto, among the dishes most appreciated by the Maestro. In a continuous game of references between music and cuisine, the menu that the guests of the evening will be able to appreciate, designed by the chefs of Parma Quality Restaurants, will be inspired by dishes dear to Giuseppe Verdi. The seats available for this dinner are 120. Tickets, at a cost of 75 euros, are available for purchase starting from 1 August at the IAT Office of the Municipality of Parma, in Piazza Garibaldi, and on the website www.parmacityofgastronomy.it.

Widespread (and themed) tastings

Restaurateurs, bartenders, bartenders and owners of delicatessens will interpret and enhance the symbolic products of Parma, proposing appetizers, dishes, tasting menus and cocktails. Each week of September will have a gastronomic theme: the tomato from 30 August to 5 September; Prosciutto di Parma PDO from 6 to 12 September; Parmigiano Reggiano DOP and dairy products from 13 to 19 September; pasta and anchovies from 20 to 27 September.

Storyteller in the tavern

To strongly characterize the 2020 edition of "Gastronomic September" will be the combination of food and culture, in its musical expression. It starts on September 1st, at the Reggia di Colorno, with a performance of historical dances: couples of dancers, dressed in period costumes, will dance on some of the most famous pages of the Verdi and nineteenth-century repertoire. The following events – which will be hosted in various restaurants throughout the Parma province, and under the Portici del Grano – are entitled "Rigo-read and narrated". The idea is to recover and update a custom of the early twentieth century, when taverns and trattorias they were places where, in addition to being able to enjoy simple dishes accompanied by a glass of wine, it was possible to listen storyteller, who, with the background of an accordion or a barrel organ, sang arias of the operas or told stories.

A tasty box as a gift to those staying in Parma

Anyone will come to Parma and will stay in one of the city ​​accommodation facilities for one or more nights, as long as the period includes Saturday, you will receive one "Tasty Box – The Flavors of Food Valley": a sort of gastronomic business card of the Parma Food Valley and an invitation to experiment in the kitchen in your own home, in the name of the flavors of Parma. Inside the "Tasty Box", in fact, guests of the city of Parma will be able to find the DOP Parmigiano Reggiano and Prosciutto di Parma, pasta, tomato preserves, cream and the Anchovies of Parma.