Antica Corte Pallavicina Relais

We had business in the area and wanted to eat in the Michelin restaurant, so we booked rooms. Nice vintage building with a courtyard for special events. Animals were fun to see, although smells and bugs are part of the experience. Pretty nasty little room. Busted piece of junk air conditioner hasn't worked in quite a while, I suspect. I personally went to their office THREE TIMES to ask someone to make it work or bring us a fan, and no one could arrive because they had a large convention setting up, making for a miserable night. No ventilation of any kind in the room. Primitive bathroom wasn't "shabby chic", just shabby. Working farm rooms might be better if the doors could be kept closed. But without ventilation of any kind and open doors, the fixed screens keep the bugs INSIDE of the room, requiring the windows to remain closed, as they gather on them, trying to escape at night (I don't blame the bugs!).||Michelin dining experience earned a star for very attentive service. We enjoyed 4-1/2 hours at the table. Food quality will never go past one star earned for service. $250 a person was within our expectations, and we enjoyed the dinner.||In summary, great wedding or conference space, but don't stay here! The very small staff cannot handle both convention events and take care of the rooms.

This is an average at best experience at an extremely high and unjustified price point. Starting with the hotel: I only stayed for two nights and three days, but in my short stay I can list a range of errors, ranging from minor to serious. I was given a shaving kit on the first day, and never on any subsequent day. Several bottles in my minibar had already been opened and partially consumed. There were several stinkbugs in the room, I averaged finding 2-3 per night. There was a leak under my washbasin that led to the bathroom floor always being wet - informed the staff who were apologetic but didn't fix it. The WiFi was completely nonfunctional (for me and my family in 2 other rooms) for the entire duration of the stay. It was better in the restaurant area. These errors can all be forgiven if the intended experience is a humble and rustic farm BnB. But this is proposed as a luxury experience, and priced accordingly. Their reach far exceeds their grasp. In terms of the food at the Michelin star restaurant, the culatello was predictably excellent, as was some of the pasta. But I was served what I can without doubt say was the worst dish I've ever had at a Michelin star restaurant - an "invention of ortaggi (vegetables)" that was priced at nearly 40€ for 4 small squirts of slightly different textures of pumpkin paste, garnished with a vastly over-acidic pickled carrot. This was proposed as a main dish, whilst my family had pheasant and fish on their side. I'm not joking when I say it was literally much smaller than my starter. It's an insultingly thoughtless dish that speaks very poorly of the kitchen. Speaking of thoughtless, the service also needs a lot of work. Very inattentive and uneven. They left our glasses unfilled for 20 minutes - and delayed our starters because one person still had food on their plate from the amuse bouche - they hadn't touched it in 35 minutes and were clearly finished with it. The service wants to be the kind of Michelin standard where they store the water and wine off-table, but that system only works if the staff is extremely attentive and refills your glasses before you notice it's needed. As it was I was ready to get up and ask them to just leave the damn water on the table so I can pour my own glass. Again, for the price point, the restaurant far exceeds its abilities. This feels to me like a humble trattoria that got ideas far beyond it's station.

We stayed here for 3 nights in November 2025. While the building and setting are beautiful, our experience staying here was very inconsistent and we ultimately wouldn’t recommend it. Most of front desk staff was very helpful and kind: they answered our questions, helped us make a few lunch and dinner reservations in the area, and tried to fix the issues with our room. However, service/hospitality was inconsistent and generally disappointing. Upon arrival, the person who checked us in gave us no information about the hotel or any services except for the daily breakfast window (this could have also been a language barrier as we do not speak Italian). Despite multiple people at the front desk, no one offered to help with our luggage. The parking lot is a few minute walk from the check in area down a gravel road, and our room was up three flights of stairs. About our day into our stay, we noticed what looked like a service elevator, and it was unclear if it was usable/open to guests, since no one mentioned it to us. We were also celebrating a special occasion and notified the management team twice prior to our arrival, and they did not say or do anything to acknowledge it, which would have been such an easy way to make our stay special. The we booked their “standard” room, which was pretty basic, but the room was not well maintained or super clean (we stayed in the Abati/Abbot’s Room). The safe was dysfunctional (the front desk did bring in a replacement on the last day of our stay). The bathroom was particularly bad. There were cobwebs around the shower in easy to reach places and dirt/grime on the windowsills. Our shower leaked and flooded the bathroom floor every time it was used, so each day we needed to use multiple towels to dry the floor. The front desk was aware of this and helped by giving us fresh towels but to our knowledge, never brought in a maintenance worker to fix the issue during our stay. Given that there were only 2-3 other guests during our three days there, it would have made a difference if they offered to change our room. While this hotel has so much potential, our visit was mediocre at best, and we do not recommend staying here.

The entire experience was exceptional from start to finish. Dinner was unforgettable—not just because of the outstanding food, but thanks to the service that made it truly special. It all began with a fascinating walk through the cellar, where hundreds of Culatello hams were hanging to age—a sight (and aroma) we won’t soon forget. The rooms are each unique, full of character, and the hotel’s atmosphere is wonderfully peaceful. Set in a stunning location, it’s the perfect place to slow down, savor the moment, and enjoy every detail.

We spent two nights at ACP. Stellar restaurant (no pun intended), and great service all around. It really left a mark in our hearts and palates. Truly unique, and a must-try for the pork lovers from across the globe.

We stayed two nights in this lovely Italian 14th century farmhouse. There is also a Michelin star restaurant and an other restaurant Osteria which is serving also breakfast. ||Our stay was very relaxing and pleasant in every way. |Staff was very very nice both in hotel and restaurants. Room was spacious, wifi was very good and air conditioning excellent. ||We ate dinner in both restaurants. In Massimo Spigaroli's Michelin star restaurant (which is also Forbes TOP 100 Italian restaurants list) we had a menu and wine package which was around 860 euros for four persons. We took a menu with lot of vegetables and actually no meat at all. And what is nice is that most of the incredients they use in their restaurants come from their own farm. Especially the dessert (Sabayon sauce + pears + ice cream) was a unique experience since it was done in front of us. It was also very nice that Mr Spigaroli came to say hello to us. ||They also produce Culatello in this farm and it was excellent. Once you have tasted excellent Culatello Parma ham is "nothing". Culatello we had in Osteria were we also tasted their white cows' meat. ||My friend had wanted to arrange a small surprise for us and they made the best cake ever for our anniversary. ||If you want to have a relaxing stay with good food I highly recommend this place.

Great place. Great food. We ate at both restaurants and the Michelin star restaurant was absolutely worth it and great value. Culatello is everywhere and that’s why you are there. Rustic and takes you back in time. If you don’t like a farm, rustic atmosphere then not for you, but we loved it. Will go back!

Best culatello in an enchanted location with incredible cellars where all the goods are matured! De dining room is so pretty, especially in colder moths with the fireplace. Service is very attractive and incredibly friendly! More than highly recommend

We had a wonderful time and experience. This place fully deserves the Michelin star. The 42 months cured culatello is the best culatello I've eaten in my whole life. The aromas bouquet and flavor are heavenly. Ambience is elegant yet friendly, classy yet welcoming, bourgeois yet rustic. Staff and service are on point, attentive, well trained and knowledgeable. Most items truly are farm to table and move no more than a few feet from the vegetable garden to the kitchen and then your table. We tried one of the three tasting and wine menus. It was great.

4.5 stars. I stayed at the relais and ate at the Michelin-starred restaurant one of the nights. The service is friendly and accommodating, and the prices fair--€90 for a tasting menu, €120 with local wines (in some cases, very local, as in made on-premises). The scenery can't be beat. Food was almost uniformly good, and at times quite clever. Highlights were the chicken tortellini and Parmigiano fondue, cooked in a pig bladder (an echo of the culatello salumi they make on-site) and served tableside. This kind of theatrical, yet logical dish is why they get the Michelin star. The pig bladder is like a medieval sous vide pouch, snipped open tableside. Then they shave "bottarga di culatello," or the dry leftover bits of ham, tableside--a testament to the old peasant ways of not letting anything go to waste. There was more of that culatello, the buttery, first-cut kind, served as a first course. If you're staying at the relais you will get sick of this house specialty that costs up to €90 per kilo, but this selection promises to rekindle your interest. Another highlight was frog legs, presumably harvested from the Po river less than 300m away. What an unexpected treat, but one that revealed the one notable flaw I found--the salt balance in some of the dishes. My theory is that because so many of the endemic food products here--salumi and cheese--are heavily salted, the kitchen tends to scale back the salt elsewhere. This was evident in those frog legs, which featured potato purée and zucchini garnishes that were almost unsalted, and in the shockingly orange-yolked poached egg, with more of that same purée, and some garden vegetables. That dish was fairly bland, and could've used--dare I say it--some cured ham somewhere, or at least some salt in the potatoes. But that's not enough to detract from what is overall a soulful, memorable experience. The wine selection deserves special notice. The house brut is delightful, with none of prosecco's headaches or toothaches. And I had a couple whites that clearly reflected a terroir you can't get anywhere else. (They also make a wonderful house Lambrusco for 8 stinking Euro). There were only a few people in the restaurant, although it was a Wednesday in early August, when many places throughout Europe effectively shut down. Here's hoping it fills up with the kind of diners who will appreciate swamp monsters fished out of the local river.

We had dinner at this 1 star Michelin restaurant for our one night in Parma. It's a wonderful country inn and restaurant that you better set your GPS unit to find it. Once parked a short distance away from the relais and restaurant, we walked the stone driveway past some flower gardens, vegetable gardens, and then came to the entrance. Much of what is served is grown on site. We were first given a tour of the aging culatello aging in the cellar. There are hundreds and hundreds of hanging pig, some of them the black pig of Polesine Parmense, being aged for clients. Restaurants and royalty like Prince Albert II of Monaco had some marked with their names. In another room, there were some large parmesan wheels and three of them were on their cheese table for your selection. We each ordered the tasting called The Land, As It Is, As It Was, that started with a stuffed squash blossom from their garden and then were served a podium of three culatello from "white Pig" of two different aging months and one selection of 37 month Black pig. Thinly sliced and quite good, it was a great start. This was followed with tortelli stuffed with ricotta and spinach, a green vegetable soup followed by frog legs in mashed potato. Last we had "Germana" duck. We then had our individual cheese selections along with bread and jams of different kinds. The cheeses--no matter what you picked--were excellent. Then we were brought a number of desserts to finish off this grand meal. Service was excellent and the people are really friendly and accommodating. We walked back to the car in the stillness of dark and I know I enjoyed thinking of the grand meal we'd just had!

Wow. Wow. Wow. As good as it gets! The Good: This place is truly special. The restaurant itself is actually a gorgeous room inside a castle-turned-farmhouse/bed-and-breakfast in a rural, agricultural, town in the middle of Italy, that grows and makes 95% of what they serve in their Michelin-starred restaurant. Um, wow. We stayed a couple nights here and ate here for my boyfriend's birthday, and it could not have been better. What a treat, and so worth the drive into rural Italy! One of the coolest things for us was to take a tour of the farm where they raise black pigs, white cows, geese and of course, lots of veggies. They also amazingly cure their own meat, and are known for different ages of culatello. It's absolutely incredible to tour the curing room in the basement of the castle. The Bad: Nothing. The Food: Absolutely phenomenal. Every dish came with a story. The menu was fun to read, the food was fun to eat, and I didn't even know you were allowed to have that much fun at such a fancy restaurant! I was blown away by the flavors, so intense and thought-out and unique. Dessert was magical, absolutely the best dessert I've ever had in my entire life. The Service: Top-knotch, attentive, knowledgable (and English-speaking) service with helpful wine pairings. Overall: If you are a foodie in Italy, make the trip out here. Especially if you have interest in meat curing, farming, or fine-dining. This place has it all. An absolutely magical experience I'd recommend to anyone willing to go out of their way for a one-in-a-lifetime experience that goes beyond an unforgettable meal.

Antica Corte Pallavicina was a highlight of our trip. Long drive into the countryside to tour the Po River valley and see the historic black pigs. Take the tour! Totally recommend seeing the curing ham in the cellar! We ate lunch at the Osteria and we had their house Lambrusco and a charcuterie board. Followed with a delicate pasta and custardy tiramisu! Can't can't can't wait to go back!

Summary: The restaurant is wonderful, but paired with staying at the hotel...wow, what an incomparable experience! I'm writing this five days after going there and I just can't stop thinking about it. I've even gone to youtube to watch some of their videos. Just can't stop thinking about it. I wish yelp had 10 stars. Room: The room, actually the whole place, is just exquisite. It's got the formality of a Michelin starred restaurant but it seems friendlier and more comfortable. There is a big, working fireplace at the far end of the room that makes everything feel cozy, even with the high ceilings, and the glass wall makes the room feel bigger, with a great view of the outside. It's really beautiful in many ways. Service: Service is wonderful and not stuffy. It's formal, and the wait staff was better dressed than we were, but it was also very comfortable. We never had to wait for anything. Food: Falls somewhere between delicious and magical. First off, get one of the culatello options. They are a source for some of the best restaurants in Italy and have a whole basement full of this delicious ham. It's served thinly sliced on a platter with not much else, because it really deserves to be savored on its own. We had as much culatello as we could find in Italy because we can't get it in the US, and this was the best we had anywhere. Some of us had a tasting menu and some chose a la carte; everything from the amuse to the dessert was simply excellent. The pasta course was a ravioli stuffed with chard and parmesan cheese; something I've had many times before but never as well prepared. We had a cooking class with the pasta chef the following day and saw how he prepared them--obviously a combination of better ingredients than I get at home and a far better process to create them. Lots of effort for a small course. Next came little parmesan pillows of joy in a broth, covered with a pastry top. The dish looks beautiful and by the time you reach those little dumplings you're in heaven. The broth is silky and rich, and in combination with the dumplings and the flaky crust it's just amazing. Next in the tasting menu came frogs legs, which I had for the first time. they were cooked in a garlic and butter sauce, perched on fluffy polenta and they were really good. Then we had a beautiful chicken dish with vegetables I can't even describe, a cheese course, and dessert. A very, very memorable meal in a fantastic setting. Value: It was a little pricey, but I would call it a peak experience and rate it with much more expensive dinners I've had at home. In all, a very good value.

We came here for a culatello tasting tour. You get to see the cellar with both black and white culatello. Apparently it's a 2 year wait to buy the black culatello, and special restaurants and chefs have their own legs aging in the cellar. Then we saw the parmigiano aging room with some as old as over 10 years old. It was essentially a private tour, and they were very nice about showing us around. The tour was supposed to be €5 per person, but they waived it in the end after we got a small culatello plate at the restaurant. Overall, the tour was a great experience, and in my opinion, the culatello is better than prosciutto. It's in the middle of nowhere, but with GPS, the drive wasn't that bad. Bonus: they do speak English.

This place is out of this world, it seems that time stopped hundreds of years ago, and they figured out a way to come up with a Michelin star restaurant and a very delightful and cozy bed and breakfast. The scenery is breathtaking. The staff is extremely attentive, friendly, and ready to get out of their way to accommodate their guests. I spent the most relaxing 2 nights in the past fee years. Now, the food, oh the food. These people are not only cooks, they are artists. Two things I will always remember, the hand made fresh pasta made daily, and the culatello. Breakfast is also incredible, not only you can find fresh cheese, fruits, cold cuts, and baked goods, but also a chef ready to fire fresh eggs to order. Overall, my experience was outstanding.

Items Selected: Grissini and Crisps Ciabatta and Wheat Sourdough with Butter Squash Blossom and Ricotta di Bufala A podium of culatello from "White Pig" aged over 18 and 27 months under the supervision of Slow Food and from "Black Pig" aged over 37 months, served with homemade mixed vegetables from the Court Traditional Parma style "Tortelli" stuffed pasta with ricotta and spinach dressed with butter sauce from red cow The green vegetables soup, beans from Aquila, cereals and Parmigiano Reggiano crusts Frog legs with sweet garlic and parsley served on mashed potatoes with green sprouts The "Germana" duck stuffed according to the tradition Guinea Fowl cooked with culatello in the Po river's clay served with vegetables from our garden The local territorial cheese selection with Quince, Honey, House Jams and Confitures Domori Chocolate "Sur de Lago" 72% and Parma's Violet Apple Tatin, almond ice-cream and chamomile Lemon, bergamot e basil Apricot, caramelized apple, thyme and ricotta Brownie, Cream Puff, Raspberry Cream Pastry Located in the Polesine Parmense region of Italy and most famously known as the aging site of Culatello for some of the world's greatest kitchens and most prestigious names, Antica Corte Pallavicina is every bit as special an experience as restaurants more highly acclaimed by lists and guidebooks, the 16th century structure offering history with a hint of luxury and a passion for doing things the time-honored way. Truly a triple-threat with the culinary stylings of Chef Massimo Spigaroli bolstered by an organic farm and boutique hotel, those traveling to Antica Corte Pallavicina will be thrilled to find the renovated resort far removed from the bustle of larger Italian cities such as nearby Parma and Milano, the banks of the Po River providing inspiration for several of the menu's dishes while the surrounding lowlands offer a dramatic backdrop visible by East/West facing windows flanking both sides of the dining room. Justifiably proud of its heritage, Peacock's strutting the courtyard joined by art featuring a variety of Swine, early arrivals to the resort are welcome to tour the grounds and the cellar where nearly 4,000 kilograms of pork are hung alongside several wheels of cheese and herbs in the process of drying, the names of Kings, Dukes and their Culinary equivalents pinned to several of the same selections that diners will soon be enticed to feast upon. Eventually settling in the dining room, art on all sides with a roasting spit in the hearth and classical music playing above, it was after brief perusal of several styles of dining that Spigaroli's signature tasting was selected, an a la carte addition to seven courses plus canapes and mignardises not just substantial in its portion, but served with great pacing that allowed for relaxed conversation and a truly jovial mood. Taking advantage of a vast kitchen and the need to do everything on-site in order to provide for those booking a room dinner at Antica begins with a variety of Breads first served on silver rings then via jewel box, each plate crafted by a single artist whose three red dots serve as a signature, the soft Ciabatta proving irresistible with Butter from local dairy cows with housemade Ricotta soon arriving at the base of a Squash Blossom with vibrant Pesto and a delicate noodle of Parmigianino perched on top. Serving a trio of cured Pork next, the progression of flavors beginning mellow and culminating with thin slices of Black Pig that melted slowly on each diner's tongue with a nutty flavor left behind, a lone pasta course consisted of traditional Tortelli packed full of Ricotta and Spinach in Butter Sauce, the kitchen switching to fresh-pressed Olive Oil as the smooth base for intensely herbal Bean and Vegetable Soup. Tucking tiny Frogs Legs into mounds of Mashed Potatoes with notes of Garlic riding high above the plate, "The Land, As it is, As it was" reached its savory conclusion by way of crispy Germana Duck next to snappy Vegetables plus a glaze of Modenese Balsamic, an addition of Clay-baked Guinea Fowl carved tableside faring even better beneath Culatello crisps and renderings from the pan. Going all local with the cheeses, four tastes of Parmigiano Reggiano ranging from quite young up to 50-months impressive along with a funky Bleu from the Red Cow and several housemade condiments, the late hour unfortunately saw two desserts already sold out amongst the six available, the remainder offered and shared around the table with the Violet lacquered Chocolate Dome as well as a plate of poached Apricots with Apple Butter, Thyme Crumble and Ricotta Ice Cream proving a difficult choice for how best to finish.

What can I say, not enough about this amazing location, food, service and overall attention to detail. Zeno, Gianno, and the total team work so efficiently that they understand your needs when you arrive. The location to drink your Vino under the wine arbor outside, the grounds, visits to the areas where they source everything and even the Maiale Nero or black pig, is very informative. Locally sourced is their mantra. A short trip to Parma but why leave this spot. I cannot say enough about the time we spent there and how amazing the entire team was. Quite frankly it was a bargain to stay there given the services and food ...the breakfast each day and where it was served was mind blowing. Love the people first at Relais, the food was beyond my expectations and being a type "A" personality I was experiencing a truly "religious experience" with nature as well.

Chef Massimo keeps getting better. It's been a couple of years but seeing him again reminded me that his balance of modernity in cooking and the deep tradition of culatello production is unrivaled. Every famous restaurant and chef in Italy and then some have culatello reserved from the black pig of Polesine Parmense. This time i went for the grand culatelli tasting menu. Many age variations from 1 year to 4 year ages were all fantastic. The parmesan gnocchi in brodo under puff pastry, rabbit canneloni with snails, poached egg/potato puree/asparagus, and frozen raspberry souffle have really gone to the next level. Staff are warm and take great care of you. The cellar is at about 4 thousand culatelli at various stages in age but that's what theyre trying to keep. There was a wedding reception going on too. To balance events, the tradition and some superb cooking is really impressive now. I think they deserve their second Michelin star.

We preplanned this as our first stop after leaving the Milan airport for our first night hotel stay and restaurant. We dined here for both lunch and dinner. Online the hotel showed two different restaurants so we were planning on trying to visit both. They said the other restaurant wasn't opened and dined us at the main restaurant for lunch. We were a little disappointed because the lunch menu was the same as the dinner menu. We knew we were going to do the tasting menu for dinner so we had to choose options that were not on the menu. Here is the Lunch review: For lunch we started with the cutallo tasting of different varieties of aged ham from both the white and black pigs. It was served with bread and pickled vegetables. We were informed to start with the youngest aged ham and work to the oldest. The black pig was the oldest aged at 37 months and was absolutely divine. Each of the hams had wonderful flavors. The sausage that accompanied the tasting was fattier than a typical salami and need spice to it. For the second plate, we each tried the rabbit spaghetti. It was remarkable. The dish reminded me of a better version of carbonara. The rabbit was diced and fried in crispy chunks served with fresh made spaghetti and a light cream based sauce. For the main course, we ordered duck which was served with duck confit, grits cakes and asparagus. The duck was over cooked and chewy. The duck confit was served in a ball form with coating. The ball was extremely dry both inside and out. There wasn't any sauce or moisture on the inside of the ball and the outside coating was thick and even was dusted With some cornmeal, which made it overall hard to even eat. The best part of the dish was the grit cake which was full of flavor and wonderful soft creamy texture on the inside. For dessert we ordered rhubarb pana cotta and strawberry rice pudding. Both had wonderful flavor and beautiful presentation. Wine pairings were appropriate and their house made rose was very good. Overall lunch rating 3.5 Dinner review: We were fortunate to dine at the chefs table located inside the kitchen. It was a wonderful experience to see the different stations at work during an entire dinner service. We chose the land and sea tasting. Amuse: squash blossom filled with ricotta White Ox Beef tartar with spring vegetables - lacked basic seasoning overall and knife skills on the tartar was inconsistent as some pieces were thick, thin and varied in widths. Tortinlini- wonderful flavor with beautiful presentation Gnocchi in Brudo- the gnocchi was soft, seasoned well and perfect texture. It dissolved in your mouth but held its form against the broth. The broth was flavored with saffron, not overpowering and perfect flavor and texture combination with parmesan baked crust. Fish with fennel- the fennel was absolutely perfect, served both raw, braised and ferns on top. The fish was perfectly cooked and seasoned- only the touch of a fork allowed the glistening fish to be cut. Lamb- was a disappointing end of the main courses. It was overlooked and slightly dry- begging for more of the au jus that was served with it. Cheese course- was lovely. They bring over a large cart of the selection of cheeses and allow you to choose which few you would like to try. The Gorgonzola with wine was my absolute favorite. Overall dinner rating: 4

Deserves every M star. Must tour Culatello cellar and participate in tasting to appreciate this delicacy. The Agnolotti is a must and don't pass up the cheese tasting. They grow their own vegetables and herbs so add on the 40 herb salad to understand Slow Food. To complete the meal ask for a wine pairing.

Ate and stayed here in May 2016. The accommodations themselves were absolutely lovely. Chiara, our host, did an outstanding job of accommodating us and making us feel comfortable. Dinner was perfect. I think after eating so much culatelli and other cured meats during our trip through E.R. we didn't feel the need to try the culatello tasting menu. What we got instead still had culatello and was overall an excellent meal. Even better though was the service. This was a very traditional restaurant. As mentioned in other reviews, women get a menu without prices on it. We found this hilarious. The service was top notch - I can't stress this enough. We spent almost 4 hours on dinner here. Great atmosphere. The better thing was that next morning there was an amazing breakfast spread. Eggs however you want them, freshly squeezed orange juice, and great cappuccini. The servers from the night before we're all up already! Chiara then took us on a bike ride to tour the farms where the poultry was raised, the vegetables were grown, and even where the pigs were raised (and where the majority of the hams start the curing process - they are finished in the cellars below). We also got a tour of the factory where the parmagianno-reggiano was made and got a glimpse of the cheese making process. Local food at its finest. The weather was perfect and riding through the Italian countryside (Chiara let us use the bikes for longer that day for our own excursion) was the cherry on top of a perfect stay. If you're on the fence about coming here you're crazy - just book it!

It was a 95F/35C kind of summer afternoon when we arrived. Giovanni welcomed us into our beautiful room which was tastefully restored with very intricate details all over the room - I love the free standing tub in the room! We were then whisked away for our cooking lesson with Salvatore, a very professional and technical pasta chef on site. We picked up many hands on techniques from him and more importantly we got to taste all three courses that we made - pasta antica with vegetables and summer truffles (rejoice!), tortelli with ricotta and spinach, and risotto. Note that these are full portion servings and we were stuffed after our cooking lesson. We came back down to the restaurant for our dinner that night. The dining room is surrounded by floor-to-ceiling window which brought in the last bit of warmth from the sunset. Dinner was exceptional and we dove right into the culatelli tasting menu. The culatelli is done to perfection here in true art form. The portions are huge and yes, it was luxurious and a tad excessive. But, if you have one chance to indulge your need for cured meats, I'd say this is the place to do it. The next morning, we had breakfast in the courtyard. You get servings of various bread, honey, jam, culatelli, cheese, eggs, bacon/sausage. I asked for fruits and a plate of mixed fruit salad appeared on the table. Yes, the kitchen really makes things happen for the guests. Giovanni then took us on a bike ride through the farm lands to visit the Parmigiano Reggiano factory, to say hi to the black pigs, and to see the offsite culatello process. The bike ride was fun and we caught up with Giovanni while riding by the Po river talking mostly about Anthony Bourdain and chef Michael White's visit. It's just a perfect summer morning! We wrapped up our stay with a visit to the ancient cellars in the relais and marvelled at all the aging culatello. This whole experience is the essence of Emilia Romagna and should not be missed.

I was offended that I was given a menu with no prices while my husband got one with prices. I guess women don't pay often in Michelin starred European restaurants, but in this case I was in fact paying, and the not so subtle misogyny upset me, and really spoiled the meal. Sometimes the old fashioned way should be reserved for ham. Setting that aside though, we loved the tour of the culatello cellars, and the service was very good. The culatello, obviously, is divine, as was the sparkling white wine, the homemade tortelli and the bean and grain stew and the lovely cheese selection. However I do not recommend the meat courses, they were disappointing. Also, the tasting menu is an insane amount of food, it felt wasteful.

In the lovely glass dining room situated between the main house and kitchen, is a welcoming and comfortable place to settle in and enjoy food that is local, prepared with care and presented with flair. While there are several pri fix offerings, we selected al a carte. We shared the appetizer that is a taste of pig with three selections of locally cured ham. Wonderful!!!! Then we shared the tortellini with ricotta and herbs finished in a brown butter. We could have stopped there; what a perfect creamy filling and perfectly cooked pasta. We then had the pepper and cheese risotto and white fish. Both were prepared well. The white fish had anchovies with it and it was a bit fishy-- presented interestingly in a rolled and seared presentation. While I would not order this again, it was perfected presented. The chef came out to visit with each table and it was fun to see him standing in front of the large scale painting in the dining room that depicts him as a child with his family in the restaurant kitchen.