Italy is the kind of country where you can afford to travel aimlessly and stumble upon incredible places.
Like Osteria La Piola in Modena.
My destination was the “Modena Champagne Experience” at the Modena Exhibition Center, where I was presenting six amazing Lambrusco DOC wines, a “classic contemporary.” In my line of work, it’s important to arrive at tastings on a full stomach, and the only option that had been suggested to me was to grab a sandwich on the go at the Autogrill on the highway. I just can’t do it—I can’t bring myself to eat a highway sandwich, so I took the Modena Nord exit and, after just a few turns, my eye caught a small, unassuming road sign: “La Piola, osteria.” It seemed worth a try…
The road wasn’t exactly inviting, full of potholes and hemmed in by crowded major roads. Yet, if you resist the temptation to judge the place as unattractive and uninteresting, you’ll quickly find yourself transported to another time: the exterior of the osteria is completely nondescript and almost impossible to find, if it weren’t for the sign reading, “Rest stop for carters, travelers, and garrison soldiers. Post station, horse change, stabling, and mule reinforcement.”
A place out of time
And so, it becomes impossible not to go inside. But… where’s the entrance? If you arrive here on an October Sunday, right around noon, you’ll feel as though you’re entering someone’s home. Push the front door open and behind it, an incredible story unfolds that’s been running since the late 1700s.
Passed down from generation to generation, Claudio, today likely in his 80s, inherited this gem of Modenese cuisine from his aunt, who he describes as “the most beautiful woman in the world, with the grace of a queen” and apparently with the longevity of a tortoise given she lived to be 112!
As soon as we take our first steps inside, the feeling grows stronger: we’re in a special place, one that has hosted special people.
We’re in a hurry, so we instinctively ask if it’s possible to get a sandwich, imagining a simple sandwich with typical Modenese cold cuts. At our request, the host, the maître and the waiter all look at us in astonishment: “We don’t make sandwiches here, this is an osteria!” They kindly explain that it’s Sunday, so the host suggests the Sunday menu, which of course includes tortellini.
We agree on a quick plate of tortellini, and the host seats us at a service table outside the main dining area. At first, it feels like second-rate seating, but then I notice the wooden chair I’m sitting on, which bears a brass plaque that reads: “Always the same friends, the same Modenese dishes, the same osteria, and the same chair—always with the straw seat.” These were the words spoken by the person who sat here every time, exactly on this chair: Enzo Ferrari.
I look up and notice the walls are covered with photos of Claudio, the host, in the company of Pavarotti, Lollobrigida, Ferrari, Ayrton Senna, Lucio Dalla… Prominent figures who helped make Italy special to Italians and to the world.
Tortellini special edition
In just a few minutes here come our special Sunday tortellini.
That’s right, on Sundays, the host prepares a special menu, different each time. And the Sunday tortellini are meatless, made with tosone cheese and red beetroot. No meat, as agreed with Enzo Ferrari’s doctor, who took care of his health and didn’t want him eating meat. The beetroot was there to make it seem like there was some!
The cheese and beetroot tortellini are covered in a delicious béchamel sauce, and Claudio is quick to point out that it’s not cream—cream is unhealthy. “There’ll be cream when I’m no longer here!”
All that’s left to do is sprinkle some Parmigiano on the tortellini and enjoy them: indescribably delicious, light, flavorful, perfectly balanced…
No money, just a big hug!
Unfortunately, time is against us and we have to rush—the tasting awaits.
We stand up, ask for the bill and the lady from the dining room exclaims, “you’re leaving already? You’ve just seated! even have had lunch!” She refers to Claudio as to receive instructions on how to handle this unusual situation, so wired to Modenese culture: leaving the table after after just a portion of tortellini, no Sunday menu! OMG!
Claudio arrives and says, “I don’t want anything.” We were pretty stunned as it’s not common receiving such a kindness expecially if you actually have had your tortellini dish. “This is a real osteria,” Claudio explains. “It’s a place where the food is always made fresh in the morning. Next time, come back and have the full menu.”
This is a truly authentic, old-fashioned Italian osteria, we add—a place where you can find good food and gestures from a bygone era. A place where you can sit down, and the host will come to greet you and keep you company if you’re alone. In an osteria, you never feel lost or lonely.
So, when you’re traveling through Italy, allow yourself to get lost now and then, following small signs on back roads—you never know what wonderful host you might encounter.
