{"id":20785,"date":"2021-04-27T11:02:31","date_gmt":"2021-04-27T01:02:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/?post_type=articles&p=192258"},"modified":"2021-04-27T12:28:51","modified_gmt":"2021-04-27T12:28:51","slug":"city-guide-reggio-emilia-italy","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/city-guide-reggio-emilia-italy\/","title":{"rendered":"GRAZIA’s At Home City Guide To Reggio Emilia, Italy"},"content":{"rendered":"

The past year has seen many people across the world grapple with a very specific type of loss, the sadness of a trip not taken, the mourning of exploring new cultures, the yearning for experiences beyond the anomie of the supermarket. As that strong desire for, and impulse to, wander the world fell prey to the pandemic in a turbulent 2020, we seemed at one point to be surging toward an anticipatory dystopia. Who were we without travel? What do we have to look forward to when there is no international holiday booked for summer?<\/em><\/p>\n

Over the course of the past 12 months, we\u2019ve been commissioning artists, painters and illustrators from different cities all over the world to paint a picture of what they see out their windows \u2013 either real or imaginary. Most artists have been confined to these cities during the global lockdowns, and all have a close connection to the place they have illustrated. Each artist has a \u201cGRAZIA At Home City Guide<\/a>\u201d perched on their windowsill, insider guides to the cities you need to visit and recollections of moments past in these nooks of the world, how they drank in the palaces, how they wandered through the parks and how they ate and ate and ate. There are recommendations too \u2013 local dishes, phrases, and lessons \u2013 so you can start imagining your own itinerary from the comfort of your own home. Today, we\u2019re headed to Reggio Emilia in Italy.<\/em><\/p>\n

Google Reggio Emilia and behold the colors you will find. Large town squares hemmed in by a bright and raucous metropolis; buildings splashed in dandelion yellow, amber, ochre, and melon. The birthplace of the Italian flag, Reggio Emilia\u2019s inhabitants are brimming with national pride<\/p>\n

\u201cI remember the squares and the markets with the scent of bakeries in the golden hour. And when I used to ride the lion statue in San Prospero Square,\u201d artist Silvia Castagnoli says, who describes Reggio Emilia as \u201cenjoyable, \u201cinnovative,\u201d and \u201crevolutionary.\u201d<\/p>\n

The latter is very true. After World War II, the teachers at the schools in Reggio Emilia ditched the curricula and instead placed an emphasis on art and beauty in the classrooms. The idea was to bring more color and activity to the lives of children of war.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt became a method which today is known worldwide,\u201d explains Castagnoli. \u201cIt\u2019s the story of women and men who decided to invest the earnings from a war tank sale into building a new school, one that could teach the future generations the importance of peace, respect, and the value of diversity.\u201d<\/p>\n

As we head into the post-pandemic era \u2013 the coronavirus being dubbed our generation\u2019s war \u2013 Castagnoli says one phrase has been coming up more frequently in Reggio Emilia.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2019T\u00een b\u00f4ta!\u2019 which means \u201cstay strong\u201d in our dialect is common. I\u2019ve been saying that to friends very often during this pandemic,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Italy has indeed been one of the hardest countries hit by the virus. Castagnoli encourages everyone to travel to his city as soon as it becomes safe to do so.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can really eat well anywhere in this city, and every place has its own features,\u201d she says. \u201cYou can really find every imaginable taste! But to those who are in the city for the first time, I would recommend eating somewhere you can find zdore\u2019s (Emilian housewives) handmade tortelli. There are all different types and colors: green, pumpkin with sauce, potatoes, radicchio\u2026 and I would taste all of them if I were you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Follow Silvia Castagnoli @silvia.castagnoli.muttley<\/a><\/p>\n

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