-(Bologna)=Parma

Ok, now honestly I was beginning to get worried about things. Bologna sucked and the food was not what I had imagined. I was beginning to wonder of maybe I had built things up too much in my head, and these next three weeks were going to be very trying...then I went to Parma....
For those of you who don't speak Asian, -(Bologna)=Parma is another way of saying that Parma is undoubtedly my favorite city I have ever visited. After an easy hour long drive down the autostrada, pear trees and vineyards lining the roadway, I reached Parma and, with the help of my (sometimes) helpful GPS, found a great parking garage. So far, so good.
Then I stepped out into the most majestic city I've ever visited. Stores lined the cobble-stoned streets lined with stores fselling giant legs of prosciutto tempting me as I walked past. Old ladies would call out for me to come in to sample their freshly made toretllini and tagliatelle (which, of course I did). Cafe's, gelaterias, and trattorias spilled out onto the quiet, pedestrian-friendly streets. Families were out for Sunday lunch sitting in the shadows of the most majestic 700 year old towers and churches and duomos. Ancient Roman ruins were scattered throughout the city as children rode their bikes under the arches oblivious to what was overhead....Parma. -(Bologna)=Parma
It was about 1 pm at this time, perfect time for lunch, so I settled on a restaurant spilling out into the main square packed with Italians, so I figured it must be good. Man, was I correct, nay, more than correct, for I had the greatest meal of my life!
A very friendly waiter about my age greeted me as I sat down and, in Italian, asked me if he could recommend to me the the house specials (I figured it out hearing "cosa" - see, I'm picking it up!) He pointed on the menu to the two things I was going to order anyway haha! Prosciutto crudo and tortelli. Prosciutto being what Parma is famous for and tortelli (basically ravioli) being what the region of Emiglia Romagna is famous for.
First, the prosciutto...or, should I say, "meat-butter," because that's what it was like. It almost melted as it hit my tongue. I was going nuts. It was beyond even my wildest expectations how wonderful prosciutto could be. I've had some great prosciutto in the past, but this was on a whole other level.
Next was the tortelli. I am not exaggerating one bit when I say THIS WAS THE GREATEST THING IN MY LIFE I HAVE EVER EATEN! It was exhausting eating those tortelli because it took every ounce of my energy not to start growling at the people close to me and scarf it down as fast as I could. It was painful, but the most beautiful pain imaginable to try to slowly savor the tortelli prepared simply with a little butter and the most delicious Parmesan (also from Parma) sprinkled over the top.
At this point I was basically high on food. I asked the waiter over and told him I MUST have a secondo, or meat dish, and, with the help of my phrase book, managed to ask him what he recommended. He simply said, "Ah!" and scurried back into the kitchen. About 5 minutes later a plate of veal with a porcini mushroom bechamel sauce apeared in front of me...wow. It was awesome. Simply awesome. I'd say the three courses I had at this one restaurant are in my top 5 of my life, including the amazing food I had at Toscana Saporita. I really picked a good place.
At this point, I was on cloud 9. I spent several hours just wandering around the city, constantly running into some amazing tower, or ancient Roman ruin. It was simply beautiful. It was everything Bologna was not, everything one could want in a city. I wound up spending about an hour just wandering through the main park in the city which was unbelievably beautiful and everyone was outside enjoying it. I was going to go to Modena in the afternoon, but I didn't care, I wanted to just stay in Parma for the whole afternoon and I did.
It was sad to leave, but I had to, and now I'm back in Bologna at my campsite. The place is great, though actually. I'm sitting in my tent using the wireless internet here which is fast and only costs a euro an hour. I also got some laundry done which was much needed. So, I'm doing well. Just trying to stay dry in my tent (which has been perfect so far). There's this fair/carnival type thing about a quarter of a mile walk from the campsite, so I might head over there in a bit to find some sort of Italian carnival food to eat and see the sights. Tomorrow I head southeast to Pesaro, located on the northern coast of the region of Le Marche where I will begin my slow descent along the coast over the next 10 days or so. From Pesaro I will set out to visit the independent republic of San Marino, Rimini, Fano, and maybe a few other towns depending on how it all goes.
Oh and the pics of Parma are up now at http://picasaweb.google.com/harrison.d.sonntag but sometimes take a while, so hopefully they'll be up soon. That's about it. Wish me luck!