What do tortellini and Ferrari cars have in common?

It turns out quite a bit and you’ll understand why when you visit the birthplace of tortellini in Castelfranco Emilia

Why Castelfranco Emilia is worth a trip

Castelfranco Emilia is a small, well-tended, and welcoming town located along the Via Emilia, famous as the birthplace of tortellini and as the home of “sfogline,” the experts who prepare homemade egg pasta.

In addition to foods representative of the Modena area (Modena’s traditional DOP (protected designation of origin) balsamic vinegar, PGI (protected geographical indication) balsamic vinegar, its DOP Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, zampone and cotechino dishe, visitors shouldn’t overlook Castelfranco Emilia’s classic tortellini.

Tortellini are the most famous pasta variety in the Emilia area. Castelfranco claims the honor of being their birthplace and, each September, hosts a festival in which costumed revelers reenact the invention of tortellini.

According to legend, during the Middle Ages, an innkeeper peeked through a keyhole to spy on a beautiful guest as she undressed. He was so struck by the contours of her navel that he rushed to the kitchen to reproduce what he’d seen in the medium of pasta.