Italy · Emilia · Roncolo, Reggio Emilia and Modena
Roncolo. Time, well spent.
A villa among vines, balsamic vinegar ageing beneath the rafters and an evening in the glasshouse at Limonaia. Our autumn Roncolo — and a complete journey through Emilia’s towns, hills and tables.
Build your four days
Your journey at a glance
One house. Plenty of reasons to stay.
- Your base
- Roncolo near Quattro Castella, province of Reggio Emilia
- How long
- We suggest 3–5 nights; four days make a good start
- Our pace
- One town or experience a day, then back to the garden
- Getting around
- A car for this itinerary; rail arrival with an arranged transfer
What we loved most about Roncolo was how naturally it brought together several of the reasons we travel. Beautiful accommodation, a villa, a winery and balsamic vinegar made and aged right here. Add a pool that invited us to linger and the excellent Ristorante Limonaia. The place we stayed was a large part of the experience.
Yet one address is only the beginning. Emilia can combine a day among vines with Modena, a Parmigiano producer and a lunch that needs no special occasion. Alongside our stay, this guide gives you a practical journey to build on. Our stay and walk through Modena are joined by researched editorial tips we have yet to visit ourselves.
Personally experienced · Roncolo 1888
A villa you look forward to returning to.
An orange villa, palms, cypresses and a garden: Roncolo has a distinct presence before you open your room door. Our autumn photographs add coloured vines and low light over the hills. It is the kind of address around which a whole journey can take shape.
Roncolo 1888 belongs to Tenuta di Roncolo. Today’s accommodation includes Villa Manodori and the historic Le Dimore buildings. Location, layout and character vary, so choose a particular room category from its own photographs. Our room in 2022 does not promise the same interior with every booking.
The pool was one of the things we liked most: a beautiful reason to leave an afternoon free. The operator currently describes it as seasonal. If swimming matters to your trip, confirm opening for your dates.
Rooms and booking
Who it suits
A couple drawn to a beautiful house, countryside, wine and a good table, without the need for a new hotel every night. It also works as a base for producers and architecture.
The trade-offs
This is a rural base. An evening in Modena requires a separate journey; the pool is seasonal and tastings need arranging. For a mostly walkable city break, a room in town will be more convenient.
Wine and the acetaia
Two different tastings. A shared place of origin.
The estate brings together Venturini Baldini wines and Acetaia di Canossa. Vines are more than the view from a room: they explain where the glass begins. A booked tasting offers an introduction to local grapes, including Lambrusco or Spergola.
In the acetaia, the pace slows further. Rows of wooden barrels beneath old rafters make a striking photograph; the visit is also a chance to understand ageing and the differences between products. The operator offers tours and balsamic tastings. Book the specific experience in advance.
A useful geographical distinction: Reggio Emilia has its own traditional balsamic designation. Not every bottle from here is Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena. Ask about the particular range, designation and age; a good tasting explains more than the colour of a label.
Choose a day without further driving for wine tasting, and arrange it separately from your room. Confirm availability, duration and cost with the winery.
Tours and tastings
Our table at Roncolo
Limonaia. An evening between glass and garden.
Ristorante Limonaia is one of our strongest reasons for recommending Roncolo. Its former lemon-house setting connects dinner with the estate. After a day out, having a good table without another drive feels particularly welcome.
Our photographs show dinner in October 2022. Today’s kitchen may be different: the current website says Luca Mattioli has led it since 2026, with menus drawing on Emilia and seasonal ingredients. These pictures record our evening; open the current menu before booking yours.
Menus and reservations
Give the city a day of its own
Modena, between the square, market and a long lunch.
Our Modena has warm façades, the slender Ghirlandina and gelato that need not be rushed on the way to another sight. Begin around Piazza Grande: the cathedral, tower and square form a UNESCO ensemble and a natural centre for your walk. Continue through the lanes towards Mercato Albinelli.
Plan the market around the current days and hours of individual stalls. It suits small tastes and an introduction to ingredients; choose a separate trattoria if you want a full lunch. Nearby, Palazzo Ducale presents its façade to Piazza Roma. Arrange any interior visit through official guided tours.
One more stop is enough for the afternoon. The Acetaia Comunale requires a reservation; Museo Enzo Ferrari offers another side of the city. Resist adding Parma to the same day: leave time for the table and for simply wandering.
Official Modena guide
Book a time for the Ghirlandina ascent and check access requirements; the tower involves stairs. Tower visits
Beyond the estate
Choose one direction each day.
Six researched editorial suggestions for different days: nearby hills, a city, a producer and a museum. Choose according to the weather, the length of your stay and what appeals to you.
Hills · walking · part of a day
Bianello and Quattro Castella
A castle associated with Matilda of Canossa in the first Apennine hills. Choose a walk for your fitness and check castle visits and access paths ahead.
Official Quattro Castella guideTown · half or full day
Reggio Emilia
Piazza Prampolini, Piazza San Prospero and the Ghiara basilica. Arcades and frescoes make a city day you can shorten to taste. Respect services when visiting churches.
Reggio in a dayCraft · a booked morning
Meet a Parmigiano producer
Use the consortium to choose a dairy in Reggio Emilia province and your tour language. Plan a morning if you want to see production itself. Cellar visits, tastings and duration depend on the programme.
Dairies and tour bookingsBalsamic vinegar · by reservation
Modena’s Acetaia Comunale
A guided attic visit at the town hall and a tasting of traditional Modena balsamic vinegar. Choose it instead of Roncolo’s tasting or to compare traditions. Booking is required; the space is not wheelchair accessible.
Visit dates and conditionsArchitecture, art or cars
Modena to your own taste
Add one interior to the cathedral: the Estense Galleries, a booked Palazzo Ducale tour or Museo Enzo Ferrari in Modena itself. Modena’s and Maranello’s museums are two different stops.
Official Modena guideCity · a day of its own
Parma
The cathedral and baptistery around Piazza Duomo; then choose the Pilotta with Teatro Farnese or the Ducale park. Lunch belongs in the plan. On a short stay, choose Parma instead of another city, not on top of it.
Official Parma guideA bicycle, with a route that suits you.
The hills around Roncolo are tempting, but this is not flat terrain. The hotel offers arrangements for bicycles and e-bikes; ask for a specific route, surface and elevation profile beforehand. For an easy day, choose a short loop with views rather than riding to every town. We have yet to ride a specific loop here ourselves.
Experiences at Roncolo
Where to eat
From a special evening to a simple lunch.
Alongside Limonaia, which we experienced ourselves, we have selected six more addresses: researched editorial recommendations we have yet to visit. Choose one special reservation and leave room for a traditional lunch as well.
Modena · Via Stella 22
Osteria Francescana
A special journey · 3 Michelin stars in 2026
Researched editorial tipMassimo Bottura’s contemporary view of Italian tradition. Choose it for an evening around which to build the trip; art also shapes the setting.
Book through the official site and check its waiting list if full. Arrange your return to Roncolo ahead.
Modena · Via Castel Maraldo 45
L’Erba del Re
Creative cooking · a Michelin option
Researched editorial tipLuca Marchini builds a contemporary kitchen on Emilian and Italian traditions. An alternative for a dedicated food evening in Modena.
The restaurant’s current website states one Michelin star. Check the menu, date and booking terms directly.
Modena · Via Albinelli 40
Trattoria Aldina
A traditional lunch
Researched editorial tipAn address for Emilian pasta: the checked daily menu included tortellini in broth, green lasagne and tagliatelle with ragù. It fits a day around Albinelli.
Lunch only, without reservations. Check current opening days; this is not a late-dinner plan.
Modena · Mercato Albinelli, 62–63
Antica Bottega
Market food and a smaller meal
Researched editorial tipLocal products, something with an aperitivo and an informal meal in the market. An option when a long menu should not shape the whole day.
Check the stall’s own page for service and food. Market and individual business hours can differ.
Modena · Via Vignolese 58
Franceschetta58
A more informal contemporary dinner
Researched editorial tipA former tyre workshop with local ingredients, seasonal menus and an à-la-carte choice. A middle ground between a classic trattoria and a formal tasting.
Book directly and choose the type of menu beforehand. It is a separate restaurant from Osteria Francescana.
Parma · Strada Conservatorio 1
Trattoria Corrieri
Parma’s traditional cooking
Researched editorial tipTorta fritta with salumi, cappelletti in broth and other Parma classics. Save it for your Parma day rather than a hurried lunch transfer from Modena.
The site offers reservations. Traditional character does not promise a particular low price; check the current menu.
For a different base
Two more addresses on our radar.
We have yet to stay at either of these houses. One keeps balsamic vinegar at the heart of the trip; the other brings you closer to Parma’s food culture.
Botteghe di Albinea · near Reggio Emilia · On our radar
Il Borgo del Balsamico
Historic rooms and an acetaia
Le Dimore del Borgo combines rooms, a park, an acetaia and a pool for guests. An alternative when you want balsamic vinegar at the centre of a stay. Check the layout and bathroom of the particular room: categories differ.
Official websitePolesine Parmense · beside the Po · On our radar
Antica Corte Pallavicina
A longer journey through Parma’s food culture
A historic relais, the Spigaroli family’s cooking and a culatello museum. Consider it as another base on a longer trip, rather than a quick stop between Modena and the pool. A room booking does not secure a table: reserve the restaurant separately.
Official websiteOur suggestion · 3 nights / 4 days
A journey with time to enjoy the stay.
Our suggested four days alternate the estate, the city and local flavours. Adjust the order to opening days, reservations and your arrival time.
- 01
Arrive at Roncolo
Garden, room and a little time among the vines. The pool if weather and opening allow; a pre-booked dinner at Limonaia. The first day needs no additional city.
Choose your stay - 02
A day in Modena
Piazza Grande and the cathedral, the market when open, then lunch. Palazzo Ducale from outside and one reserved interior or museum in the afternoon. Add a special dinner only with your return transport arranged.
Plan Modena - 03
The estate’s flavours and a free afternoon
A tasting booked ahead at Roncolo. Leave the car parked today. If you prefer a hill outing, choose Bianello instead and move wine tasting to another day.
Arrange a tasting - 04
One last stop on the way
Choose Reggio Emilia or Parma to match your onward journey. On a longer trip, add a night and a separate Parmigiano producer visit. Before a long drive home, breakfast and departure may be enough.
Choose an outing
Five nights? Give Parma a day of its own and leave another afternoon entirely open. Only two? Keep Roncolo and one town; the trip will be shorter without becoming hurried.
Before you go
What to arrange before leaving
- When to go
- For our preferred pace we would choose spring or autumn. The photographs show October; fog, rain and earlier dusk can change the plan. In summer, explore cities early and pause around midday.
- Arrival
- Roncolo is in the countryside near Quattro Castella, not in Modena. The hotel places Reggio Emilia Mediopadana AV station around 20 km away. Transfers must be arranged; this itinerary assumes a car for outings.
- Reservations
- Confirm the room, Limonaia table and tasting separately. Plan a Michelin dinner around available reservations, and an ordinary lunch around the particular trattoria’s rules.
- Cities
- Choose parking outside the historic centre before arrival and follow local ZTL signs. Allow time for parking and walking as well as lunch.
- Budget
- We treat Roncolo as a boutique stay. A special tasting menu can change the overall budget substantially, but it is not a requirement for a lovely trip. Check current room and menu prices directly, rather than from old photographs.
- Potential surprises
- A seasonal pool, pre-booked visits, midday breaks and hilly terrain. Ask about steps and accessibility at acetaie and historic buildings according to your needs.
Sources and current information
Our stay and photographs date from October 2022. We checked operating information and new recommendations on 10 September 2026. Confirm dates, menus, availability and accessibility with the operators before travelling.
Where it is
Roncolo 1888
Emilia · Quattro Castella · Italy
Via Filippo Turati 42, Quattro Castella (RE)
Drawing the map…
The Dobrý směr verdict
Choose somewhere you want to be. Explore from there.
For us, Roncolo combines a beautiful stay with a real taste of its surroundings. Modena and the other Emilian stops give you reasons to stay longer. There is no need to do everything: a good trip has afternoons you keep for yourself.