As we walked out the door on a fine September day, we encountered our neighbor Angelo yapping with the garbage man. “Il Capitano” greeted us warmly, and the foodie king of our village quickly informed us of the big porcini festival in Borgotaro, or Borgo Val di Taro, or just Borgo Taro. Yes, the call-it-what-you-will little town has been awarded the IGT designation for its mushrooms. It has a museum of them right in the center.
You can get there by train from the Lunigiana. After the train stops at Pontremoli, it leaves Tuscany for the Emilia Romagna province of Parma. You don’t see much of it; the train mainly sways through long tunnels before emerging into the sunlight in the Val Taro right before the village of Borgotaro.
The town of around 8000 people is jammed with gastronomic treasures during the late September festival, including early truffles and the vaunted porcini. Borgotaro is home to what many believe are the best, il fungo di Borgotaro.
18 bars participate in bringing you the traditional food, drink, and porcini.
And that’s what we’ve come to see.
Here’s Some Food From the Trattoria Al Fondo
What? Bacon and Fries? No, that’s not right. pancetta and fried porcini caps is more like it, and boy did they go together like nobody’s business!
Plan a trip for the Fiera del Fungo di Borgotaro in late September. Really. I got me a real nice donkey salami. You don’t get that every day.
Museo del Fungo Porcino di Borgotaro
Borgo Val di Taro hosts a very fine museum of Porcini in the center of the city. The highly-rated museum is part of the region’s food museums, Musei del cibo della provincia di Parma. It’s open on the weekends in the shoulder and off season. For more, check the website:
Museo del Fungo Porcino di Borgotaro