A NEW ITALIAN TALE TO TELL
You could say the story of Torofosco begins accidentally in an old country-house in Fanano in 2002, in Appennino mountains between Tuscany and Emilia. This place is the symbol of our mixed moods: history, culture, aesthetic instinct and entrepreneurial skills and techniques. It’s here, spending our spare time in laziness with old friends, that Torofosco idea takes place. A very very old tapestry, a coat of arms with a feaded symbol of a black bull, gives the idea. The literally meaning of Torofosco is the combination of dark “fosco” and bull “toro”. The 2009 is the debut year - no more laziness in Torofosco’s founders life. Torofosco opens to the world with the values he brought to the task – determination, perseverance, self-reliance, flexibility, an openness to new people and new ideas, a harmony between one’s nature and one’s work, and an insistence on having a great time with family and friends, no matter the obstacles – remained constant. Indeed, they inscribed themselves in Torofosco’s DNA.
MODENA, in Torofosco’s city you can have your tour rich in culture, food, wine and prestige car-makers. Modena is so fascinating that it even charmed Unesco into putting three of its extraordinary beauties – the Cathedral (founded in 1099), the Ghirlandina tower and Piazza Grande onto the World Heritage List in 1997. But Modena is not only a town of great art and culture. It is also universally known for its excellent food and wine, with stars such as traditional balsamic vinegar, Lambrusco wine, and typical local salami. And of course, it is world-famous for its car-making factories.
MODENA, LAND OF BEST MOTORS AND CAR-DESIGN - You konw, 70-80% of the world’s motor industries is concentrated in Emilia Romagna. Modena and its surroundings hold a signiï¬cant proportion of that percentage, with Ferrari (in Maranello), Maserati and Detomaso (in Modena), the Fiorano F1 racetrack and a number of museums and private collections of prestige cars and motorbikes. Each year Ferrari, Maserati and near here Lamborghini and Ducati are visited by millions of F1 fans coming from all over the planet. Modena is also universally known for its excellent food and wine, with stars such as traditional balsamic vinegar, Lambrusco wine, and typical local salami. And of course, it is world-famous for its car-making factories. Each year Ferrari and Maserati are visited by millions of F1 fans coming from all over the planet, as far as Japan.
GREAT FOOD AND WINE IN MODENA - It's dark and gleaming, syrupy and thick, uniquely sweet over an unmistakeably sour undertone. It's sold in tiny, extremely expensive bottles, after aging for up to 50 years. Did you guess? It's DOP Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena, the town's most exclusive speciality. A visit to a vinegar-making farmhouse (acetaia), including an opportunity to sample the product, can be something of an experience. Purists may enjoy balsamic vinegar as such (one spoonful only!), but it is the perfect match for ï¬ nely slivered Parmigiano Reggiano, risotto and other dishes, including fruit and ice-cream (ask for gelato all'aceto balsamico in the ice-cream shops of the town centre). Other musts are the local salami: prosciutto (cured ham), zampone (pig's trotters, boned and ï¬ lled with minced meat) and cotechino (same as zampone, but stuffed inside an animal bladder). There are a number of farms and cottages selling handmade salami certiï¬ ed by special seals of quality, that are perfect with the typical local breads, such as tigelle (sort of small pitta breads) and gnocco fritto (fried bread dough). The king of cheeses, of course, is DOP Parmigiano Reggiano. Local fruit and vegetables, too, are noteworthy: ï¬ rst of all, the Modena pear variety and Vignola cherries, highly appreciated in Italy. Chestnuts and truffl es abound on the Modenese Apennines. And remember the appropriate wine: make sure it's certiï¬ ed DOC, like Lambrusco Grasparossa from Castelvetro and Sorbara, or Salamino Santacroce.
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