Piadina, street food from Emilia-Romagna

You’ll find the famous flatbread everywhere from distinctive striped kiosks to sit-down restaurants.

Piadina origin story

One of Emilia-Romagna’s most popular street foods is Piadina, a flatbread filled with meat, cheese, and/or veggies. Sometimes it’s even filled with sweets like Nutella.

Flatbread has been around since Roman times, and some say the Piadina can trace its roots even further, to the Etruscans, as far back as 1200 BCE. The modern version of Piadina likely dates to the 14th century. Originally eaten by the poor, it was cheap to make and didn’t require yeast, Piadina is now enjoyed by people from all walks of life.

The flatbread can range from thin and crispy like a cracker to soft and chewy, like a pita. In fact, my friend Silvia from Taste Bologna calls Piadina “Pita’s cousin”.

Where to get Piadina

Traditionally, Piadina was served from little pop-up kiosks called “piadinari”. You can still find piadinari in Ravenna, like at the beloved La Romagnola restaurant.

My favorite place to get Piadina in Ravenna is Ca’ de Ven. It’s a casual sit-down restaurant with terrific food. For their Piadina, the bread is cut in wedges and served in a basket. Ca’ de Ven has a dozen options of Piadina from plain to rosemary to mortadella. They even have a gluten-free version. Highly recommended.

A half hour from Ravenna is a seaside town called Marina di Ravenna. Known for its beaches and mussel festival, I like the snack bar La piadina del sorriso. The cafe is just a couple blocks from the marina and a friendly couple owns the place, cranking out Piadinas (called Piada here) for hungry locals and beach goers.

Getting to Ravenna

The closest airport to Ravenna is Bologna (BLQ). From the airport, take the train to Bologna Centrale station. From there, trains depart regularly and take about an hour.

You can also take the train from Florence, but it requires a change in Bologna.

If you’re driving, Ravenna is about an hour from Bologna, 2 1/2 hours from Florence, and 3 hours from Milan.

About the Author

Brent Petersen is the Editor-in-Chief of Destination Eat Drink. He currently resides in Setubal, Portugal. Brent has written the novel “Truffle Hunt” (Eckhartz Press) and the short story collection “That Bird.” He’s also written dozens of foodie travel guides on Destination Eat Drink, including several in Italy. Brent’s podcast, also called Destination Eat Drink, is available on all major podcasting platforms.