Dante isn’t the only one to have found inspiration in this part of Italy. Our writer explores the Emilia-Romagna region taking in its bell towers, truffles, wine – and also its musical side

Foscolo is a luthier – he makes musical instruments. In his workshop, they lie half-finished on wooden benches, as if organically emerging from the worktops. A five-string bass and a double-necked guitar are propped in one corner. But they’re not what Foscolo really wants to show us.

He leads us through a door to his home and through a narrow corridor, where his paintings line the walls. A staircase at the end features a giant kinetic artwork whose parts are designed to tremble and tick in accordance with the Fibonacci sequence. “I call it Il Voce d’Infinita: the Voice of Infinity,” he says. He switches it on. It sounds like a particularly noisy fridge.

Ever since my friends and I reached Portico di Romagna, in the foothills of the Appenines, I’ve felt like I’ve wandered into a Wes Anderson film. There’s the elderly folk who sit in the street, shoulder to shoulder, from dawn to dusk, watching the limited life of the village with impassive stares. There are the church bells that ring in such a confusing pattern only those born here know what time it is, and a hint of magical realism in the air.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Street life … the front entrance of Al Vecchio Convento, a hotel in Portico di Romagna

Al Vecchio Convento, where we are staying, isn’t strictly an old convent. It was a country house built for some nobles from Florence; the remains of the convent are next door, where the nuns now run a nursing home. When its current owners, Marisa and Gianni, moved here in 1975, the place had been derelict for half a century. Today it is filled not only with guests but also their family. Their sons Matteo and Massimiliano are the chef and sommelier respectively, and their wives teach languages and yoga.

Portico di Romagna once had a population of 5,000 – it is a mere 400 today – and was part of Tuscany until Mussolini redrew the borders. It’s now in the Emilia-Romagna region, less well known but a match for its famous neighbour in rolling fields of sunflowers and lavender and fortified medieval towns.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Sweet sanctuary … Al Vecchio Convento

We came as a group of eight friends looking for a late-summer break of good weather and good food; our first breakfast, in the sun-warmed courtyard, proved that we wouldn’t be disappointed. Laid out like a banquet were local meats and cheeses and home-baked bread, frittatas and fruit from the garden, and an array of Marisa’s tarts and cakes, and it was hard to leave the table before lunchtime.

Breakfast was a banquet, it was hard to leave the table before lunchtime

Later, Massimiliano took us to visit a family vineyard, whose inhabitants combine their love of wine with an equal passion for horsemanship. Drei Donà, home to one of the area’s signature sangiovese wines, is presided over by Giovanna Vittoria and her daughter Ida, who have competed internationally in showjumping and eventing.

Unlikely stories seem to tumble out of this romantic landscape. Ida’s horse, Tornese, used to walk among the vineyards, showing no interest in the grapes until the very day that their lab results told the family that it was time to harvest. Tornese’s instincts proved just as accurate with each year that followed, and now their riesling/chardonnay blend bears the animal’s name.

Back in Portico di Romagna, we climb the medieval bell tower that used to send messages between Florence and Ravenna. The area was bombed by the allies in 1944; 50 years later, two elderly German tourists arrived in the village, and asked if they could visit the tower. As young soldiers, they had hidden in it to escape capture.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Buona notte … a comfy bedroom in Portico di Romagna

From the tower you can also see the mountain pass that Dante Alighieri walked after his expulsion from Florence – and, in the centre of the village, the house where his muse, Beatrice di Folco Portinari, was born. Beatrice was the daughter of a rich banker, and Dante immortalised her in The Divine Comedy as the woman who led him into Paradise – local tradition maintains that their meeting took place here, during his flight.

Dante's muse Portico di Romagna was born in the village

Dante travelled on to Ravenna, the city where he was buried, and which has managed to hold on to his bones despite attempts to barter or steal them back to Florence. Ravenna was home to the rulers of the Western Roman Empire, and later the Byzantine Exarchate; its fascinating history and mosaiced churches makes it an excellent day trip, and once you’re there you can reach the Adriatic coast in 20 minutes.

In the village, Matteo and Massimiliano keep us entertained. When Matteo takes our group truffle hunting with his dogs Otto and Rex, our expectations are of nothing more than a pleasantly fruitless walk in the woods. Within an hour of tramping through woods, the dogs are both dip-dyed in mud, and Matteo has retrieved four sizeable black truffles from their slobbering mouths.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Green and pleasant … a cookery lesson at Al Vecchio Convento

A cookery class in the downstairs kitchen comes largely in Italian, and results in a celebratory lunch on the terrace; the truffles appear in generous heaps on our handcrafted ravioli. Matteo takes us to his favourite spot for swimming in the river – and strips down to his kecks to join us – and his brother introduces us to Foscolo the luthier, a visit that ends in an impromptu jam involving two lutes and some kind of shofar.

For our last meal – a traditional Romagnan broth of tomato, herbs and bread – Massimiliano opens a bottle he’s been excited about sharing for weeks. One of Foscolo’s double basses is carried into the dining room – a final surprise – and our visit ends in wine and song. It’s what the Etruscans would have wanted.

Way to go

Portico di Romagna is a 90-minute drive from Bologna. Fly from Stansted (Ryanair), Gatwick (Easyjet) or Heathrow (British Airways) from £30 return. Overnight stays at Al Vecchio Convento start from £51 a night; cooking classes are €50pp. For more information, visit emiliaromagna turismo.it