Collecchio.

Collecchio sits in the Parma hills, where the Colli di Parma wine zone meets the plains that produce Prosciutto di Parma. Small wineries sell wine directly from the farm, and cured-meat producers and dairies in the surrounding countryside supply the trattorias in the historic center, where menus change with the season.

The land around Collecchio rises gently into wooded hills dotted with farmhouses and family-run wineries. Pedrignano, a hamlet near Collecchio, is home to one of Barilla's pasta production plants, a counterpart to the area's older food traditions. Market days and food festivals follow the farming calendar: cellars open for tastings during the grape harvest, trattorias add wild mushrooms and chestnuts to their menus through the cooler months, and open-air markets in spring and summer sell cheese, cured meats, and local wine by the glass.