Soragna sits in the very heartland of the Po Valley's so-called Food Valley, and eating here feels less like tourism and more like being let in on a secret. The town's kitchens celebrate the cuisines of Parma province with quiet confidence — culatello di Zibello, the crown jewel of Italian cured meats, is cured just a few kilometres away in the riverside fog, and local salumerias will slice it paper-thin for you without ceremony or fanfare.

When the weekly market fills Soragna's central piazza, it draws locals rather than day-trippers, which means the stalls are honest and the prices reflect what things actually cost. You'll find wheels of Parmigiano-Reggiano sold by the wedge, fresh tortelli d'erbetta straight from home kitchens, and vendors ladling out samples of mostarda cremona beside aged squacquerone. Lunch at a trattoria tucked along the Via Mazzini rarely disappoints — a bowl of minestrone padano followed by a plate of bollito misto with salsa verde is a meal that stays with you for days.

For something a little more considered, Osteria Ardenga in nearby Diolo — practically Soragna's backyard — has earned quiet renown for doing the classics with exceptional ingredients and zero pretension. Their tortelli con burro e salvia and handmade anolini in brodo are benchmark versions of dishes found across the province. Back in town, don't leave without stopping at the local alimentari for a hunk of culatello and a bottle of Fortana del Taro, the fizzy, dark local wine that cuts through the richness of everything beautifully.