Let's meet Barbara and Andrea Cesarini from Zocca

Today we have a chat with Cesarini Barbara and Andrea, who open the doors of their welcoming home in Zocca to offer guests culinary experiences rooted in local tradition and the typical flavors of the region.
Barbara is a teacher, Andrea an engineer, and together they share a great passion for cooking.
In their kitchen, they love to celebrate Emilian tradition by preparing dishes with local, seasonal ingredients, carefully selected to enhance every flavor and every product.
Their specialty? Handmade fresh pasta.
With enthusiasm, they tell us how their passion for the art of cooking was born — a passion that began in childhood and has grown over time — and what they hope to gain from this adventure in the world of Le Cesarine: a journey filled with encounters, moments of sharing, and a deep love for tradition.

Through their experiences, Barbara and Andrea guide us on a journey of discovery and rediscovery of the local area, teaching us how to truly appreciate typical local ingredients — very simple, yet rich in history.
One standout ingredient is chestnut flour, a symbol of peasant cooking and the star of dishes that reflect the true soul of the Modenese Apennines.
Among the most representative local preparations are ciacci, a symbol of humble cuisine with a surprisingly rich flavor.
Also essential are tigelle (or crescentine), true icons of Emilian gastronomic tradition.

Discovering Zocca: Between Traditional Cuisine and Rock Music

Zocca is a mountain village in the Modenese Apennines, nestled between the valleys of the Panaro, Reno, and Samoggia rivers. Surrounded by forests and breathtaking views, Zocca enchants visitors with its narrow streets and small shops in the historic center, giving it that simple elegance typical of mountain villages.
With a rich calendar of cultural events throughout the year, a visit to Zocca is almost a must for anyone who loves to experience and savor the most authentic side of Italy.
Originally established as a marketplace, today Zocca is not only a reference point for those who cherish a connection with tradition and local cuisine, but it is also famous throughout Italy as the birthplace, in 1952, of one of the greatest legends in Italian music: Vasco Rossi.
His music and personality have carried the name of Zocca far beyond regional borders, turning this small mountain town into a true pilgrimage destination for fans from every corner of the country.

After getting to know a bit more about the land that Barbara and Andrea Cesarini call home, let’s dive into their story and discover how their passion for cooking began — and what inspired them to join our community.

How did your passion for Italian cuisine begin?

Barbara:
My passion for Italian cooking started when I was a child. I often spent time in the kitchen with my grandmother and my mother — I would watch them cook and learn just by observing. With them, I took my very first steps in the kitchen and into the world of culinary tradition. From that moment on, I never stopped: cooking became something that makes me feel at home.

Andrea:
My passion for cooking is deeply rooted in my childhood, when I would watch my grandmother — who was a professional cook — move confidently around the kitchen. She was the one who passed on to me not only her love for this world, but also the importance of carefully selecting ingredients, always focusing on quality and seasonality.

How did you discover the Cesarine community?

Barbara:
I discovered the Cesarine community through word of mouth. A lady told me about her experience with great enthusiasm, and I was immediately intrigued. So I started looking into it, did some research... and that’s how it all began!

Andrea:
I discovered the world of the Cesarine thanks to Barbara, and I was immediately fascinated by this reality — built on a love for tradition and a passion for cooking.

What do you hope to gain from your experience with Cesarine?

Barbara:
From this experience with Cesarine, I hope to meet new people, to open the doors of my home and make them feel welcome — as if they were visiting old friends. Above all, I want to share the beauty of our region and the richness of our traditional cuisine, telling the stories and flavors that connect us to this land. I hope to highlight local excellence by showing how my dishes are deeply tied to the territory.

Andrea:
From this journey into the Cesarine world, I expect many pleasant and fun moments centered around togetherness and good company. I look forward to meeting and getting to know people from all over Italy and the world. I hope to introduce them to the flavors of our cuisine and our land — especially to those who have never had the chance to experience them before.

In your experiences, you offer truly unique dishes, such as chestnut flour tagliatelle and ciacci, both deeply rooted in tradition and the local area. Is there a particular reason why you chose to share these recipes with your guests? Would you like to share any stories or memories connected to these dishes?

Both dishes are made with typical products from our region — something we care deeply about.

The first, chestnut flour tagliatelle, is a recipe we prepare every year during the Chestnut Festival in October. As members of the Pro Loco association, we run the food stand during those days — it’s a demanding experience, but truly rewarding.

It’s a dish we created ourselves, born from the desire to highlight a traditional local ingredient: chestnut flour. It’s usually used in desserts, but we believe it gives its best in savory dishes and fresh pasta — and everyone who tries it absolutely loves it.

With this recipe, we also try to revive a bit of the old traditions, from a time when chestnut flour was used much more often, even in everyday cooking.

Ciacci are one of the humble dishes of our tradition, closely related to the more well-known crescentine — which many people mistakenly call tigelle. While crescentine have become widespread everywhere, including restaurants and agritourisms, ciacci remain a distinctly local dish, impossible to find in restaurants: they are only served in homes or at local festivals.

Making them requires time and patience: the cooking times are long, and this is one of the reasons why ciacci haven’t made their way onto restaurant menus. There are several variations, including one made with chestnut flour.