Piadina at Piadineria La Baracchina
Piadina Romagnola is the edible symbol of this region, and Cesena is one of the best cities in which to eat it — the local style is thinner and crispier than the version made in Rimini, with a satisfying char from the testo griddle. La Baracchina, a beloved piadineria near the city centre, has been serving them to locals for decades and remains resolutely unfussy and delicious.
What to Order
The classic order is piadina with squacquerone — a soft, tangy fresh cheese native to Romagna — paired with rucola and a few slices of prosciutto crudo di Parma. The combination of the warm, slightly smoky flatbread with the cool, creamy cheese is one of those simple pleasures that makes Italian food so enduringly satisfying.
For something more local, ask for piadina with salsiccia di Romagna (a coarse-ground pork sausage seasoned with fennel seeds) and caramelised onions. Vegetarians are well served too: the combination of squacquerone, grilled courgette and sun-dried tomatoes is genuinely excellent.
The Piadina Culture of Cesena
In Cesena, piadina is not fast food — it is a social ritual. Locals pick up a piadina for lunch, eat it standing at the counter or sitting on a low wall outside, and consider it a perfectly complete meal. The flatbread has EU Protected Geographical Indication status, which means the recipe and production method are legally defined.
If you want to go deeper, look out for local cooking classes that teach you to make piadina on a traditional testo. Several agriturismo farms in the hills around Cesena offer half-day courses that include lunch — a wonderful way to spend a morning in the Romagna countryside.
More of Cesena
Discover where to stay, what to do and the best deals for your trip.
Explore Cesena →
