Locanda Mariella

The story

Locanda Mariella in Langhirano: Emilian Cuisine Bib Gourmand

A Family Story on the Hills of Parma

Locanda Mariella began in the mid-1960s, when the parents of the current owner, Mariella, opened their home as an osteria in the tiny hamlet of Fragnolo. Back then, the village had 250 souls. Today it has only thirty, but the locanda remains the heart of this quiet corner of the Langhirano hills. The original trattoria served just a few traditional dishes, relying on what the family raised themselves—chickens, pigs, vegetables from the garden, and Parmigiano from a local micro-dairy. Bread was baked in a communal oven. The osteria housed the village’s only television, and neighbours gathered there to eat, drink, play cards, and talk.

That spirit of conviviality still defines the place. The kitchen now offers three tasting paths—Pesce (fish), Tradizione (tradition), and Terra (land)—that weave past and present into a single meal. The approach is rooted in sustainability: the tasting menus are mandatory and must be booked at least a day in advance, so nothing is wasted and everything is prepared fresh. The owners describe the restaurant as a free community where food and wine are part of a wider cultural horizon, and the team includes cooks, winemakers, bakers, painters, and travellers.

The setting is intimate, with a maximum of fifteen guests per service, from Wednesday to Sunday. The Michelin Bib Gourmand recognises the quality and value of this Emilian and modern cuisine, where each course is a direct expression of the land and the people who work it. A meal here is less a transaction than a shared moment in a story that has been unfolding for more than half a century.