Flavors · Emília-Romanha

Piadina romagnola

Round, flat bread made from flour, lard or olive oil, salt and water, cooked on a griddle and filled at the time with cold cuts, cheese or greens. It’s the food of the entire Romagna region, protected as a geographical indication, in two versions: a thicker one and a thin one from Rimini.

Traditional dish from Emília-Romanha

Also known as: piada romagnola, piadina, piada, piadina alla riminese

Updated November 2026

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Piadina romagnola — Emília-Romanha, Italy — Piadina romagnola

Piadina romagnola — Emília-Romanha, Italy

The piadina is a disc made from wheat flour, water, salt and fat, traditionally pork lard, now also olive oil. It is quickly cooked on a very hot griddle, formerly terracotta, and develops toasted brown spots. After cooking it is folded in half and filled.

Classic fillings are cured ham, soft cheeses such as squacquerone, arugula, sautéed greens or grilled sausage. There is also a version folded and sealed before cooking, called crescione or cassone, filled with vegetables, tomato and cheese.

Piadina Romagnola, or Piada Romagnola, received Protected Geographical Indication from the European Union in 2014. The registration covers two forms: the romagnola, 15 to 25 centimeters in diameter and thicker, typical of Forlì, Cesena and Ravenna, and the alla riminese, 23 to 30 centimeters and up to three millimeters thick, typical of Rimini. Both can only be made and packaged in Romagna.

The poet Giovanni Pascoli, born in the region, called the piadina the national bread of the Romagnoli and helped fix the word piada in Italian. In Romagna, it is sold at roadside and beach kiosks and made at home as a substitute for bread.

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Where it comes from

Emília-Romanha
Flatbread of the whole Romagna region, protected by the Piadina Romagnola PGI geographical indication, with no single city of origin.

Ingredients

Wheat flour, water, salt and lard or olive oil; fillings such as cured ham, squacquerone, arugula, sautéed greens or sausage.

How it is eaten

Served hot, folded in half with the filling, eaten with the hands; also accompanies meals in place of bread.

When it is eaten

All year round, as a snack or quick meal; very common in summer, from June to August, on Romagna’s beaches.

Your questions

Questions about Piadina romagnola

What is the difference between the romagnola and the riminese piadina?

The romagnola is smaller and thicker. The riminese, from Rimini, is larger and thinner.

What do you put in a piadina?

The most traditional fillings are cured ham, squacquerone cheese and arugula, sautéed greens or sausage.

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