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00 Borgo Val Di Taro
Stemma di Borgo Val di Taro

Emilia-Romagna · Parma

Borgo Val di Taro

The Cittaslow capital of the upper Taro valley, where the Fungo di Borgotaro IGP porcini has been protected since 1996.

Best time
Apr–Oct
By car
1 h 7 min from Parma
By train
Station in the comune
Population
6,716

Known for

  • FUNGO DI BORGOTARO IGP

    European Protected Geographical Indication granted in 1996 to porcini from Borgotaro and neighbouring valleys, the first PGI for a wild mushroom.

  • CITTASLOW

    Member of the Cittaslow network of slow cities, recognized for the porcini trade and the working centro storico under seven thousand residents.

  • THREE REGIONS

    Upper Taro valley sits where Emilia-Romagna meets Tuscany and Liguria, with the Apennine ridge defining all three borders.

When to visit

Best · Apr–Oct

  • J9°
  • F12°
  • M13°
  • A16°
  • M20°
  • J25°
  • J29°
  • A29°
  • S23°
  • O19°
  • N13°
  • D9°
  • Best
  • Hot or crowded
  • Quiet
  • Mostly closed

Daytime averages, 2020–2024. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com.

The festa: Nostra Signora del Monte Carmelo, 16 July

Why come

Borgo Val di Taro sits in the upper Taro valley, sixty-three kilometers southwest of Parma at the point where the province meets Liguria and Tuscany on the Apennine ridge. The town was a Roman waystation, then a possession of the Bobbio abbey, then of the Landi and Doria-Landi families through the medieval centuries. Modern Borgotaro built itself around the porcini trade: the Boletus mushrooms gathered in the surrounding chestnut woods were already famous in the nineteenth century, exported by emigrants to the Americas, and in 1996 the European Union granted the Fungo di Borgotaro Protected Geographical Indication status, the first European recognition for a wild mushroom.

The Consorzio per la Tutela del Porcino di Borgotaro was founded the same year. The Cittaslow movement admitted the town in the 2000s. The September Fiera del Fungo di Borgotaro is the calendar event; population has dropped under seven thousand but the porcini trade still anchors the local economy.

The Sunday letter

Borgo Val di Taro is on our list. Its letter is still to come.

We are writing about all 1,000 of these towns, one at a time, in a free letter every Sunday: the photo, the food, the festa. That is our mission. Sign up and you will be there when Borgo Val di Taro comes up. By Peter & Sophia, from Pietrasanta.

Read on

Borgo Val di Taro in our articles

How to get there

From Bologna (BLQ), about 2 hours by car.

Florence / Pisa (PSA) is about 2 hours away.

By car from the centre of Parma 1 hour, Pisa 1h 52m or Genoa 2 hours.

There is a railway station in the comune, so you can arrive without a car.

Coming from Pisa, Genoa or Bologna?

Coming by train into Parma? Borgo Val di Taro is about 1 hour away by road.

Every town within reach of Bologna airport.

Borgo Val di Taro, photo 1
Borgo Val di Taro, photo 2

What to see

  • Centro storico

    Medieval town center along the Taro, with the Palazzo Tardiani, the Piazza Manara, and the porticos lining the old market street.

  • Chiesa di Sant'Antonino

    Sixteenth-century parish church with a Baroque interior, holding a fifteenth-century crucifix and a wooden image of the Madonna del Carmelo.

  • Palazzo Tardiani

    Eighteenth-century palace on the main street, now housing the municipal library and the cultural offices.

  • Fiera del Fungo di Borgotaro

    Annual porcini fair on the last two weekends of September, the largest mushroom market in the northern Apennines.

  • Faggeta di Boschetto

    Beech forest in the surrounding hills, one of the gathering grounds for the Fungo di Borgotaro IGP, with marked trails for mushroom and chestnut season.

The slow-trip planner

Building a trip? Find where Borgo Val di Taro fits in a slow Italy circuit.

Answer five questions. We will shape a geographically coherent slow trip from the 1,000 Italian towns most travelers skip. Yours to save and share.

Plan your trip

Through the year

What happens here

Feasts and festivals that come back year after year. We give the month rather than the date, because the date moves and the month rarely does. Check with the source before you plan a journey around one.

Living here

  • Population 6,716
  • Remotei
  • Pharmacy in town
  • High school within a 30-minute drive
  • Train station in the comune
  • Nearest airport Bologna, 1 h 58 min drive
  • Regional capital Bologna, 2 h 3 min drive

Common questions

What is Borgo Val di Taro known for?
Borgo Val di Taro is the Cittaslow capital of the upper Taro valley at 411 meters, where the Fungo di Borgotaro IGP porcini has been protected since 1996.
Where is Borgo Val di Taro?
Borgo Val di Taro is a comune in the province of Parma, in Emilia-Romagna.
What is the nearest airport to Borgo Val di Taro?
Bologna (BLQ), about 2 hours by car.
Can you get to Borgo Val di Taro without a car?
Yes. There is a railway station in the comune, so you can arrive by train.
How long is the drive from Parma to Borgo Val di Taro?
About 1 hour by car.
When is the best time to visit Borgo Val di Taro?
Best in Apr–Oct. July is the warmest month, averaging 29 degrees, and May the wettest, with about 15 rain days.
Is there a sagra or a festival in Borgo Val di Taro?
Yes. Porcigatone in festa and Fiera del Fungo di Borgotaro IGP. August is when the first of them falls.
Which other towns are like Borgo Val di Taro?
Larino, Guglionesi and Calitri.
How many people live in Borgo Val di Taro?
6,716 at the 2023 count.
Tags & datadesignations · numbers · sources

The numbers

  • Elevation: 411 m
  • Population: 6,716
  • Surface area: 151.49 km²

These figures were compiled from public directories: ISTAT, OpenStreetMap and Wikidata, and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.

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