 Set
between Lombardy and Tuscany, and stretching from the
Adriatic coast almost to the shores of the
Mediterranean, Emilia-Romagna is the heartland of
northern Italy. It is two provinces really: Emilia to
the east and the Romagna to the west - the former Papal
States, joined together after Unification. Before the
papacy took charge in the area, it was a patchwork of
ducal territories, ruled over by a handful of families -
the Este in Ferrara and Modena, the Farnese in Piacenza
and Parma, and lesser dynasties in Ravenna and Rimini -
who created sparkling Renaissance courts, combining
autocracy with patronage of the arts alongside a
continual jockeying for power with the Church.
Their castles and fortresses remain, preserved in towns
with restored medieval centres which, apart from a few
notable exceptions, are relatively off the tourist
track, since many visitors are put off by the extreme
weather (searingly hot in summer, close to freezing in
winter), or are sidetracked by the more immediate
pleasures of Tuscany and Umbria.
The region's landscape is a varied one, ranging from the
foothills of the Apennine mountains in the south to the
flat fields of the northern plain, the Pianura Padana,
interrupted only by windbreaks of poplars, shimmering in
the breeze. The area has grown wheat since Roman times,
and nowadays its industry and agribusinesses are among
Italy's most advanced - there are currently more pigs
than people in the Po Valley. Emilia-Romagna remains one
of the richest regions in Italy, holding some of the
country's most successful small-scale, specialist
industrial enterprises.
Carving a dead-straight route through the heart of
Emilia-Romagna, from Piacenza to Rimini on the coast,
the Via Emilia is a central and obvious reference point,
a Roman military road constructed in 187 BC that was
part of the medieval pilgrim's route to Rome, and the
way east to Ravenna and Venice. The towns that grew up
along here are among Emilia's most compelling. Bologna,
the region's capital, is one of Italy's largest cities.
Despite having one of the most beautifully preserved
city centres in the country, some of its finest food,
and inhabitants whose openness and seemingly unflappable
temperaments contrast markedly with the stressed-out
Milanese, it has been relatively neglected by tourists,
and most people pass straight through - definitely a
mistake. Bologna also gives easy access to places like
Modena and Parma (each just an hour or so away by
train): wealthy provincial towns that form the smug core
of Emilia and hold some of its finest and most
atmospheric architecture, as well as giving access to
routes south into the Apennines . With a car you can dip
into the foothills at will from any of these points,
sampling local cuisine and joining in the festivals; and
even by bus it's possible to get a taste of the area,
which at its best can be very beautiful, not at all like
the functional plain to the north. If you're a keen
hiker, there's the Grand Escursione Apenninica, a
25-day-long trek following the backbone of the range
from refuge to refuge, and which can be accessed from
the foothills south of Reggio Emilia .
The north of Emilia-Romagna is less interesting than the
Via Emilia stretch, the Po disgorging into the Adriatic
from its bleak delta (which it shares with the Veneto),
a desolate region of marshland and lagoons that is
mainly of appeal to birdwatchers. However, Ferrara ,
just half an hour north of Bologna, is one of the most
important Renaissance centres in Italy, formerly under
the tutelage of the Este family; and Ravenna, a short
way east from here, preserves probably the finest set of
Byzantine mosaics in the world in its churches and
mausoleums. The coast south is an overdeveloped ribbon
of settlement, although Rimini , at its southern end,
provides a spark of interest, with its wild seaside
strip concealing a surprisingly historic town centre.
None of this comes cheap, though: Emilia is a wealthy
area that makes few concessions to tourists; the tone
is, rather like Lombardy to the north, well mannered,
well dressed and comfortable. If you need to economize,
it would be a shame to stint when it comes to food,
which is where the region excels
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