Destination Emilia Romagna, Italy

Emilia Romagna is a major cultural and touristic centre, being the home of the oldest university in the Western World, containing numerous Renaissance cities (such as Modena, Parma and Ferrara), being a major centre for food and automobile production and having a lively and colourful coastline, with numerous tourist resorts, such as Cattolica and Rimini …

• Discover Emilia Romagna Guide A-Z

» Discover Bologna

Home to the oldest university in the Western world, University of Bologna, founded in 1088, Bologna is one of the most developed cities in Italy. Bologna often ranks as one of the top cities, in terms of quality of life in Italy. This is due to its strong industrial tradition, and its physical location at the crossing-point …

» Canossa Castle

The Castle of Canossa is a castle in Canossa, province of Reggio Emilia, northern Italy. It is especially known as the seat of the Walk to Canossa, the meeting of Emperor Henry IV and Pope Gregory VII during the Investiture Controversy (1077). The castle was built around 940 by Adalberto Atto, son of Sigifredo of Lucca, a Lombard prince, on the summit of a rocky hill …

» Castello Estense

Castello Estense or Castle of Saint Michele is a moated medieval structure in the center of Ferrara, northern Italy. It is a large block with four corner towers. Surrounded by a moat, it has three entrances with drawbridges fronted by brickwork ravelins. The fourth entrance, to the east, was sacrificed to make room for the kitchens …

» Discover Cattolica

One of the first visitors of the beach of Cattolica was Lucien Bonaparte, brother of the Emperor, who preferred it to the noisy Rimini in 1823. The town became an independent commune in 1896. At the end of World War I the tourism industry became predominant …

» Discover Cesena

Cesena was originally an Umbrian or Etruscan town, known as Caesena. After a brief spell under Gaulish rule, it was taken over by Romans in the 3rd century BC. It was a garrison town of strategic importance which was destroyed in the wars between Gaius Marius and Sulla …

» Ducal Palace of Modena

The Ducal Palace is a Baroque palace in Modena, Italy. It was the residence of the Este Dukes of Modena between 1452 and 1859. It currently houses a portion of the Italian Military Academy. Construction of the palace started under Francesco I d'Este in 1634 and was finished by Francesco V. The palace occupies the site of the former Este Castle, once located in the periphery of the city …

» Eurowheel

Eurowheel is a 90-metre (300 ft) tall Ferris wheel at the Mirabilandia amusement park near Ravenna, in Emilia–Romagna, Italy. It is famous for its spectacular views over Ravenna and nearby beaches, and its 50,000 light bulbs are said to make it the brightest Ferris wheel in the world. When constructed in 1999, Eurowheel was the tallest extant Ferris wheel in Europe …

» Discover Ferrara

Ferrara has broad streets and numerous palaces dating from the 14th century and 15th century, when it hosted the court of the House of Este. For its beauty and cultural importance it has been qualified by UNESCO as World Heritage Site. Ferrara is on the main rail line from Bologna to Padua and Venice …

» Italia in Miniatura

Italia in Miniatura is a leisure and miniature park in Viserba, a part of Rimini (Italy). The park displays 273 miniatures of famous Italian and European buildings in scale 1:25 and 1:50. The area is surrounded by Arcobaleno (Italian: rainbow ), a monorail. 10,000 plants and 5,000 miniature trees are integrated in the landscape …

» Discover Modena

An ancient town, Modena is the seat of an archbishop, but is now best known as the capital of engines, since the factories of the famous Italian sports car makers Ferrari, De Tomaso, Lamborghini, Pagani and Maserati are, or were, located here and all, except Lamborghini, have headquarters in the city or nearby …

» Discover Parma

Parma was most probably founded and named by the Etruscans, for a parma (circular shield) was a Latin borrowing, as were many Roman terms for particular arms, and Parmeal, Parmni and Parmnial are names that appear in Etruscan inscriptions. Parma was already a built-up area in the Bronze Age …

» Discover Rimini

Rimini drew the attention of many Roman emperors, including Augustus who did much for the city and Hadrian in particular. This great period in its history was embodied by the construction of prestigious monuments such as the Arch of Augustus, Tiberius' Bridge and the Amphitheatre and Galla Placida …

• Food & Drink of Emilia Romagna

» Parmigiano Reggiano

Parmigiano Reggiano or Parmesan, is a hard granular cheese, cooked but not pressed, named after the producing areas near Parma, Reggio Emilia, Modena, and Bologna (all in Emilia-Romagna), and Mantova (in Lombardia). Under Italian law only cheese produced in these provinces may be labeled 'Parmigiano-Reggiano' …

» Tagliatelle

Tagliatelle and tagliolini (from the Italian tagliare, meaning 'to cut') are the classic pasta of the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. Individual pieces of tagliatelle are long, flat ribbons. Tagliatelle can be served with a variety of sauces, though the classic is a meat sauce or Bolognese sauce …

» Tortellini

Tortellini is a kind of ring-shaped pasta. They are typically stuffed with a mix of meat (pork loin, prosciutto). Originally from the Italian region of Emilia (in particular Bologna and Modena), they are usually served in broth, with cream, or sometimes with a ragł …