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'INSIDER TIPS' | |
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Follow the Food Trails The region is riddled with food and wine trails so follow your stomach to discover key producers, associated restaurants and the occasional museum in honour of, say, Parma ham or Parmesan cheese. Parma is the region's capital of culinary delights. Look out for signs to producers on both the salami route (Strada del Culatello) and the cheese route (Strada del Parmigiano). Throughout, other 'tasting routes' cover areas producing noted Lambrusco wine, cheese, salami, pasta, mushrooms -and artisanal balsamic vinegar from Modena. Fancy Formula One? This is 'car country' as there are so many famous car brands based around Modena and Bologna. If Bologna brings out the boy racer in you, then be tempted by a Ferrari, Maserati, Lamborghini or Ducati, all made locally and with linked museums. Failing that, visit the Galleria Ferrari shrine to speed in Maranello, just outside Modena. Follow with dinner in Cavallini (tel +39 0536-941160) a restaurant favoured by Formula One drivers. Take the 'Art' Train Emilia Romagna is one of the best regions for travelling by train - at least between the major 'cities of art' such as Bologna, Modena, Ferrara and Parma. Modena and Ferrara are both thirty minutes from Bologna while Ravenna is an hour away. The train system between cities is easy so choose this over driving. However, the opposite is true of the food, wine and castle routes - a car is definitely needed.
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Holidays in Emilia Romagna
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Emilia Romagna is the proverbial land of plenty, arguably the most civilised region in Italy. As a monument to bourgeois bliss, Bologna is the perfect figurehead for the region. You can expect beaches and nature reserves, vineyards, valleys and mountains, medieval castles and Renaissance palaces. This is in addition to some of Italy's greatest cities of art, including the Unesco World Heritage sites of Ravenna, Ferrara, Modena, and the Po Delta nature reserve. Such high culture has been funded by centuries of agricultural wealth, and supported by a thriving design economy. Emilian wines are highly distinctive and its food is celebrated as the best in the country. The region's world-famous products range from Ferraris to fancy lingerie (courtesy of La Perla) as well as Prada and Parmesan cheese.
Bologna is a supremely welcoming, approachable city, with none of the artistic airs and graces found in neighbouring Florence. In terms of visitor numbers, the only reason that Bologna has languished is because Florence is a looming presence over the hills. Bologna has been wealthy since the Middlle Ages, when it boasted the oldest university in Europe. Bristling with towers, like a medieval Manhattan, Bologna prospered from its fertile plains and vineyards, which supplied its convivial inns. Today, old-world inns, cool cafes and chic boutiques are tucked into the world's longest arcades - medieval versions of modern shopping malls.
Ferrara is both a one-dynasty town and the most beguiling city in the region. Its Unesco World Heritage status springs from its artistic self-sufficiency and the jewel-like appeal of its frescoed palaces. Neighbouring Modena is noted for its Romanesque cathedral and superb quality of life, from Ferraris to balsamic vinegar. Between Ferrara and Ravenna stretches the mysterious Po Delta nature reserve.
Ravenna is both the repository of the world's greatest mosaics and the gateway to the bustling Adriatic Coast. Roman and Byzantine culture converged in Ravenna, transforming it into a Western Byzantium, with dazzling mosaics created by Greek artists from Constantinople. In town, enjoy the summer-long arts festival, which stages open-air concerts and dance events, or head for Marina di Ravenna, the discreet beach resort tucked into the pine groves.
As the capital of the Riviera, Rimini forms two distinct entities, with a clear contrast between the quiet historic centre and the bustling coastal strip. Rimini is a newly resurgent resort after revamping its superb Roman museum and welcoming several design hotels, a chic spa and elegant boutiques. In the hinterland are lofty castles and the medieval citadels of San Marino and San Leo.
As borderlands between rival dukedoms stretching from the Apennines to the river Po, the Parma countryside also bristles with castles. Parma itself is a byword for fine living, from Mannerist art to opera, classical music -and food.
A love of rich food has made Emilia Romagna (and Parma in particular) Italy's undisputed gastronomic centre. The region is at the forefront of organic food production in Italy and is devoted to preserving its unique produce, from Parmesan to Parma ham. Emilian food is an opulent parade of pasta, velvety sauces, meat, charcuterie and cheese. Foodies can compare pale-pink Bolognese mortadella, studded with black peppercorns and green pistachios, with other Emilian cured meats, from Parma ham to Zibello and Culatello.
Emilia Romagna also has a rich musical tradition, with native sons including Verdi and Toscanini, and Paganini by adoption. For its size, Parma possesses more theatres and opera houses than anywhere else in Italy. As for operatic stars, Pavarotti was from Modena and Ruggiero Raimondi from Bologna. Zucchero, Italy's best-known rock star, is also from the region.