Discover Emilia-Romagna: Culture, Cuisine and Landscapes

Emilia-Romagna brings together important cities, a deep-rooted food culture, river landscapes and the Adriatic coast. For planning your trip, the region can be organised according to your interests: Ravenna and Modena stand for exceptional architecture and art, Ferrara for the Renaissance and the Po Delta, while Dozza and Casa Artusi place regional products and culinary traditions at the centre of attention.

Cities and cultural heritage

With its UNESCO World Heritage Site of Early Christian Monuments, Ravenna preserves eight buildings that represent the architectural and artistic development between the 5th and 6th centuries AD. The mosaics are among the best-preserved examples of this art form in Europe and combine Western and Eastern motifs and techniques. Ravenna’s cultural identity also includes a mosaic tradition kept alive through the promotion, teaching, conservation and enhancement of the art of mosaic-making.

In Modena, Piazza Grande is located on the historic Via Emilia in the medieval city centre. The cathedral and the Torre Civica are together considered an outstanding example of Early Romanesque art, with exceptional architectural and sculptural quality. Ferrara was the first Renaissance city to be developed according to a complex urban plan. The region therefore brings together different historic cityscapes that can easily be classified as cultural highlights of a trip.

Regional cuisine with a history

Cheesemakers, ham producers and balsamic vinegar makers in Emilia-Romagna organise tours that end with a tasting. In addition, 24 museums spread throughout the area are dedicated to typical local products and convey their history, the people involved and the production techniques.

The Rocca Sforzesca in Dozza houses a permanent exhibition featuring more than 1,000 wines, spirits and balsamic vinegars. At the Enoteca Regionale dell’Emilia-Romagna, you can taste and purchase every label in the in-house wine bar; meetings with producers are also held there regularly. At Casa Artusi, the “Mariette” teach visitors how to prepare piadina romagnola, sfoglia, as well as fresh egg pasta kneaded by hand and rolled out with a rolling pin.

Po Delta and protected landscapes

Emilia-Romagna’s network of protected areas stretches from the Apennine ridge to the Adriatic coast. It comprises 2 national parks, 1 interregional park, 14 regional parks and 17 nature reserves. In the Emilia-Romagna Regional Park in the Po Delta, the park lies south of the Po, opposite the Veneto Regional Park north of the river. The landscape of the Ferrara Po Delta extends from the Po to the Valli di Comacchio; at the same time, the original Renaissance landscape can still be recognised in the region’s landscape design in the 21st century.

The Po Delta Regional Park offers special birdwatching routes, equipped areas and observation points. Biological diversity is also part of the region’s character: 73 different habitats, more than 2,700 plant types and over 350 vertebrate species are protected and preserved.

Coast, cycle route and regional selection

The beaches of the Romagna Riviera stretch for more than 110 kilometres. For a sporting perspective, there is the Ciclovia dei Gessi di Gaibola: it can be started from San Lazzaro di Savena railway station or Ozzano dell’Emilia railway station, is approximately 21 kilometres long and is recommended for mountain bikes because of its considerable climbs. When choosing your hotel or other accommodation, you can therefore first decide whether historic cityscapes, regional cuisine, nature observation, the coast or an active cycling tour should be the focus.

For further regional orientation, you can continue reading about Bologna, Ferrara, Forlì-Cesena, Modena, Ravenna, Reggio Emilia, Rimini, Parma and Piacenza.