From Bologna to Parma, five unmissable cities of Emilia Romagna

2021-02-02T06:07:37.466Z

GUIDE - Dare to Emilia Romagna! Off the tourist trail, this prosperous Italian region surprises with the diversity of its old towns and its internationally renowned terroir that rivals the “big cars” made here.

The discreet

Emilia Romagna

, backing onto the Apennine chain, is one of the most prosperous regions in Europe.

Its fate has long been linked to the fertile agricultural plain of the Po, as well as to the old Roman trade route, the

Via Emilia.

, which crosses it in a straight line from Milan to Rimini, on the Adriatic coast.

A regional backbone, where a string of exceptionally charming towns has developed, once capitals of rich duchies supporting the arts and culture at great expense.

Preserved in an authentic medieval and Renaissance juice, they were praised by the writer-travelers of the 19th century, such as Stendhal and Chateaubriand, thus perpetuating the myth of eternal romantic Italy.

But this land of the Arts, which saw the birth of the composer Verdi or the filmmaker Fellini, is also today a “

terra dei motori”.

»Focused on the manufacture of prestigious automobiles: Maserati, Lamborghini and Ferrari, not to mention Ducati motorcycles.

Brands whose international fame largely equals that of Parmesan, Parma ham and balsamic vinegar from Modena, the great emissaries of the generous local terroir.

Andiamo velocemente!

Bologna, prosperous regional capital

The most beautiful church in Bologna can be found in one of its prettiest squares: Piazza Santo Stefano.

COMUNE DI BOLOGNA

Splendid and scandalous!

Surrounded by prestigious palaces,

Piazza Maggiore

- the picturesque medieval heart of the city - in its time unleashed the indignation of the Church.

In question, this fountain of the XVIth century, masterpiece of Jean de Bologne, representing a muscular and naked god Neptune, surrounded by four sirens who press their breasts to make them squirt great waters!

And among the Renaissance buildings, don't miss

the 13th century

Basilica of San Domenico

, housing works by Michelangelo;

and the

Santo Stefano Basilica, an

astonishing complex of entangled Romanesque chapels.

While the

Due Torri, a

famous pair of medieval towers, embody the city's identity.

And meet at the

National Pinacoteca of Bologna

(pinacotecabologna.beniculturali.it), one of the richest in the country, to be dazzled by Giotto, Pérugino, Raphael, Titian, but also Reni and Carrache from the famous School of Bologna.

Still other masterpieces - mechanical ones - at

the Ducati Museum

(ducati.com), which traces the history of this legendary brand of red motorcycles, produced in the adjoining workshop.

Finally, “Bologne la savante” also has

the oldest university in the Western world,

founded in 1088 and giving the historic center a slightly festive student atmosphere!

International airport on site.

Tourist office:

piazza Maggiore, 1 / e;

Phone.

: +39 051/6583111;

bolognawelcome.it.

SLEEP THERE

Grand Hotel Majestic:

18th century palace revealing a magnificent 5-star hotel with a very classic feel (via dell'Indipendenzia, 8; tel: +39 051/225445; grandhotelmajestic.duetorrihotels.com; double room 180 - 1400 €).

Hotel Corona d'Oro:

elegant and classic 4-star rooms, in an amazing medieval mansion (via Oberdan, 12; tel: +39 051/7457611; hco.it; double room 210 - 710 €).

GOOD TABLE

Trattoria da Me:

tasty cuisine rooted in the Emilian terroir and served in a deliciously vintage atmosphere.

The pleasure also of tasting artisanal mortadella, a great local specialty;

just like the tortellini and the tagliatelle, accompanied by the prestigious white wines of the appellation Colli Bolognesi Classico Pignoletto DOCG and Albagna di Romagna DOCG, raised in the surroundings and a little sparkling (via San Felice, 50; tel: +39 051/555486 ; trattoriadame.it; à la carte: 40 - 70 €).

Modena: vinegar, old stones and "big cars"

Piazza Grande, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with its magnificent 12th century Duomo.

COMUNE DI MODENA

The tour of the historic center begins in the bustling Art Deco market hall.

The ideal place to buy a bottle of the real

balsamic vinegar of Modena PDO.

Nothing to do with the industrial versions - doped with caramel - that we swallow every day.

Sold from 40 € to over 1500 €, the precious bottle contains 100 ml of a tasty nectar that takes 12 to 25 years and sometimes even up to 150 years to reach its syrup form;

by dint of fermentation, evaporation, concentration of a cooked grape must, regularly decanted into about fifteen barrels of wood species and increasingly reduced capacities.

A strict tradition that dates back to the 11th century and of which Modena remains the absolute epicenter!

But this pure jewel of transalpine gastronomy cannot obscure the

Piazza Grande,

listed as a Unesco World Heritage Site with its magnificent

12th century

Duomo

, well known for its exterior bas-reliefs, its astonishing suspended rood screen and its vertiginous 90's bell tower. m, which can be explored up to the arrow.

Nearby, the

Palazzo dei Musei

(palazzodeimuseimodena.it) preserves a rich collection of art evoking the glorious history of the city, where Velasquez, Tintoretto, Greco, Reni, Bernini, Carracci ...

The Museo Enzo Ferrari.

Ferrari / Press photo

An exceptional heritage that today rivals the old and modern cars - hoisted in a row of works of art - from the fascinating

Museo Enzo Ferrari

(musei.ferrari.com).

In the same place where the legendary Scuderia was created in 1929, we discover the origins and the personality of the Cavaliere, native of the region who, after having triumphed in the race, created his own cars in 1947 in his new factory in

Mararello,

in 20 km from Modena.

It is also there that lovers of beautiful roaring mechanics will visit

the other Ferrari museum,

more Formula 1 and Grand Prix oriented.

Without forgetting the

Lamborghini museum

(lamborghini.com) and the possibility of visiting their factories, just like those of

Maserati

(maserati.com)… To finally order!

GETTING THERE

The nearest international airport is in Bologna, a city connected to Modena in 30 minutes by train.

Tourist office:

piazza Grande, 14, Modena;

Phone.

: +39 059/2032660;

visitmodena.it.

SLEEP THERE

Best Western Premier Hotel Milano Palace:

character building housing a 4-star hotel with sleek contemporary rooms.

(Corso V. Emanuele II, 68; tel .: +39 059/223011; milanopalacehotel.it; double room 150 - 535 €).

Hotel Rua Frati 48 in San Francesco:

5-star hotel offering elegant modern and minimalist rooms that magnify the architecture of this historic mansion.

(rua dei Frati Minori, 48; phone: +39 059/7474410; ruafrati48.com; double room 485 - 975 €).

GOOD TABLE

Osteria Francescana: an

excellent modern restaurant by the three-star chef Massimo Bottura, who regularly appears on the list of “World's 50 Best Restaurants”.

(via Stella, 22; tel .: +39 059/223912; osteriafrancescana.it; 12-course menu € 290).

Read also: The confined anti-waste kitchen by Massimo Bottura

Parma, city of art and gastronomy

The magnificent 12th century Duomo of Parma.

CITTÀ DI PARMA

In the deliciously scented old cellar of

Antica Corte Pallavicina

(anticacortepallavicinarelais.it), a myriad of

Culatello di Zibello PDO

- the "Rolls" of local hams, cut from the buttocks of the finest pigs - are hung with the label of their owner: starred restaurants, heads of state… A little “Who's Who” that celebrates the reputation of local gastronomy, of which

Prosciutto di Parma PDO

and

Parmigiano Reggiano PDO

remain international icons.

But this cult of good food cannot eclipse the beautiful elegance of Parma, a discreet and endearing city, which was the center of a glorious duchy in the hands of the Farnese, great patrons of the Arts.

Before becoming the capital of a French department under the First Empire, preserving its vocation as a cultural beacon ... A stone's throw from the elegant

Piazza Garibaldi,

the

Mecca

of the

local

passeggiata

- where locals stop their bikes for see and be seen - here is the magnificent

12th century

Duomo

and the vertiginous frescoes of

Courrège

(16th century) in its dome.

While next door stands the sublime

baptistery

(12th-13th centuries), a marble octagon unique in the Christian world!

Without forgetting the essential

Galleria nazionale di Parma

(complessopilotta.it), which contains one of the richest art galleries in the country, where Leonardo da Vinci, Tintoretto, Greco, Canaletto, etc., rub shoulders with the paintings of Parmigianino, a native of the country. .

As for the

Charterhouse of Parma,

it only exists in Stendhal's novel!

Parma is also one of the main stages of the famous

vintage

car race

Mille Miglia

(1000miglia.it), which has been crisscrossing northern Italy since 1927 ...

GETTING THERE

Parma International Airport is also known as Giuseppe-Verdi Airport.

Tourist office:

piazza Garibaldi, 1;

Phone.

: +39 0521/218889.

parmawelcome.it

SLEEP THERE

Antica Corte Pallavicina Relais:

in the countryside 30 km from Parma, a few charming rooms in this picturesque 14th century residence on the banks of the Po.

Excellent starred restaurant and artisanal

culatello

factory

(strada del Palazzo Due Torri, 3, in Polesine Parmense; tel: +39 0524/936539; anticacortepallavicina.it; double room 180 - 620 €).

GOOD TABLE

The Prosciutto di Parma PDO and the Parmigiano Reggiano PDO are the culinary icons of Parma.

CITTÀ DI PARMA

Ristorante La Forchetta:

beautiful traditional Parmesan cuisine - a little reinterpreted - and which also allows itself a few tasty departures with fish to Sicily, the birthplace of the talented chef.

The opportunity also to taste the local red and white wines, with the Colli di Parma DOC appellation (borgo San Biagio, 6 / d; laforchettaparma.it; tel .: +39 0521/208811; menus 45 - 65 €).

Ravenna and its early Christian gems

The historic center of Ravenna.

Veniero Rubboli

It is an orgy of sublime colored mosaics from the 5th century, the oldest in the city, which dazzle us as we enter the very modest

mausoleum of Galla Placidia!

This unique construction - listed among eight early

Christian monuments

(ravennamosaici.it) as a UNESCO World Heritage Site - celebrated the capital of the Western Roman Empire, then that of Byzantine Italy;

before Ravenna was abandoned because of the siltation of its port.

Another emblematic masterpiece of the 6th century, the delicate mosaics of the imposing

San Vitale basilica

reflect certain events of the Bible, and superbly stage the sovereigns and their court in a formidable artistic fusion of Greco-Roman fundamentals, Christian iconography and oriental style!

From the same period, the

Basilica of Sant'Apollinare in Classe

is another must-see gem in the surroundings of Ravenna.

The nearest international airports are in Bologna and Rimini, towns connected to Ravenna in an hour by train.

Tourist office: piazza San Francesco, 7;

Phone.

: +39 0544/35755;

turismo.ra.it.

SLEEP THERE

Palazzo Bezzi Hotel:

beautiful, sober and modern 4-star, with a garden terrace and a rooftop (via di Roma, 45; tel: +39 0544/36926; palazzobezzi.it; double room 70 - 170 € ).

GOOD TABLE

Ristorante Alexander:

served in a former cinema, contemporary cuisine, inspired by the sea, the land and above all tradition (via Bassa del Pignataro, 8; tel .: +39 0544/212967; ristorantealexander.it; menus 35 - 45 €) .

Ferrara, Renaissance gem in the heart of the Po Delta

Old Ferrara is surrounded by 9 kilometers of ramparts.

PROVINCIA DI FERRARA

A pink city set on a green setting, what a contrast!

Emerging from the mists of the Po Delta, old Ferrara - surrounded by 9 km of ramparts - propels us into a majestic and romantic Renaissance atmosphere, brick color.

A total change of scenery created by the most brilliant artists and architects of the time, at the service of the powerful Dukes of Este, great benefactors of the Arts.

Their humanist conceptions of the “ideal city” marked the birth of modern town planning… The superb

Duomo

in Ferrara remains one of the most striking in northern Italy.

While its famous and monumental

Este Castle

(castelloestense.it) promises a visit to a sumptuous ducal palace.

Another stopover of choice: the astonishing

Palace of Diamonds

(palazzodiamanti.it), whose facade stones are cut in points!

It houses a

national art

gallery (gallerie-estensi.beniculturali.it) delivering the quintessence of local painters - including those from the famous Ferrara school - as well as temporary exhibitions of international stature.

Ferrara is a UNESCO World Heritage Site with the

Po Delta

(parcodeltapo.it), a vast protected natural area open to the Adriatic Sea, whose countryside and charming old towns, such as

Comacchio

(turismocomacchio.it), are lend themselves to pleasant rides by bicycle, boat and even on horseback.

The nearest international airport is in Bologna, an hour away by train.

Tourist office:

Castello Estense;

Phone.

: +39 0531/209370;

ferrarainfo.com.

SLEEP THERE

B & B Borgoleoni 18: right

in the historic heart, some beautiful rooms with a minimalist and warm contemporary design, in a venerable 16th century house, with a Venetian facade (via Borgo dei Leoni, 18; borgoleoni18.it; tel: +39 0532/243128; double room 130 - 250 €).

GOOD TABLE

Ristorante Ca 'd' Frara:

inspired by the land and the sea, fine cuisine vacillating between

tradizione and modernità

, well known for its excellent value for money (via del Gambero, 4; ristorantecadfrara.it; tel: +39 0532 / 205 057; à la carte 30 - 50 €).