Two old territories share one hyphenated name.
Go in April to June and September to October.
- Fly into
- Bologna (BLQ), Rimini (RMI)
- Capital
- Bologna
- Size
- 22,453 km² (8,669 sq mi), about the size of New Jersey
- People
- 4.4 million
Emilia takes its half from the Roman Via Aemilia, the dead-straight road laid down in 187 BC that still threads its cities, Piacenza to Parma to Modena to Bologna, like beads on a string. Romagna runs east toward the Adriatic, all wide skies, river plains, and a long ribbon of sand. Between them lies the most fertile larder in Italy.
This is where the country learned to eat. The Po plain perfected Parmigiano-Reggiano and prosciutto di Parma; Modena ages its balsamic in attic casks; Bologna, nicknamed la Grassa (the fat one), hand-rolls tortellini and tagliatelle behind its forty kilometres of porticoes. Yet the region is no single note. Ravenna keeps the gold Byzantine mosaics of a vanished empire, Ferrara the Renaissance order of the Este dukes, and Maranello the red thunder of Ferrari.
Come hungry, and come in autumn, when the new Lambrusco is poured and the Apennine foothills turn to chestnut and vine.
What to see in Emilia-Romagna
Save the ones you want and we'll find which of our routes reaches the most in the fewest nights.
Basilica of San Vitale
Ravenna A sixth-century octagonal basilica where layered galleries, imperial mosaics, marble and a later painted vault meet.
Modena Cathedral
Europe's purest Romanesque cathedral, signed by its makers in 1099, beside the leaning Ghirlandina tower.
Mausoleum of Galla Placidia
Ravenna A fifth-century Latin-cross mausoleum whose plain brick exterior gives way to a compact, star-filled mosaic interior.
Basilica of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo
Ravenna The sixth-century basilica whose mosaic processions of martyrs and virgins still walk toward Christ.
Ghirlandina Tower
Modena's 86-meter bell tower, keeper of a stolen-bucket legend.
Estense Castle
Ferrara's moated fortress: Este court splendor above, the dungeon of Ugo and Parisina below.
Portico of San Luca
Bologna The world's longest covered walkway, 666 arches climbing to the Sanctuary of San Luca.
Castell'Arquato
A hilltop Piacenza borgo where a fortress, church and civic palace still ring one medieval piazza.
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How many nights in Emilia-Romagna?
Choose your nights and the route redraws: where to sleep, what to see, and the towns an easy day out from each base.
3 nights in Emilia-Romagna: Bologna for 2 and Ravenna for 1.5 nights in Emilia-Romagna: Bologna for 3 and Ravenna for 2.7 nights in Emilia-Romagna: Parma for 2, Bologna for 3 and Ravenna for 2.10 nights in Emilia-Romagna: Parma for 2, Modena for 2, Bologna for 3 and Ravenna for 3.
Add your first day and each link opens on that stop's dates.
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Where to stay in Emilia-Romagna
Each stop with what to see and, where we have them, a day out and the hotel we'd book.
A restored historic building on Piazza Duomo beside the Baptistery, with rooms from standard doubles to family suites, in Parma's pedestrian centre.
Check dates: Palazzo Dalla Rosa PratiMore in Parma
A six-room guesthouse on Piazzale del Carmine in Parma's centre, with self check-in, suited to travellers wanting a simple base.
Check dates: Glam ParmaA restored cottage and hay loft with antique-furnished rooms, a garden pool and patio breakfasts, in the village of Porporano just outside Parma.
Check dates: Villino Di Porporano
50 km from Parma as the crow flies
Modena pairs high art with high speed.
- Day out
- Maranello
A family-run bed and breakfast in a renovated farmhouse just outside Modena, with five rooms, a garden and homemade balsamic at breakfast.
Check dates: B&B Le Noci di FeoMore in Modena
La Corte Dei Sogni
A quiet B&B in a centuries-old building, with a garden, rustic beamed rooms and buffet breakfast, five minutes' drive from central Modena.
Check dates: La Corte Dei SogniDamhomeitaly
A family-run guesthouse of themed rooms, including a Ferrari room and a Pavarotti room, beside Parco Ferrari and close to Modena's centre.
85 km from Parma as the crow flies
35 km from Modena as the crow flies
A boutique hotel in a medieval building beside Basilica di San Petronio, with vaulted ceilings and exposed beams, steps from Piazza Maggiore.
Check dates: Art Hotel CommerciantiMore in Bologna
Grand Hotel Majestic Già Baglioni
An eighteenth-century palazzo on Via dell'Indipendenza with antique-furnished rooms, a fresco-lined dining room tied to the Carracci, and Roman paving in the basement.
Check dates: Grand Hotel Majestic Già BaglioniCorte Sant'Orsola 4
A small six-room guesthouse on Via Massarenti, within walking distance of Piazza Maggiore, practical for an uncomplicated stay in Bologna.
Check dates: Corte Sant'Orsola 4
70 km from Bologna as the crow flies
Once the capital of the late Roman and Byzantine West, Ravenna holds the finest early Christian mosaics on earth.
A small Ravenna guesthouse with a garden, a library and bicycles, a short walk from the station and the city's monuments.
Check dates: Casa GugùMore in Ravenna
Hotel Palazzo Bezzi
A central Ravenna hotel on Via di Roma with a sauna, Turkish bath and buffet breakfast, about a kilometre from San Vitale.
Check dates: Hotel Palazzo BezziVilla Noctis
A six-room guesthouse in central Ravenna with a garden, a few minutes' walk from the cathedral and Galla Placidia's mausoleum.
Check dates: Villa Noctis
Other places to stay
B&B Le Noci di Feo
A family-run bed and breakfast in a renovated farmhouse just outside Modena, with five rooms, a garden and homemade balsamic at breakfast.
Check dates: B&B Le Noci di FeoPalazzo Dalla Rosa Prati
A restored historic building on Piazza Duomo beside the Baptistery, with rooms from standard doubles to family suites, in Parma's pedestrian centre.
Check dates: Palazzo Dalla Rosa PratiLa Corte Dei Sogni
A quiet B&B in a centuries-old building, with a garden, rustic beamed rooms and buffet breakfast, five minutes' drive from central Modena.
Check dates: La Corte Dei Sogni
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A traditional dinner from Emilia-Romagna
Every course is one the region actually serves. Change any of them and the wine, the timing and the shopping list follow.
Antipasto
Crescentine modenesi (tigelle)
Small yeast-raised breads from the Modena Apennines, cooked between the hot plates of a tigelle iron.
First course
Tagliatelle al Ragù Bolognese
Slow beef and pancetta ragù on fresh egg tagliatelle, with a little tomato, milk and a long, gentle simmer.
Main course
Cotoletta alla bolognese
Butter-fried veal cutlets topped with prosciutto and Parmigiano Reggiano, finished gently under a lid with broth.
What to pour
A dry Lambrusco Grasparossa from the hills south of Modena: its bubbles and acidity clear the palate of pancetta and butter between bites.
Lambrusco
Start the Crescentine modenesi (tigelle) first: 4 hr 15 min.
Taste it there
Bologna's food with a local chef
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What Emilia-Romagna is known for
You will find these here and nowhere else.
Alberti wrapped a Franciscan church in a Roman triumphal arch for Sigismondo Malatesta, and when Sigismondo's fortunes collapsed the upper façade simply stopped.
Ferrara cures this salama in a bladder, simmers it at least four hours hanging from a wooden spoon, and serves it hot with mash.
From Lambrusco to Romagna
The wine map changes across Emilia-Romagna. Modena and Reggio Emilia introduce the Lambrusco country; Romagna brings Sangiovese and Albana, while the Piacenza hills add another local chapter. Choose one area to explore closely. Its vineyards and settlements give more meaning to a glass than a list covering the entire region.
Wines from Emilia-RomagnaAt Christmas
A Christmas lunch can begin with tortellini or Romagna’s cappelletti in broth, leaving the final pasta cooking close to serving. Cotechino with lentils offers another festive course with its own timing. Read the individual methods before choosing how many dishes to combine: the broth, filling and main course need different parts of the preparation day, even when they eventually meet at one table.
Where next
Veneto
Veneto runs from the canals of Venice to the Dolomite peaks, taking in Verona's Roman arena, Palladio's villas and the terraced Prosecco hills along the way.
In your trip
Trentino-Alto Adige
Trentino-Alto Adige is Italy at its most Alpine, where the rose-pink towers of the Dolomites rise over vineyards and apple orchards.
In your trip
