Around Italy: Emilia Romagna, Italy’s Great Food Valley of Motor Legends, Medieval Cities, and Unmatched Culinary Tradition

Around Italy: Emilia Romagna, Italy’s Great Food Valley of Motor Legends, Medieval Cities, and Unmatched Culinary Tradition

Emilia Romagna stretches from the Apennines to the Adriatic and contains some of Italy’s most important cities, foods, industries, and cultural traditions. Bologna, Parma, Modena, Reggio Emilia, Ferrara, Ravenna, Rimini, and Piacenza each have distinct identities, yet together they form one of the country’s richest regions.

Bologna

Bologna is often described as La Dotta, La Rossa, and La Grassa: the learned, the red, and the fat. Its ancient university, brick architecture, political culture, and famous cuisine all remain visible today.

Piazza Maggiore and the Porticoes

Piazza Maggiore forms the civic heart of Bologna. From there, kilometers of porticoes extend through the city, protecting pedestrians from rain and summer heat and giving Bologna one of the most distinctive urban forms in Europe.

University of Bologna

The university traces its history to the Middle Ages and helped make the city one of Europe’s great intellectual centers.

Tagliatelle al Ragù

Fresh egg pasta and slowly cooked meat ragù form one of Bologna’s foundational dishes. The authentic pairing is tagliatelle rather than spaghetti. The sauce should cling to the pasta rather than drown it.

Lasagne Verdi

Traditional Bolognese lasagne often use green spinach pasta layered with ragù, béchamel, Parmigiano Reggiano, and fresh sheets of pasta.

Tortellini

Tortellini are traditionally filled with a carefully balanced mixture of pork, cured meats, Parmigiano Reggiano, and seasoning. They are classically served in rich broth.

Mortadella Bologna

True mortadella is delicate, aromatic, and finely textured, with characteristic cubes of fat. It bears little resemblance to low-quality industrial imitations.

Modena

Modena is one of Italy’s great food capitals and the heart of a world-famous automotive culture.

Traditional Balsamic Vinegar

Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale is produced from cooked grape must and aged through a series of wooden barrels over many years. It is completely different from inexpensive commercial balsamic condiment.

Motor Valley

Ferrari in Maranello, Lamborghini in Sant’Agata Bolognese, Ducati in Bologna, Pagani near Modena, and Maserati’s regional roots make Emilia Romagna one of the world’s great centers of automotive engineering.

Parmigiano Reggiano

Parmigiano Reggiano is produced within a legally defined territory and requires milk, salt, rennet, time, and extraordinary technical precision. Long aging develops granular texture, nuttiness, and deep savory complexity.

Reggio Emilia

Reggio Emilia is closely tied to Parmigiano Reggiano and to the history of the Italian tricolor. Its civic culture remains central to regional identity.

Parma

Parma combines food, music, art, and elegant urban life. It is deeply associated with Prosciutto di Parma and with the music of Giuseppe Verdi and Arturo Toscanini.

Prosciutto di Parma

The ham depends on pork, salt, climate, and careful aging. Its flavor should be delicate, clean, savory, and slightly sweet.

Culatello di Zibello

Culatello is one of the region’s most prized cured meats. The humid lowlands near the Po River play an important role in its maturation.

Ferrara

Ferrara was one of the great Renaissance court cities of Italy under the Este family. Its walls, palaces, bicycles, and planned streets give it a distinctive character.

Cappellacci di Zucca

Pumpkin-filled cappellacci combine sweetness and savory depth and are often served with butter and sage or meat ragù.

Ravenna

Ravenna became a capital of the Western Roman Empire and later a major Byzantine center. Its mosaics are among the greatest surviving works of late antiquity.

Dante

Dante Alighieri spent his final years in Ravenna, where his tomb remains today.

Romagna

Moving east, Emilia gradually becomes Romagna, with its own dialects, foods, wines, and strong local identity.

Piadina Romagnola

Piadina is a flatbread cooked on a hot surface and filled with combinations such as squacquerone, cured meats, greens, and vegetables.

Passatelli

Breadcrumbs, Parmigiano Reggiano, eggs, and aromatics are pressed into thick strands, traditionally served in broth.

Sangiovese di Romagna

Sangiovese is fundamental to Romagna and produces styles ranging from fresh and easy-drinking to structured and age-worthy.

Albana

Albana is one of Romagna’s distinctive white grapes and can produce dry, sweet, and passito wines.

Rimini

Rimini is famous for Adriatic beach culture but also preserves Roman monuments and is closely connected with filmmaker Federico Fellini.

Cesenatico

The canal harbor and historic fishing boats give Cesenatico a strong maritime identity.

Comacchio and the Po Delta

Wetlands, lagoons, canals, fishing traditions, and eel culture distinguish the northern Adriatic edge of the region.

Piacenza

Piacenza connects Emilia with Lombardia and Piemonte. Coppa, pancetta, salame piacentino, local wines, and dishes such as pisarei e fasò define its food culture.

Lambrusco

Serious Lambrusco can be dry, vibrant, savory, refreshing, and extraordinarily food-friendly. Its acidity and bubbles make it a natural match for rich Emilian cuisine.

The Via Emilia

The ancient Roman road still defines the geography of the region. Piacenza, Parma, Reggio Emilia, Modena, and Bologna form an extraordinary chain of cities along this historic corridor.

The Apennines

South of the plains rise forests, castles, villages, mushroom country, chestnut groves, and traditional mountain communities.

When to Visit

Spring and autumn are excellent for cities and food travel. Summer suits the Adriatic coast and the Apennines. Winter is ideal for broths, filled pasta, cured meats, and long meals.

What Makes Emilia Romagna Special

Few regions unite agriculture, craftsmanship, engineering, art, and gastronomy so completely. Parmigiano, prosciutto, balsamic vinegar, tortellini, Lambrusco, Ferrari, Ravenna’s mosaics, Renaissance courts, and modern industry all belong to the same territory. Emilia Romagna has mastered both tradition and innovation.

Around Italy by ZAFFERANO & CO.

Chef Gianluca