EMILIA ROMAGNA: FUN & FOOD

Where

Bologna is the capital city of Emilia Romagna Region.

Back in the days this Region Emilia Romagna is a region of Northern , born out of was divided in two: Emilia and the merger of two former regions, Emilia and Romagna. It Romagna. has an area of 8,666 square miles, and about 4.4 million inhabitants, making it the 6th largest region in Italy. Weather Emilia-Romagna also has the third highest GDP per capita in Italy, and is one of the richest, most developed This city has a very humid regions in Europe. The landscape is mostly plains, though subtropical climate, with hot parts are quite hilly and mountainous. and humid summers and cool Emilia Romagna lies between the Po River to its north and winters. the Apennine Mountains to its south, creating a Mediterranean climate. To explore the abundance of natural sights, spring and summer are the best times to visit. As one of the most fertile lands in Italy, Emilia Romagna offers breathtaking views that contrast wonderfully from the mountains to the sea. Not to mention that Emilia Romagna is a breeding ground for nationally and internationally acclaimed music, cinema, and art.

TOURS AND ACTIVITIES

Cycling and Trekking: For nature lovers, Emilia Romagna is a buffet of flora and fauna to be enjoyed. There are 2 national parks, 14 regional parks, and 11 regional www.helloitalytours.com 1

Food Specialities reserves for those who want to take a deep dive into the wilderness.

Erbazzone: A spinach pie made Horseback Riding: Horseback riders can follow itineraries with fuiada pasta as the crusts, this on the Via Francigena in the areas of Piacenza and Parma, traditionally peasant food is a enjoying the many parks and following the innumerable hearty addition to any menu. Filled with a mixture of beets boiled paths sprinkled throughout the entire region. (sometimes combined with boiled spinach), egg, scallion, onion, Spa Treatments: If rest and relaxation is your way to start garlic, and Parmigiano- Reggiano, it a vacation, Emilia Romagna offers plenty of beauty and is then closed with another layer of wellness services. Several spas offer relaxation and pasta, sprinkled with lardons or rejuvenation through their therapeutic and regenerating chopped bacon, and pricked with a fork. treatments. Salsomaggiore, Tabiano, Bagno di Romagna, Tortellini and Tortelloni: Tortellini Castrocaro, and Porretta are only some of the places that are ring-shaped pasta, sometimes are best-known for their facilities. also described as “navel shaped”, hence their alternative name of “belly button” (ombelico). They are PLACES TO VISIT typically stuffed with a mix of meat (pork loin, prosciutto) or cheese, and served in broth, either beef, Bologna: As the capital of Emilia Romagna, Bologna is a chicken, or both, as well as many diverse city offering commerce, culture, art, and cuisine, traditional pasta sauces. Tortelloni and in part college town with a rather alternative flair. on the other hand, are larger and Main characteristic of the city are its porticoes that reach typically made with ricotta and a total length of about 23 miles, thus rendering Bologna herbs, and usually served either the city with the most arcades in the world. Some of the with ragù or with melted butter and sage leaves. main attractions to see, include the Basilica di San Mortadella: Is a large Italian Petronio, one of the most beautiful churches in Italy, sausage or cold cut meat made Piazza del Nettuno, attached to the Piazza Maggiore on its from finely hashed or ground, heat- northwest, which exhibits the Fountain of Neptune by cured pork sausage, and at least Giambologna, and finally, if you’re feeling particularly 15% small cubes of pork fat. It is energetic, climb the 498 steps of the Asinelli Tower and flavored with spices, including enjoy the views from the top. black pepper, myrtle berries, nutmeg, pistachios, and jalapeños and/or olives. : Residing within a region of traditions, passion Piadina: Piadina or Piada is a thin for good cooking, and cars, the Province of Modena, Italian flatbread, usually made with centered in the heart of the region, offers a variety of white flour, lard or olive oil, salt, and natural, artistic, and architectural sites to see. The water. Romanesque Cathedral, located in Piazza Grande, is Gutturnio: Gutturnio is a DOC certified wine that blends from one unlike other cathedrals in Italy, in that it is completely of Italy’s classic red-grape varieties, constructed with white marble. Combined with the Piazza Barbera, and the lesser-known and Ghirlandina Tower, they are one of the 48 UNESCO Croatina to create a relatively soft, World Heritage Sites of Italy. well-rounded red wine with cherry- Exploring Via Emilia, you will find the Palazzo dei Musei like aromas. that houses the most important cultural institutes of the city, such as the Lapidary Museum, the Estense Library and Gallery, the Civic Museums, the Municipal Historic

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Archive. SPECIAL EVENTS : Lagoon settlements and valleys, pinewoods and seaside resorts along the Fires of Spring and Festival of the Sepia: coast, and cities rich in art allow for Fiera di San Guiseppe e Sagra della Seppia itineraries of great interest. Ferrera has broad (Fires of Spring and Festival of the Sepia) is streets and numerous palaces dating from held in the town of Pinarella on the beaches the 14th and 15th centuries, when it hosted of Cervia. This festival is an annual traditional the court of the . For its beauty celebration called a Focarina, which and cultural importance it has been deemed celebrates the burning of the winter months a UNESCO World Heritage Site.” The City of into spring. Bon fires are built, and the Ferrara is a refined experience of festival ensues, accompanied by singing, architecture and of its works of art, great music shows, animation, and traditional expressions of the medieval and renaissance markets. At night fireworks are sent up over period. Here you can visit the Piazza della the sea. Repubblica, the 14th Castello Estense, and the Romanesque 12th century Cathedral of Ferrara Buskers Festival: Held in Ferrara in San Giorgio, which houses works of art such August, this event, dedicated to the ‘art of as the ancient panels of the Organo, the 13th the road,’ draws almost a million onlookers. century panels from the Porta dei Mesi, as The name Buskers refers to street- well as ancient tapestries and paintings. performers: music, theater, dance, juggling, to name just a few. They come from around the world, and donate their time and their talents in the name of their art.

White Truffle Fair of Sant’Agatha Feltria: Gastronomes form far and wide flock to this event to savor the exceptional tastes of the white truffle. Fiera del Tartufo Bianco di Sant’Agatha Feltria (White Truffle Fair of Sant’Agatha Feltria) is held in October every year in the medieval town of Sant Agatha Feltria, also known as the Truffle City. The festival welcomes over 100,000 people with cultural

exhibitions, performances, entertainment, and of course, truffle tastings.

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