Italy’S the Rich River and Had Converted Expansion, Economic – a Posi- Breadbasket Proverbial the Empire’S Plain Into Today
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd Emilia-Romagna & San Marino POP 4.43 MILLION Why Go? Emilia-Romagna ........... 413 The secret’s in the mud. The roots of Emilia-Romagna’s su- Bologna ........................ 413 personic economy lie not in the mechanics of its famous Fer- West of Bologna ...........423 raris, but in its exceptionally fertile soil. Since antiquity, the East of Bologna ............436 verdant plains of the region’s Po river valley have sown enough agricultural riches to feed a nation and fi nance an unending San Marino ...................453 production line of lavish products: luxury cars, regal palazzi (mansions), fi ne Romanesque churches, prosperous towns, a sturdy industrial infrastructure, a gigantic operatic legacy Best Places to Eat (Verdi and Pavarotti, no less), and food. Ah yes, did anyone mention the food? » Hosteria Giusti (p 425 ) You can eat like a Roman emperor here, and, if you have » La Greppia (p 433 ) any appetite left, dip your toe tentatively into the places that » Drogheria della Rosa time-poor Rome-o-philes serially miss. There’s Bolshie Bo- (p 420 ) logna with its ragùù (meat and tomato sauce) and porticoes, » Osteria La Mariola (p 446 ) posh Parma with its opera and cheese, Modena and its bal- samic vinegar, the wealthy micro-nation of San Marino, and Ravenna with its mosaics. Come to Emilia-Romagna raga- Best Places to zzi (guys). Just don’t forget the mud that made it. Stay » Prendiparte B&B (p 419 ) W h e n t o G o » Hotel Centrale Byron Bologna (p 446 ) °C/°F Te m p Rainfall inches/mm 30/86 8/200 » Century Hotel (p 432 ) » Grand Hotel (p 449 ) 20/68 6/150 10/50 4/100 0/32 2/50 -10/14 0 J FDNOSAJJMAM Mar-Apr Avoid Jun-Aug Summer Sep Ideal hiking the heat on the festivals galore in conditions in Po plains and Bologna, Modena, Parco Nazionale the crowds on Ravenna and dell’Appennino Rimini’s beaches. Rimini. Tosco-Emiliano. Don’t Leave Without Trying EMILIA- 411 ROMAGNA » Ferrara Cappellacci di zucca (hat-shaped pasta stuffed EXPANDS with squash, herbs and nutmeg, sautéed with butter and sage) In August 2009 Emilia- » Bologna Tagliatelle al ragù (pasta served with a dry Romagna was offi cially meat-based sauce) expanded when, follow- ing a popular referen- » Parma Pesto di cavallo (raw minced horsemeat seasoned dum, seven communes with herbs, olive oil and Parmesan) formerly part of Le » Modena Cotechino Modena (fresh stuffed pork sausage Marche region were EMILIA-ROMAGNA & SAN MARINO MARINO SAN & EMILIA-ROMAGNA served with lentils) transferred across and » Rimini Piadina (flat bread wrap with various fillings) merged with the prov- ince of Rimini. VIA EMILIA Built by the Romans between their axis cities of Placen- Internationally tia (Piacenza) and Ariminum (Rimini), the ruler-straight Acclaimed Via Emilia quickly came to defi ne the character of the Emilia-Romagna region, and led to the birth of its four Natives most signifi cant towns: Bononia (Bologna), Regium » Giuseppe Verdi (com- (Reggio Emilia), Mutina (Modena) and Parma. The road poser) – born Le Roncole was completed in 187 BC following the subjugation of 1813 hostile Celtic tribes by the Romans, and ran for 260km » Arturo Toscanini (conduc- through the Po river valley. Within decades it had opened tor) – born Parma 1867 up Italy’s fertile northern hinterland to colonisation and » Enzo Ferrari (car economic expansion, and had converted the rich river manufacturer) – born plain into the empire’s proverbial breadbasket – a posi- Modena 1898 tion it still enjoys today. The remarkable Ponte Tiberio on the Marecchia river » Federico Fellini (film di- in Rimini is one of the few original features of the Via rector) – born Rimini 1920 Emilia still intact. » Luciano Pavarotti (opera singer) – born Modena 1935 Know Your Romanesque Resources Like all Italian regions, Emilia-Romagna exhibits a wide range of architectural genres; yet it is the early-medieval » Official tourist site (www. style of Romanesque that defi nes it the best. Romanesque emiliaromagnaturismo.it) emerged in the late 10th century and was in vogue for about » Visit Emilia-Romagna 200 years until usurped by the appearance of ‘Gothic’ in the (www.visitemiliaromagna. early 1200s. Its defi ning feature was the rounded ‘Roman’ com) arch (as opposed to the pointed Gothic arch that followed), » San Marino tourist site but it had a number of other recognisable trademarks, (www.visitsanmarino.com) including thick walls, dramatic scale, decorative ‘blind’ arcades, and simple, yet symmetrical sculpture and orna- mentation. Another adaptation in Italy was a free-standing ecclesial bell tower that stood apart from the main body of the church. Pure Romanesque isn’t always visible today in its original incarnation due to later additions by overzealous Gothic and Renaissance architects, but it can be thrillingly glimpsed in a trio of magnifi cent Emilia-Romagna cathedrals: Parma, Piacenza and Unesco-listed Modena..