There’s something missing in Emilia Romagna

Emilia Romagna is 2018’s best European destination, but there’s something missing

Just half of the region is in the media spotlight but the rest is even more beautiful

So we all know Parma (which named parmesan and parma ham) and we know Modena (which is where balsamic vinegar  comes from) And we all know Bologna – the world’s capital of great food. And there it stops just halfway into Emilia Romagna. These three cities have come to define Emilia Romagna and are quickly getting overloaded with tourists and big groups of flag-led cruise passengers hurrying to snap instagrams.

But although these are three wonderful cities of art there are at least ten more in Emilia Romagna within easy reach and all of these are not only stunning but have real global histories and are free from tourism crowds (so far!).

You’ve probably never heard of Dozza but this little walled hilltop city of art even has its own Biennale. For the last half-century, every two years well-known artists have been invited to paint works of art on Dozza’s houses. You can imagine the stunning effect. Added to this, glorious Caterina Sforza’s romantic intact castle dominates the city. The castle is now used as Emilia Romagna’s official regional wine enoteca and houses thousands of wines, balsamic vinegars and other delicious local products –  and a tasting centre!

Just down the via Emilia (that gave Emilia Romagna its name) lies Imola which was recently famous as the Formula1 circuit. Now the track plays host to major motorcycle events – but the city itself is the real treasure. Another Caterina Sforza city with a massive intact castle, it is a delightful place to walk and enjoy its rich heritage of art and great restaurants.

Faenza has been ceramic-central since before the middle ages supplying Faence-ware to all the great courts of Europe. Glamorous, colourful rich ceramics made Faenza rich even to this day when there is the big European Argila ceramic event in the city. Not only is Faenza full of beautiful ceramics and artisans but it’s also full of the art and architecture, food and drink that money can buy over at least a half a millennium. Fabulous squares and palaces, delightful gardens and parks plus stunning ceramics.

Forli was a great city of art with a range of beautiful buildings, squares and parks before Mussolini was born there. Naturally when he came to power his city benefitted from a triumphal way for Il Duce to travel through to the centre of his home own. And these brutalist art deco buildings are still pretty much intact. The road leads from the massive ceremonial railway station past iconic dramatic buildings to the ceremonial square. Then it’s worth a stroll in the lovely old city with its enormous art gallery and lovely palaces.

Forlimpopoli could have been just a sleepy old town on the via Emilia with a massive fort to attest to its important past. But in 1861 the collection of states that made up the Italian peninsular became Italy. And in 1870 Pellegrino Artusi published the first all-Italy cookery book and became the ‘Father of Italian Cookery’. Of course Artusi was from Forlimpopoli and the town has become very, very important in the food world with an amazing food festival.

Another town you’ve probably never heard of is Cesena. And not only is it beautiful with maybe Italy’s most lovely piazza, but also it is full of history and art. Its massive castle rising from the main square attests to the ruling Malatesta family who, in their power and richness endowed the world’s first public library here in 1450 now of course it’s a fascinating world heritage site.

Just down the road from Cesena, you’ll find lovely slow food city Santarcangelo di Romagna dominated by its amazing castle. With its lovely,  lively cobbled streets, squares and balconies its  a scented wine-producing festival city with enormous festivals at least three times a year (including international piazza theatre festival and the 1000-year old Cuckold’s festival amongst others).

Pretty much every European of a certain age has heard of Rimini. In the 1960’s it was the biggest mass tourism destination in Europe and it still has masses of hotels, bars restaurants and nightclubs. But it has something very special too – separated from the beach resort there is a real treasure –  well away from the beach the old city is one of the most beautiful Roman and medieval  cities in Europe. Originally a Roman new city called Ariminum built at the crossroads of the via Flaminia from Rome and the via Emilia towards the west- the roman part of Rimini as beautifully set out, is eminently walkable and behind its walls is a great hoard of medieval treasures of art and architecture waiting to be discovered.

Up the coast from Rimini on the roman via Popilia lies Ravenna. Certainly one of Italy’s great cities of art and one of the world’s great repositories of history, Ravenna has no less than 9 UNESCO World Heritage sites. After the sack of Rome, Ravenna became not only capital of the Roman Empire but the effective link between east and west, north and south – between Italy and Byzantium, and the Goths and the Huns when it became a Gothic capital too. This city embodies the great art of the basilica and the glorious mosaics of eastern art. Its art and history has the power to confer great insights as it did with Lord Byron, Carl Jung, Gianni Versace, Oscar Wilde, JRR Tolkien, Sigmund Freud and Cole Porter amongst thousands of others – maybe you?

Are you a travel agent? Fancy a FAM trip to inspect beautiful hidden Romagna? Details of fall FAM program HERE.

Want to be a part of it? great food and wine of course – contact [email protected] http://www.BestofRomagna.com http://www.facebook.com/Bestofromagna

Best of Romagna is one of the Global Top100 Sustainable Destinations