Why Romagna?

Because in an age of artifice it offers a sublime opportunity for travel agents to share a glorious natural experience of food and wine, culture and heartfelt hospitality

I’ve loved Italy all my life and have travelled there pretty much every year since I was a teenager.

Having spent over 50 years in the travel industry, the last 20 as a travel journalist, I’ve seen many fabulous places and experienced many extraordinary things.

And, like most people in the travel business, my motivation is to share the best of my experiences with my family and friends, clients and readers.

Nothing, however prepared me for my first visit to Ravenna on the 21st March 2012. Even the date was important – I was later to find out that it was the day that Tonino Guerra died. Federico Fellini’s friend and co-operator – poet, scriptwriter artist and ‘Renaissance Man’ idolized by the local population, Tonino Guerra, died at the age of 92 after an extraordinarily full life.

Anyway, after having wanted to visit Ravenna for at least 30 years, I was finally there. Certainly the UNESCO world heritage city with its breathtaking mosaics, ex Roman Imperial capital, Byzantine European outpost and Gothic Imperial capital  – did not disappoint me. It is truly amazing. But Ravenna did something even more for me too, much more, it opened a door into a place that I’d honestly never heard of before – the ancient region of Romagna of which Tonino Guerra was the arch ambassador and evangelist.

His Romagna legacy – whole worlds of art and poetry and film, history and design, worlds of characters and events, happenings and stories, castles and robber barons,  worlds of great cheeses, gardens of forgotten fruits, meats and sausages and hams, and pastas, great meals washed down with great wines and great stories were to enchant me, as was Tonino.

When I started exploring Romagna in 2012 I had no idea what I was getting into. That year for every step I made yet another door opened on yet another treasure chest of delights – it was truly mesmerising and truly heartbreaking.

I realised very quickly that Romagna represented an experience that nowadays is quite unique – a natural place, with a mind of its own, largely unspoiled by international tourism, but in Italy – possibly the world’s greatest treasury of culture  – a sophisticated and stylish major western economy. It deserved to have a very very special showcase.

So, I decided to investigate further and, towards the end of the year, I realised that Romagna could offer a very special, and very fulfilling experience to visitors.

By the end of 2012 the Best of Romagna was born to offer experiences of this incredible destination through the travel trade .I started work in earnest  and, with a bunch of local friends and co-operators I began a search for the good and beautiful in Romagna – the aspects that make Romagna the very special place it is.

Every day became a new visit and a wonderfully enlightening new experience.

We searched for the best of truly local food and wine, the best of castles, the best restaurants and lodgings and vineyards, the best of art and architecture, design and fashion, the best of artisans, the best cookery school, the best festivals – above all, the best of hospitality.

Because one thing that makes Romagna very, very special place in this day and age is its depth of real heartwarming hospitality, so whatever you’re doing, wherever you are, you can always expect old-fashioned courtesy, kindness and care.

Here, I believe as a visitor you can feel totally relaxed in the knowledge that you are not just another tourist as you may be in many places here you are indeed a treasured guest.

Now I am more than ever sure that Romagna is a very special place. It really offers a sublime opportunity to enjoy a glorious natural experience in an age of artifice.

And after four years of intensive (and unbelievably enjoyable) research we have used all these ‘bests’ to create visitor experiences that others can enjoy.

During that time we’ve written three fascinating magazines with stories about Romagna, shared visits with dozens of US and European travel agents (who adored Romagna!), created a website with special offers, and helped Romagna to become one of the World’s Top 100 Sustainable Destinations.

Why not find out more about this truly unique and fun-filled place? If you’re an interested travel agent, why not participate in a FAM experience details HERE.

Download a free magazine and more HERE

Read more about Romagna HERE  and HERE

Valere Tjolle