Located in Northern Italy and evolved from the joining of two historic regions: Emilia and Romagna, where the capital is Bologna. It has an area of 22,124 square kilometres and about 4.3 million inhabitants. The region is divided into nine provinces: Bologna, Ferrara, Forli-Cesena, Modena, Parma, Piacenza, Ravenna, Reggio Emilia and Rimini. Emilia-Romagna borders onto: Liguria, Piedmont, Lombardia, Veneto, Le Marche and Tuscany.
Emilia-Romagna is one of the wealthiest regions in Italy and is considered to be one of the richest and most developed regions in Europe.
Bologna, the region’s capital, is reputed to have one of Italy’s highest quality of life, with extremely modern and advanced social services. It is also home to the oldest university in the Western World. The famous Renaissance cities of Modena, Parma and Ferrara also add to the cultural wealth of the region.
Several world-famous supercar manufacturers are based in Emilia-Romagna: Ferrari, Lamborghini and Maserati as well as famous motor cycle manufacturer, Ducati.
Flavors
Among the most popular Emilia-Romagna products in the world, Parmigiano-Reggiano, Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena and Reggio Emilia and Parma ham, are peaks of absolute excellence which are flanked by excellent homemade pasta, from lasagna with cappelletti tagliatelle and tortellini.
The richness of hams and sausages goes well with the tasty Romagna piadina, to be tasted also in combination with the creamy squacquerone cheese, or with fried gnocco, accompanied by good sangiovese or lambrusco. To close this ideal menu, a taste of the Ferrarese gingerbread, a tasty donut rich in dried fruit.
For more information on the region of Emilia Romagna
A journey in discovery of the roots of this region leads in many directions – one of these paths is the art of taste. The region is known for its bold and refined cuisine, from those of the countryside of Emilia to those of the Romagna coast, via the lagoon of the Comacchio Valleys, with its famous eels.
Discovering a region means tasting the results of its traditions, from the typical Erbazzone, a quiche with spinach, or the pisarei e faso, small dumplings with beans made in the area of Piacenza, to the tortelloni, agnolotti and all types of homemade pasta enhanced by their delicious fillings, herbs and flavors.
We can stop in Bologna to try its mortadella, perhaps inside rolled or folded piadina bread. The unquestioned king of Parma, yet well-known and enjoyed all over the world, is of course Parma Ham (Prosciutto di Parma) that, together with the wonderful Grana and legendary Parmigiano cheeses.
As in all Italian regions, good wine in Emilia Romagna is a given: Gutturnio, produced in the hills of Piacenza,Trebbiano, Lambrusco, Barbera, Sauvignon and Sangiovese.
Simplicity and taste is the winning combination that makes the cuisine of this region so special and our Food & Wine of Italy tour will showcase the best this region can offer.