A region of gentle hills
located between the River Po and the Appennines.
As elsewhere in the Po Basin, intensive agriculture is pursued alongside
heavy industry. The region is famed for culinary delights such as
bolognese sauce and mortadella
(a specially prepared type of sausage) from Bologna,
and Parmesan cheese and Parma ham
from Parma.
Bologna
One of the oldest cities in Italy and the site of Europe’s
oldest university Bologna is often overlooked as a tourist destination,
it nevertheless possesses a distinctive charm, due largely to the
imaginative use of brickwork. A total 45km (28 miles) of arcades
flank many of the streets, and a 3.6km- (2.3-mile) stretch leads
all the way out of town to the hilltop Basilica di San Luca.
The main square, Piazza Maggiore, is dominated
by the huge Gothic Church of San Petronio, while
on Piazza di Porta Ravegnana,
the Torre degli Asinelli and the leaning Torre
Garisenda are the only survivors of numerous towers that
were built across the city during Medieval times.
Ravenna
referred to sometimes as the Capital of Mosaics,
between the sixth and eighth centuries Ravenna
was the principal centre of Byzantine civilisation
in Italy. The city’s former importance is recorded by a profusion
of early Byzantine and Christian monuments decorated with stunning
mosaics, notably the splendid Mausoleum of Galla Placidia,
the octagonal Basilica di San Vitale, and the churches
of San Apollonare Nuovo and Sant’Apollinare
in Classe, all of which are UNESCO-listed World Heritage
Sites.
Elsewhere
Parma boasts a fine Romanesque cathedral and baptistry, and an opera
house with strong connections with Verdi, who lived
at nearby Sant’Agata. Faenza and is famed
for its majolica pottery. Other cities in Emilia-Romagna include
Modena and Ferrara, both with
many fine palaces associated with the Este family, and Reggio, the
old provincial capital. The seaside resort of Rimini
is renowned for its lively party scene, with numerous nightclubs
on the beach throughout summer. |
