The city of Piacenza is located in the center of the region, with its piazza dei Cavalli, which owes its

The building of the Municipality of Piacenza, told The Gothic, and a view of Piazza Cavalli with the equestrian statue of the Farnese

name to the two equestrian statues of Alexander and Ranuccio Farnese. One of the most charming valleys is the Val Trebbia, where tourists can visit the medieval village of Rivalta, with its castle, surrounded by greenery, and the beautiful fourteenth-century church of San Martino. The picturesque village of Castell’Arquato, dominating the Val d’Arda with its towers, includes the Romanesque Collegiate church of Santa Maria and the imposing Palazzo del Podestà, built in the late thirteenth century.

An aerial view of the Castle of Vigoleno. It’s the area of production of a fine wine, Passito of Vigoleno (photo by Archivio fotografico Castelli del Ducato di Parma e Piacenza)

In the province of Parma, the most important wine is the Colli di Parma Doc, both in the white versions, from malvasia or sauvignon grapes and as a red blend of barbera and bonarda grapes. Excellent ham and cold meats are produced, such as the Culatello di Zibello and the Salame di Felino, to which a museum, in the castle of Felino, is dedicated. Moving east, the provinces of Reggio Emilia and Modena are the land of Lambrusco, though it would be more correct to speak of different versions of Lambrusco: the Reggiano, the Lambrusco from Modena, the Lambrusco Salamino di Santa Croce, the Lambrusco di Sorbara and the Grasparossa di Castelvetro. These territories are rich in history, art and culture. In the province of Reggio Emilia, the small town of Scandiano is worth a visit for its medieval castle. Canossa is famous for the remains of Matilde’s Castle, where Pope Gregory VII revoked Emperor Henry IV’s excommunication, in 1077. Sassuolo, near Modena, is known for its ceramics, while at Maranello, Ferrari cars are made, a symbol of smart, made in Italy products. In the Colli Bolognesi zone, the Pignoletto Doc wine is produced in the communes of Bazzano, Castello di Serravalle, Monteveglio (the site of a twelfth-century abbey), Savigno and Zola Predosa. Along the Adriatic coast, in the province of Ravenna, the Bosco Eliceo Doc wine is produced, from white and red grapes mainly grown on sandy soils.

Landscape of vineyards near Bertinoro, a land of Albana Romagna

Vineyards in the hills of Romagna

Located in the hills, stretching from Imola to Rimini, the Albana and Sangiovese di Romagna Doc zones produce the two wine symbols of Romagna, the white Albana and the red Sangiovese. According to the legend, Galla Placidia, the daughter of Emperor Theodosius, considered the wine of Romagna so precious, that it should be drunk only in a gold cup. This seems to be the origin of the name of a town symbol of Albana di Romagna, Bertinoro, in the province of Forlì Cesena. Today, the top wine of the Romagna region is the Sangiovese. It gives its name to the Wine Route, starting at Forlimpopoli, a nice town along the via.Emilia, where the new Casa Artusi can be visited: it is a museum and workshop dedicated to the memory of Pellegrino Artusi and his famous cookbook, Science in the kitchen and the art of eating well written in 1891. Not to be missed, in Romagna, the Imc - International Museum of Ceramics, in Faenza. It holds at least 35 thousand works of pottery, produced  throughout the centuries, pre-Colombian ceramics, Italian Renaissance pottery, Islamic vases and Eastern objects, refined ceramics, the best product in centuries, refined vases and oriental objects. There are three sections which celebrates the 1900s of Italy, Europe and Faenza.

Events

Historical costume parade and tournament Grazzano Visconti (photo by Provincia di Piacenza)

Grazzano Visconti, constructed at the beginning of 1900s, reflect a precise historical-artistic period: neo-gothic. The village surrounds an ancient castle, of 1395 and a church of 1200. The project belongs to Modrone Count Giuseppe Visconti, father of the famous director Luchino Visconti. His idea was constructing a medieval village with decorative references to legends and anectodes of the time. The last Sunday of May, a historical parade and a tournament on horseback is held in the village. In the race which tests the ability, the horse riders must take a ring with a long spear and put it on a targer and complete the turn to hit the snake target. In order to prolong the rounds the diameter of the ring is narrowed and the task becomes more difficult. The historical parade, with figures in period costume, recalls the festive meeting of Giovanni Anguissola e his wife Beatrice Visconti with Valentina Visconti, Madame of Asti, happened in 1389.

The Regional Enoteca of Emilia Romagna

The fortress of the Sforza Dozza, headquarters of the Regional Enoteca of Emilia Romagna

In hilltop town of Dozza, decorated with murales by Italian  and foreign artists, the wine tourist can sample the best wines of the region in the outstanding Enoteca Regionale dell’Emilia Romagna, founded in 1970. The Enoteca is located in the Rocca Sforzesca, and it hosts a permanent exhibition of more than 800 labels, from 200 producers. It organizes workshops, courses, presentations and events.

Info tel 0542.678089 www.enotecaemiliaromagna.it

Non solo vino

Production and maturation of Parma ham, one of the gastronomic excellences of Emilia (photo by Consorzio)

The Prosciutto di Parma, with the Parmigiano Reggiano, is the best known product of Emilia Romagna. It is salted pork meat, slowly matured in the fragrant air of the Parma hills. A Consortium of Producers exerts a rigid control on the requirements and prescriptions, necessary to get the “Prosciutto di Parma” trademark. The Museo del Prosciutto is located at the Foro Boario of Langhirano, in a building of 1928, where the cattle market used to take place.

Info tel 0521.864324