Along the via Emilia, the road the Romans laid in 187 BC, runs the region the world envies at the table: Parmigiano Reggiano, Parma ham, Modena's balsamic vinegar, Bologna's tortellini. Reducing it to food would still be unfair. Ravenna holds eight UNESCO monuments glowing with the West's finest Byzantine mosaics; Bologna has the Western world's oldest university, founded in 1088, and porticoes UNESCO-listed in 2021; Ferrara keeps its Renaissance street plan drawn for the Este court.
And for those in a hurry: this is Motor Valley, home to Ferrari, Lamborghini and Ducati.
The provinces of Emilia-Romagna
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The best of Emilia-Romagna
The places worth the trip on their own, picked by our editors.
The top 7 places in Emilia-Romagna
Our editors' ranking: the area's most important places, drawn from the individual town guides. See the national rankings →
1
⛪ Churches & sanctuaries Mosaics of San Vitale and Galla Placidia
📍 Ravenna
A 5th-century cruciform chapel renowned for its starry sky dome and Ravenna's oldest early Christian glass mosaics.
2
⛪ Churches & sanctuaries Modena Cathedral and Ghirlandina
📍 Modena
Founded in 1099, this Romanesque UNESCO World Heritage site is celebrated for Wiligelmus's reliefs and its bell tower.
3
🏛️ Squares & old towns Piazza Maggiore e San Petronio
📍 Bologna
Laid out in 1200, this vast square is the civic and religious core of Bologna, dominated by the Basilica of San Petronio.