Following May’s news that renowned guidebook-publisher Lonely Planet selected Emilia Romagna to top its 2018 list of the best places to visit in Europe (see this article), today’s online newspaper ‘The Guardian’ has an article about our region of Italy.
The writer begins:
Emilia-Romagna is often overlooked by visitors, and that’s a shame because its many smaller cities are an absolute treat. And for those who enjoy building their trips around a narrative thread, there’s the Via Emilia, an ancient Roman road that connected Piacenza in the north to Rimini on the Adriatic coast
He goes on to describe some of the pleasures of these ‘many smaller cities’ – Piacenza, Parma, Modena, Bologna and finally Rimini, on the Adriatic coast.
The article is rather-oddly titled ‘All roads lead to Romagna’.
They don’t, and in any case the only ‘Romagnola’ city mentioned is Rimini, all the others being in the Emilia part of the region.
That said, Rimini IS certainly worth a visit, as is Ravenna, which is famous for its mosaics.
If I’ve lost you with all these place names, check out this illustration to see how the cities are spaced out along the Via Emilia, which runs north-west to south-east, following the northern edge of the Appenine mountain range.
The article’s comments are also worth a look (I always read the comments!) as is the same newspaper’s Bologna City Guide and this article, which summarises readers’ tips on what to do in Emilia Romagna.
One of the comments on the article mentions that it’s better to take the train rather than drive… I would totally concur.
Trains are cheap and frequent, whereas driving into medieval cities is risky – cameras spot even unwitting traffic violations and fines are sure to follow. Parking can be scarce, too!
Which reminds me, years back I wrote an article on the topic: 6 (cheap) day-trips from Bologna by train
Do ‘All roads lead to Romagna’, then?
Absolutely not.
In Emilia-Romagna, all roads lead to the state capital, its largest and most centrally-located city, BOLOGNA.
So whether we’re talking roads or, better, railway lines, that makes it the best-possible home base for any Italian course cum holiday planned for this part of Italy!
P.S.
Madrelingua is open ALL SUMMER and has air-conditioning in each classroom! It’s never too late to book your course:
