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BOLOGNA, PARMA, AND THE EMILIA-ROMAGNA REGION TOUR
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OVERVIEW
Not all roads lead to Rome. The Via Emilia, which was laid out in 187 BC to connect the Adriatic port of Rimini with the garrison outpost Piacenza, offers a chance to peek into the ancient towns—Faenze, Modena, and Parma—that survived centuries of upheaval and still thrive and prosper. Emilia-Romagna's robust prosperity really comes into focus in Bologna, a sophisticated city of pulsating piazzas, leaning towers (once numbering more than 200; twenty still stand), fabulous food stores, and an 11th-century university, the oldest in Europe. Restaurants feature the regions' culinary all-stars, including Parmigiano cheese, prosciutto, and plump tortellini—a pasta whose shape is said to mimic Venus's navel.
Emilia-Romagna is one of the great gastronomic centers of Italy. Rich in produce, its school of cooking produces many notable pastas now common throughout Italy: tagliatelle and cappelletti ("little hats"). In addition, the best-known sausage of the area is mortadella. The distinctive and famous Parmigiano-Reggiano is a product of Parma and also Reggio Emilia. Zampone (stuffed pig's foot) is a specialty of Modena. Parma is also known for its ham, which in fashioned into air-cured prosciutto di Parma.
Set between Lombardy and Tuscany, and stretching from the Adriatic coast almost to the shores of the Mediterranean, Emilia-Romagna is the heartland of northern Italy. It is two provinces really: Emilia to the east and the Romagna to the west—the former Papal States, joined together after Unification. Before the papacy took charge in the area, it was a patchwork of ducal territories, ruled over by a handful of families—the Este in Ferrara and Modena, the Farnese in Piacenza and Parma, and lesser dynasties in Ravenna and Rimini—who created sparkling Renaissance courts, combining autocracy with patronage of the arts alongside a continual jockeying for power with the Church. Their castles and fortresses remain, preserved in towns with restored medieval centers.
Guests on the Bologna, Parma, and Emilia-Romagna tour will visit Bologna, food capital of Italy, and tour many of the highlights of the town. Day-trips to some of the main cities of Emilia-Romagna and nearby hill towns include Ravenna, with some of the finest Byzantine mosaics in the world, Faenza, famous for ceramic ware, and the walled town of Ferrara. In Parma we'll tour many of the incredible architectural wonders such as the Duomo in Piazza Duomo, the exquisite Battistero, and the Campanile, and visit to a dairy factory to see the production of Parmigiano-Reggiano and a tour of a prosciuttificio (ham factory) to see how Prosciutto di Parma is made.
TOUR HIGHLIGHTS
Explore Bologna's Piazza Maggiore, the great central square surrounded by Palazzo Podestà and the Basilica of San Petronio
Discover Parma, the heart of Italy's bountiful "Food Valley"
Follow a guide through the walled town of Ferrara, "City of the Renaissance"
Marvel at the Byzantine mosaics of Ravenna
Admire the Cathedral, Torre Civica and Piazza Grande of Modena, a UNESCO World Heritage site
Shop for famous faÏence ceramic ware in Faenza
Learn how the three key ingredients of Emilia cuisine, traditional balsamic vinegar of Modena, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, and Prosciutto di Parma, are made
Tour the picturesque towns and castles of Emilia-Romagna
TOUR MANAGER
Michael San Filippo, the founder and director of Cantalupo Tours To Italy, will also accompany guests on the tour. The author of Everything Learning Italian as well as co-author of The Complete Idiot's Guide to Italian History and Culture, Michael is also founder and editor of About Italian Language, the leading online destination for Italian language.
Michael studied in Italy as a graduate student and currently conducts private tutoring in Italian for students of all levels and abilities. With a Master of Arts degree in Italian Studies from the Middlebury College Italian School Abroad program, he has a thorough knowledge of all things Italian including Italian culture, history, literature, and Italian wine and cooking. Having traveled throughout il bel paese, Michael is dedicated to sharing his passion and enthusiasm for Italy with fellow travelers.
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