As a whole, the area has been highly populated since ancient times. Today, the vast majority of regional residents live on the Romagna side. Development and urbanization naturally followed the literal fruits of the Emilia-Romagna plain, which stretches north and westward along the Adriatic Sea, providing the agricultural basket of the region. In contrast, Emilia is more mountainous as the Apennine Range crosses through here. It remains to this day largely wide open, pure and spacious.
Lesser-known than the Alps, the Apennines have not entirely been discovered by hikers and cyclists. Sadly, these mountains may be most famous for the role they played in World War II. In the final months of the war, the area was a central battlefield, the Linea Gotica (Gothic Line). Gladly, to trek it now you would hardly know. Other than a few remarkably preserved foxholes and blinds still remaining as relics of the war, and a small historic museum, the ten natural and regional parks of Emilia are emblems of pure alpine paradise. For cyclists, they offer energizing climbs and exhilarating descents, all the while surrounded by lush and uncompromised forests.
Emilia’s cultural heart is its capital of Bologna, home to the oldest university in the world and known for music, art and architecture. Bologna’s portici (porticos) are equally famous. Even in the rainy season, locals boast of how they do not need to carry umbrellas. The city contains the longest continuous porticoes in the world, nearly 25 miles! Therefore, it is possible to get around without ever exposing oneself to the elements. In particular, the more than two-mile long Portico di San Luca, leading to the Sanctuary of the Madonna of San Luca, is an architectural feat barely to be believed. As you walk/hike it all the way to the basilica, you will be awestruck by the 666 arches of this Baroque arcade.
Under the Etruscans in the sixth century BC, Bologna was called Felsina and was an important urban center for the people of the Po Valley. The Celts followed, and then the Romans who linked it to Liguria and named it the Octava Regio (8th region) of the Empire. The name Emilia derives from the Via Aemilia, the Roman road connecting Rome to northern Italy, which itself was named for the Roman consul Marcus Aemilius Lepidus.
The most fascinating character of Emilian history would not make an appearance until the Middle Ages. One of the most influential women of European history, Matilde di Canossa (1046-1115) powerfully and cunningly ruled the feudal territory surrounding Bologna, brokering deals between the Holy Roman Empire and the Papacy. Later into the Middle Ages, Bologna, Piacenza, Modena and Reggio all enjoyed remarkable prosperity, in part due to their strategic appeal to powerful families such as the Farnese and Estensi. Like much of Italy, after centuries of shifting powers, the region finally united with the Kingdom of Italy in 1860.
Many Italians agree that eating in Emilia is eating at the apogee of national cuisine. As fiercely devoted as Italians are to their own regional offerings, they concur that you dine at another level when you dine in Emilia. At least part of the reason for this must be the Emiliani reputation for pleasure. Conviviality and hospitality around the table are cultural treasures here, signaling what really matters to the people: well-being and enjoying oneself. In fact, deep sensuality is woven right into the food of Emilia. For one example, legend has it that the shape of the tortellino was inspired by a woman’s naval.
Among the most swoon-worthy delicacies of Emilia are tortellini, piadina (a thin Italian flatbread orignally from Romagna area and now common in Emila as well. See recipe here), Parmigiano-Reggiano from Reggio of course, balsamic vinegar from Modena, and prosciutto crudo (air cured meats, served uncooked) and sausages (salame and coppa, for two) from Parma. All are well washed down with effervescent white and red bubbles.
In the lush forests of the Apennines, the landscape is thick with chestnuts, which locals call “bread trees” for the life-saving value they served during World War II. As farms and villages were destroyed, people had to hide and forage in the woods. These mountains are also famed for porcini mushrooms, best hunted, as they are most plentiful, in the Val di Taro (the Taro River is a tributary of the Po).
“Exquisite Emilia” is a chance to soak in (literally, in the thermal baths) the natural beauty of the Apennines, the awe-inspiring cultural and historical relics of Bologna, and to taste your way into a rich understanding of why the Italians have so much gastronomic praise for Emilia.
Ti aspettiamo! We are waiting for you!