Welcoming beaches, adrenaline-pumping amusement parks, and natural, green oases: Romagna embodies all this, and so much more. If you think it’s only a summer destination, you couldn’t be more wrong!
Romagna is an ideal wintertime destination, too, offering a large array of experiences: from snow sports to relaxation at the spa, from artistic marvels in museums to the excitement of car racing.
Here, then, is an inter-province itinerary to explore all these possibilities!
Located at the boundary between Romagna and Toscana and just a few kilometres from the Adriatic Sea, the evocative Parco delle Foreste Casentinesi, with its snowy expanses, offers enchanting wintertime landscapes.
The area of Campigna, a small town within the municipality of Santa Sofia, is the place to go for exciting snowshoeing outings surrounded by the majestic peaks of Monte Falco, Monte Falterona, and Monte Gabrendo.
This small village – the highest in the Bidente Valley – is immersed in one of Italy’s most precious forests. Here, a vast network of paths winding amid age-old woods is perfect for both beginners and the most experienced hikers, offering breathtaking views also for visitors with snowshoes on their feet.
For winter sport lovers, the Campigna ski resort offers both Alpine and cross-country skiing, as well as ski touring.
Romagna offers countless options for cultural experiences, especially if you like to explore castles and fortresses. One captivating example is Rocca dei Guidi di Bagno in Poggio Torriana, near Rimini – an ancient castle that holds the secrets of the legend of the young Ermelinda Malatesta, who mysteriously disappeared in 1375, never to be found.
The girl was nicknamed Azzurrina for the blue dye her mother applied to her hair in order to conceal her albino skin, and it is said that she still wanders through the castle’s halls, appearing every five years on the day of the summer solstice.
During the guided tours inside the castle, visitors can even listen to the girl’s presumed cries and footsteps, adding a touch of mystery to their experience.
For those who love wellness and relaxation, the right choice is a visit to Riolo Terme, a small spa town nestled amid the hills of Imola and Faenza, in the province of Ravenna.
Here, in addition to the evocative 14th-century fortress, you can discover the Riolo spa complex, an elegant Art Nouveau facility that offers cutting-edge healing treatments using the mineral properties of waters originating from various local springs.
At the facility’s wellness centre, you can see the benefits of thermal muds for yourself, in a setting dedicated to improving mental and physical health while guaranteeing a relaxing, regenerating experience.
The imposing Pomposa Abbey is located in the province of Ferrara, in the area of the evocative Parco del Delta del Po. This extraordinary monastic complex, its campanile soaring over the green plain, is a true oasis of history and art.
Founded as a Benedictine settlement in the 6th-7th centuries AD, the abbey saw its period of maximum splendour around 1000, becoming a thriving monastic centre devoted to a life of work and prayer.
Pomposa’s fortunes were linked above all to the figure of its abbot St. Guido, who welcomed illustrious figures of the time to the monastery, including Guido d'Arezzo, the monk who invented musical notation based on the seven-note system.
Adjacent to the abbey, the Basilica of Santa Maria is home to one of the most precious fresco cycles in the entire province, inspired by the style of Giotto, in addition to a beautiful mosaic floor inlaid with precious marble between the 6th and 7th centuries AD.
