Art & Culture

Every city in Emilia-Romagna is a happy meeting place between art and culture. From Piacenza to Rimini, these magnificent towns and cities are like jewels strung on the long necklace that is the ancient Via Emilia, the beating heart of this region.

In this unique region, visitors will find a typical Italian “ambience”, which is more than capable of combining artistic and cultural treasures with ease.

Ferrara, Modena and Ravenna are the three cities of art that conserve a number of UNESCO World Heritage sites, testaments to the history of this region and destinations to be added to the long list of must-see cultural sites that the Italian peninsula has to offer tourists. Parma is also a UNESCO creative city for gastronomy and its Baptistery has been listed by UNESCO among the sites of greatest astronomical value worldwide.

Every corner of Emilia-Romagna is pervaded by culture that often speaks of archeology: from the ancient Etruscan finds in cities like Bologna, Marzabotto and Spina, to the great ruins left behind by Ancient Roman domination.

The splendour of Byzantine art, the legacy of Romanesque architecture, the Renaissance of the Duchies and Lordships, as well as the Mannerist and Baroque periods, right up to the late 1800s, have all left their mark on this region, leaving a legacy of undisputed masterpieces in the fields of art, painting, architecture and sculpture.

Visitors will therefore find sites that are unique the world over, which conserve treasures such as the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia in Ravenna, the historic city centres of Bologna and Ferrara, the Roman heart of Rimini, the network of Castles of the Duchy of Parma and Piacenza, or those of the Conti Malatesta between Rimini and Cesena or the Castles of the Grancontessa Matilde di Canossa and the Renaissance courts along the Po in the Reggio Emilia area.

Not to mention the art collections to be found in some of the museums, such as the Pinacoteca of Bologna or the many galleries dedicated to contemporary art, such as the Mambo, the Magnani-Rocca Foundation, the Ricci Oddi collection or the Maramotti Collection, where you can discover the most innovative and modern works by contemporary and avant-garde artists.

But breathe art and culture even in the many small villages that dot the hinterland, along the paths dedicated to the master Giuseppe Verdi or film tourism and browsing among the many types of typical crafts.