Sport

So many activities to try in the air, on the water or on land

If your idea of a holiday involves the outdoors and lots of sport, Emilia-Romagna is the perfect destination for you.

With the sea and the mountains, there are loads of sports to play here. Besides the classics like tennis, football, swimming and fitness, which you can do anywhere, the local landscape makes many others possible.

The sprawling beaches are basically an enormous open-air gym with beach volleyball and beach tennis courts, as well as beach football pitches, all great fun to play in the summer sunshine.

Many bathing establishments have seaside gyms and offer exercise and fitness courses. There are plenty of places for those who love water sports like sailing, windsurfing, kite surfing, and scuba diving, like the beautiful blue waters around Oasi naturale del Paguro, a natural underwater oasis.

On the plains and hills, bicycles reign supreme. From excursions along the Po River to free riding and cross-country, the numerous cycle routes will lead you through nature parks and areas rich in the art, history and traditions of the Apennines.

Speed is a big deal here, as this land gave rise to some of the world’s most important motorbike manufacturers. In addition to the go-kart circuits, you can actually get down onto the regional racetracks to test drive cars and motorbikes (Misano World Circuit, Autodromo di Imola, Autodromo di Modena, Autodromo di Varano Melegari).

An extensive network of hiking and mountain biking trails (also passable with modern e-bikes rented on site), crisscross the region’s mountains and parks, passing through beech and conifer forests, rocky outcroppings and high mountain lakes.

In winter, the highest snow-covered peaks become the perfect destinations for skiing, snowboarding, snow kiting and snow shoeing in resorts like Monte Cimone or Corno alle Scale.

Let’s not forget about daredevil sports like paragliding, tarzaning and rafting or free climbing, perhaps right on the most impressive rock gym in the whole region - the Pietra di Bismantova - within the UNESCO Mab area of the Park National of the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines.

For those who prefer to relax and just enjoy the incredible views, Emilia-Romagna boasts over twenty golf courses. Or how about horse riding along one of the region’s many trails?

If you’re extremely brave and not afraid of heights, you can try skydiving at 14,000 feet to admire this beautiful region from above.