Part 3 – Emilia: After the tour of Romagna, our journey to discover Italy continues with Emilia.

Emilia: After the tour of Romagna, our journey to discover Italy continues with Emilia.

These two areas share many cultural characteristics and traditions, but also have a distinctive soul. The region takes its name from the “Via Emilia”, the road built between 189 and 187 BC by the Roman Consul Marco Emilio Lepido to connect Rimini and Piacenza.

The historic geographical boundaries of Emilia are: at East, the rivers Sillaro and Reno which separate it from Romagna; at North, it is separated from Lombardy and Veneto by the river Po; while in the South, the two mountain ranges of the Liguarian and the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines divide Emilia from Liguria and Tuscany.

The region is well known all over the world for being the birthplace of some of the most important car and motorbike companies in Italy, and in the world. Some examples are Lamborghini, Ducati, and of course, Ferrari. It is also an amazing area to have great food and wines. In fact, Emilian gastronomy is responsible for many of the flagship dishes in Italian cuisine.

In this first post we will focus on three cities: Bologna, Ferrara, and Modena.

Bologna

Bologna is the capital of the Emilia-Romagna region. With almost 400.000 inhabitants, it is the 7th city in Italy for population. Its historic centre is beautiful, thanks also to the covered walkways which extend all over the city for more than 40 kilometres. So, even when it rains, it is possible to visit Bologna and go shopping without getting soaking wet. As it was funded by the Romans, Bologna’s central streets are based on their typical grid pattern.

We will start our tour from the central “Piazza Maggiore”, an enormous square surrounded by majestic historical palaces like Palazzo d’Accursio, venue of Bologna’s town hall and of the Salaborsa library; Palazzo dei Banchi and Palazzo del Podestà. In the square it is possible to see one of the symbols of the city, the Fontana del Tritone (Triton fountain), realized by the sculptors Zanobio Portigiani, Tommaso Laureti and Giambologna between 1563 and 1566.

The most famous and recognizable monument of the city are the “Due Torri”, two towers. Considered the symbol Bologna, these structures are the heritage of the display of their social status by the families Asinelli and Garisendi. Originally in the town there were more than 150 towers, but these are the only ones remaining until our days.

The Asinelli tower is considered the tallest medieval pending tower in Italy. Raised at the beginning of the 12th Century, it is 97,20 meters high and counts 498 steps. From the top floor it is possible to enjoy an amazing 360 degrees view of the whole city and of the typical red tiles roofs.

Around 1300 the tower was acquired by the townhall of Bologna, which converted it into a prison. During centuries, the tower was affected and damaged by various thunderstorms, until 1824 when it was equipped with a lightning rod.

In front of the Asinelli Tower, there is another fortified structure, the Garisenda Tower. Even if it was built in the same period, its size is quite smaller. Initially it was 60 meters high, but it was reduced to 48 meters because of some worrying structural damages.

Worth a visit is the San Petronio Basilica, the most important church of the city and one of the largest in Europe. It is 132 meters long, 60 meters large, and its incomplete facade reaches a height of 51 meters. The construction of San Petronio started in 1390. In its interior it was realized by the astronomer Giovanni Domenico Cassini a 66,8 meters long sundial, the biggest in Europe.

Bologna also hosts one of the oldest universities in the world. Established in 1088 AD, the “Alma Mater Studiorum” has nowadays a huge student population.

But it is now time to talk about Bologna’s gastronomy. Lasagna, tortellini with broth, tagliatelle and ragù, mortadella: there are so many delicious dishes and recipes invented or made famous by its citizens.

Let’s talk about ragù, or as it is known all over the world, “bolognese”. It is a sauce based on minced meat and tomatoes used to season different shapes of pasta and especially lasagnas. The trick to make a great ragù is to cook it for a long time, not less than one hour and a half or two hours.

Every year Bologna’s Piazza Maggiore becomes the stage of a great fair totally dedicated to chocolate and its derivatives. The Cioccoshow is held in November, and counts around 80 food stands and several hundreds of thousands of visitors.

Ferrara

With its calm atmosphere, Ferrara is a joy to visit. All the main monuments are at walking distance, or if you prefer at bicycle distance. In fact, Ferrara is known as the city of the bikes, as this is the preferred vehicle of its citizens.

The main place of worship in the city is the Saint George Cathedral. Built in the 12th Century, it is characterized by a majestic facade in white marble. At the center, is possible to see a representation of Saint George killing the dragon, and below it different scenes from the New Testament.

The next stop will be at the gigantic Trento-Trieste square, the main gathering point of Ferrara’s youngsters. Here is possible to see the Palazzo Comunale, the Town hall; the Cathedral Museum, located in the spaces of the former San Romano Church, and hosts important sculptures and paintings like the majestic Madonna of the Pomegranate by Jacopo della Quercia; and the clock tower. All these buildings are beautifully illuminated during night.

The main symbol of Ferrara is the Este Castle, or St. Michael’s castle. It is a huge square block built with red terracotta bricks, and characterized by four tall towers in the corners, protected by a deep moat. From the North-East tower, called “dei Leoni” (of the Lions), it is possible to admire an amazing panoramic view of the city.

The castle was built around 1385 by order of the ruling family of the city, the Este. The marquis Niccolò II thought a fortress was necessary after a popular uprising ended with the murder of his adviser and responsible for the tax collection, Tommaso da Tortona. It is now possible to visit the whole complex, including the apartments of the Este family, the kitchens, the prisons, a chapel and the beautiful gardens.

Also interesting is the Renaissance Diamonds Palace, which gets its name from the astonishing facade realized with more than 8.500 white with pink stripes marble blocks.

This finishing gives to the building some nice perspectives and plays of light. Its construction was decided by Sigismondo d’Este around 1493, and was designed by the architect and urbanist Biagio Rossetti.

The palace is the venue of the National art gallery, which preserves an invaluable collection of paintings, among which works by Jacopo and Giovanni Vellini, Ercole de’ Roberti, and Andrea Mantegna.

Like Bologna, also Ferrara boasts a rich and varied cuisine. During the 15th and the 16th Centuries, Ferrara was one of the most important cities in Italy and in Europe. Many writers and artists, like Boiardo, Tasso and Ariosto used to be hosted in the town. And Este’s court was famous for its abundant and luxurious feasts. Thanks to this context, Ferrara’s gastronomy could develop many interesting recipes.

Among them, there is the “Cappellacci” with pumpkin. Similar to tortellini and ravioli, the first proofs of the existence of this dish date back to 1584, when it was mentioned by Giambattista Rossetti in his recipe book. The fresh pasta gets filled with a mix of pumpkin, parmigiano reggiano, eggs, bread crumbles, salt, pepper and nutmeg.

A typical dessert from this area is the Tenerina cake. Known also as Montenegrina cake, a legend tells that it was firstly invented as a tribute to Elena Petrovich from Montenegro, spouse of the Italian king Vittorio Emanuele III. It is a delicious blaze of chocolate, with an amazing texture: the top is a bit crunchy, while the interior remains really soft and almost liquid. It is served with a sprinkle of powdered sugar or with Mascarpone cheese.

And to go with a typical Ferrara’s meal, a nice glass of Bosco Eliceo wine, with a long story. It is said that the graft of these red grades goes back to 1528, when Ercole II Duke of Este got married with the Princess Renata, daughter of the French king Louis XII. The princess brought as dowry a kind of grapes originally from the Côte d’Or, which found a perfect habitat in Ferrara’s valleys.

Modena

Let’s finish our first excursus in Emilia talking about Modena. It is the third city in the region for number of inhabitants, but maintains the pace and the attention to details of a small town. The center is a pleasure to visit by walking, as it is quite small and full of pedestrian zones.

The main square of Modena is called Piazza Grande. It hosts many important buildings, like the Town Hall from the 17th Century. From the square, it is possible to see also the top of the elegant bell tower Ghirlandina belonging to the Cathedral. Both Piazza Grande and the Cathedral have been added to the UNESCO World Heritage list of monuments in 1997.

The construction of the Cathedral, which is dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary and Saint Geminianus, started in 1099, and its initial design was entrusted to the architect Lanfranco, while the façade shows notable reliefs made by the Italian sculptor Wiligelmus. The crypt preserves the remains of Saint Geminianus, Modena’s patron saint.

The marvellous art collection once belonged to Este’s family can be admired at the Galleria Estense, in Modena’s historic center. The gallery was created in 1854 by Francesco V Asburgo-Este, and preserves among all the other pieces, many exquisite paintings from Italian and foreign artists dating back to the period from the 14th and the 18th Century. There is also a permanent display of ancient musical instruments, majolica tiles and other porcelain objects.

Fans of Formula 1 should not miss a visit to the Enzo Ferrari museum. It is entirely dedicated to the life and the work of the founder of the historic car maker, with a great exposition of classic and modern models of the supercar.

Modena is the motherland of the homonymous balsamic vinegar, a condiment nowadays known and used all over the world. It is produced with the cooked grape must, aged at least 60 days in wooden barrels. Even if it was probably used already by the Romans, its production has been documented starting from 1046 AD. It is used primarily as a dressing for salads, but also for any kind of dish from meat to fish, including fruit. There is a museum dedicated to this product, where it is possible to learn more about the history and the making of this fantastic product.

The city’s gastronomy is rich in typical dishes, likewise the rest of Emilia. Besides many different types and shapes of fresh pasta, the territory offers a variety of flat breads, used to accompany cold cuts and amazing cheeses. One of the most delicious are the fried gnocchi: not to be confused with the potato gnocchi, these are a sort of dumplings prepared with wheat flour, salt and gas water, and then fried.

Modena is also the venue of one of the best restaurants in the world. It is Osteria Francescana, owned and run by chef Massimo Bottura. Located near the church of San Francesco, the restaurant has been awarded with three Michelin stars since november 2011. Only a few years later, in 2016, the British media company William Reed Business Media put Osteria Francescana at the top of their ranking of the best restaurants in the world, the first Italian restaurant to earn this prize. The honor was repeated also in 2018.