Endless plains and mountains among the highest in Italy, in between gentle slopes that slope down to meet the waters and beaches pulsating with music and life. Emilia-Romagna is an infinite combination of things that no one would ever put side by side, yet in this region they coexist and live in harmony. Emilia-Romagna is a land of writers and poets, such as Pier Vittorio Tondelli, Tonino Guerra, and Carlo Lucarelli; yet it is also the home of motors, and within its borders lie Maranello and the Ferrari Museum, the Lamborghini Museum in Sant'Agata Bolognese, and the Panini Museum, dedicated to Maserati, in Civitanova. Emilia-Romagna is a corner of the world inhabited by warm people who are always on the move, in a constant cycle of "doing things to feel good," stopping only a few times a day: when you sit down to eat. This land is the link between North and South, and you can't pass through here without sitting at its table, enjoying the many typical specialties of each city. In Emilia-Romagna, cuisine is a philosophy of life, nestled among the beauty of churches and monuments. One of the culinary symbols is pumpkin tortello, which is served with different recipes in each city: in Ferrara, home of the Este family and a Renaissance city, pumpkin tortelli are strictly cooked with butter and sage, but just travel a few kilometers to Modena to find them in a larger version and with a sausage sauce—the maestro Pavarotti adored them. Tortelli become tortellini as you stroll through the porticoes of red Bologna, searching for the three secrets that make the city of the two towers unique. Parma, a small city with a lively atmosphere, is the home of the irresistible prosciutto crudo, which once tasted is addictive, as well as Parmigiano Reggiano, one of Italy's most iconic cheeses. Parma is also the city of the Teatro Regio, and along with Piacenza, it's a land of medieval villages and fortresses, including Bussetto, birthplace of Giuseppe Verdi. The local cuisine boasts four thousand recipes, and almost all of them could be washed down with a glass of Lambrusco—sweet, dry, yet always chilled. Before packing your suitcase, there's one last stop you absolutely must make: Ravenna, chosen as the capital of the Western Roman Empire, rich in Byzantine mosaics and draped in gold. The great poet Dante Alighieri also rests here. Now, we can truly zip up our suitcases and bid farewell to Emilia-Romagna, which isn't just a place, but a way of life.
