Piacenza to Bologna: western Emilia-Romagna

At the western end of the region you should visit Piacenza with its fine historical centre, and the beautiful medieval town at Castell Arquato, with its basilica and splendid castle, the Rocca Viscontea, and also visit the fine cathedral at Fidenza.

The central part of the region includes the impressive cities of Parma, Modena and Bologna. Each has its own individual characteristics and all three are recommended to visitors to Emilia-Romagna:

• Bologna has the largest medieval centre of any town in Europe: see Bologna guide
• Parma has a remarkable cathedral and historic centre: see Parma guide
• Modena has a remarkable medieval central piazza and cathedral: see Modena guide

Parma and Bologna are, of course, also highly prized for their gastronomic achievements such as Parma ham, Parmesan cheese, spaghetti bolognese...so allow time for lunch!

Other highlights in this central-western part of Emilia-Romagna include the interesting towns of Carpi and Corregio (best known for works by the Renaissance artist of the same name) and also the historical town of Mirandola, all three to the north of Modena.

Bologna to Ravenna: eastern Emilia-Romagna

Travelling east from Bologna you can see fascinating wall murals in the town of Dozza, a short distance to the south-east of Bologna. Faenza, the town famous as the home of pottery (hence 'faience') is a little further in the same direction and close to the popular village of Brisighella, famed especially for its restaurants and food markets.

The cities of Rimini and Ravenna are near the Adriatic at the east of the region and form an interesting contrast to each other: Rimini is a very popular seaside resort, while Ravenna has an astonishing number of very ancient churches and religious monuments dating from the dawn of Christianity and featuring amazing 6th century mosaics - eight buildings here are listed as UNESCO world heritage sites!

You can visit the interesting town of Cesena a short distance inland between Rimini and Ravenna, or continue south to visit the village of San Leo and its impressive castle.

Heading next towards the north-east of the Emilia-Romagna region you can discover the town of Ferrara with its stunning collection of historical buildings.

On the Adriatic coast to the east of Ferrara lies the Po Delta, with its many nature reserves and the National Park 'Parco Delta del Po', a popular place for nature watching - in particular see Comacchio.

The independent principality of San Marino is on the southern border of the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy and very popular with visitors to the coast here.