The province of Reggio Emilia is at the heart of one of the friendliest regions in Italy: Emilia-Romagna, known for the hospitality of the local people, for the quality of its welfare services and for its high standard of living. Reggio Emilia has some of the best of what Emilia-Romagna has to offer, with shifting scenery from the vast stretches of flat ground along the River Po to the Apennine mountains, soaring up over 2000 metres, so visitors are spoilt for choice when deciding where to go. So why plan a visit to the province of Reggio Emilia? Here are a few reasons.

 

 

The lands of Countess Matilda of Canossa

In 1989, the Emilia-Romagna Region passed law n°44 and officially recognised this area. It centres around the province of Reggio Emilia but also stretches into areas close to Parma, Modena and Ferrara, and is bursting with buildings and references to the history of the Canossa dynasty. A joint public-private venture called Matilde di Canossa S.p.A. was founded in 1994 to promote this special  area .

 

 

The Tuscan-Emilian Apennine National Park

The best natural wilderness in the Apennines above Reggio Emilia is part of the  Tuscan-Emilian Apennine National Park and includes areas in Tuscany on the other side of the watershed. On the side facing Reggio Emilia, the park reaches down as far as the magnificent monolith called the Pietra di Bismantova, a fantastic craggy outcrop that Dante mentions in the 4th canto of Purgatorio, a place now considered a paradise for rock climbers.

 

 

Reggio Emilia has always been a centre of political life with an innate political vocation snd this has led it to play a central role in the creation of the national Italian identity: the Tricolore, the Italian Flag, was created here on January 7th, 1797. It was first proclaimed the national flag at Reggio Emilia during a founding session of the Cispadane Republic. Next to the hall where the flag was first proclaimed (called the Sala del Tricolore, now used for Town Council meetings) a the annexed museum has an interesting display of artefacts and documents, including the manifestos of the Home Guard organised in Napoleon’s day, uniforms, arms, portraits and decorations.

 

 

The excellent food

Emilia is traditionally acknowledged as aplace where the food is outstanding: the famous  "first courses" from Reggio Emilia, the hams and salamis, the sparkling wine, traditional balsamic vinegar, the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (but also the desserts and the quick bites and snacks atthe bakers) show why this province belongs to Italy’s world-famous “food valley”.
Tourists and travellers passing through the province of Reggio Emilia should always make sure they enhance their enjoyment of the scenery and the historic monuments with a taste of some of the local specialities.

A journey into the culinary heritage of Emilia-Romagna, whose roots go back thousands of years, and the specialities found only in Reggio Emilia, can lead to a quest for dishes that are still completely unknown to the general public.

Have you ever tried mutton raised in the hills between Carpineti and Baiso? or genuine pecorino cheese from the Apennines, made with the milk of local breeds of sheep? or the ancient tradition ofchestnut and polenta: basic foodstuffs that played an important role in the past in the mountains? For “taste bud explorers”, the area of Reggio holds a lot of promises and surprises.