Emilia-Romagna

Medieval streets, byzantine mosaics, and Italy's finest culinary traditions.

Emilia-Romagna is where Italian food culture reaches its most serious expression. Parma gives its name to Parmigiano Reggiano and Prosciutto di Parma, Modena to traditional balsamic vinegar, and Bologna to a cooking tradition so rich the city is nicknamed “la grassa,” the fat one. Beyond the table, the region runs from the Po Valley’s flat farmland to the Apennine foothills, from the Byzantine mosaics of Ravenna to the Motor Valley workshops of Maranello and Sant’Agata Bolognese, where Ferrari and Lamborghini still build cars a few kilometres apart.

With Italy Explore

This itinerary is designed to inspire your journey and can be personalized to reflect your interests, with a variety of optional experiences and destinations available throughout the trip.

To ensure a more authentic and enjoyable experience, we welcome small groups of a minimum of 4 and a maximum of 12-14 participants.

Sample programme

Arrival and transfer to Bologna. Evening walk beneath the city’s porticoes, from Piazza Maggiore to the medieval towers, with dinner at a family-run trattoria in the university quarter.
Morning food walk through the Quadrilatero market district: cured meats, cheese shops, fresh pasta laboratories. Afternoon visit to a family-run tortellini and tagliatelle workshop with a hands-on pasta-making class.
Full-day excursion to Parma. Visit a Parmigiano Reggiano dairy to see the cheese made and aged, followed by a Prosciutto di Parma curing house. Free afternoon in Parma’s historic centre (Teatro Farnese, Duomo).
Morning in Modena: a traditional balsamic vinegar acetaia, tasting vinegars aged 12 to 25 years. Afternoon in the Motor Valley: guided visit to the Ferrari Museum in Maranello (Lamborghini Museum option in Sant’Agata Bolognese).
Full day in the Po Delta: boat excursion through the wetlands, birdwatching (flamingos, herons), and lunch at a valley farmhouse based on eel and local fish traditions.
Day trip to Ravenna: guided tour of the UNESCO-listed Byzantine mosaics at San Vitale, Galla Placidia and Sant’Apollinare Nuovo. Afternoon free or optional stop in the Apennine foothills.
Free morning in Bologna (San Luca sanctuary walk, or last-minute shopping) before transfer to the airport/station.

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