Emilia-Romagna

Between north and central Italy, Emilia-Romagna neatly crosses the entire peninsula, occupying the Po plain and the northern Apennines. The locals say A panzu pina u s’ragiona mej–‘You think best with a full belly’, and are proud that their region rivals (if not trumps) Piedmont as home of Italy’s finest cuisine, with Bologna il Grasso ('the Fat') as capital. Emilia-Romagna has a well-deserved reputation for top quality pork, cheese and pasta, notably prosciutto di Parma, mortadella, tortellini, ragù alla bolognese and Parmigiano-Reggiano. Modena is world famous for its aceto balsamico, while the Romagna side is the source of piadine.

The name Emilia, referring to the western half of the region, comes from the long straight Roman road, the Via Aemilia, constructed in 187 BC under the consul Marcus Aemilius Lepidus. Romagna is derived from Romània, the name given by the Lombards in the 6th century to the part of Italy still occupied by the Eastern Roman Empire (aka Byzantium), during the golden age of Ravenna.