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Italy: Emilia Romagna

Overview

Emilia Romagna contains the provinces of Bologna (also name of the regional capital city), Ferrara, Forli, Modena, Piacenza, Parma, Ravenna, Reggio Emilia and Rimini. It’s one of the country’s largest regions with an area of 22,075 sq km (8,524 sq mi) and a population of nearly 4 million, and takes its name from the Via Aemilia, the ancient Roman road to Rome, and the Romagna, name of the former Papal State. The region has an outstanding artistic heritage dating from Etruscan, Roman, Byzantine and Renaissance times. Emila Romagna encompasses the tiny Republic of San Marino on top of Mount Titano, famous nowadays for duty-free shopping, philately and its Formula 1 grand prix race.

Situated between Lombardy and Tuscany, Emilia Romagna is a rich and fertile region with many important industries. The northern area consists of a flat and featureless wheat prairie, while in the south are the foothills of the Apennines. The country’s major river, the Po, forms a delta with the marshy area known as the Valli del Comacchio (famous for its eels) before emptying into the Adriatic. The intensely cultivated land is given over to large-scale farming, and Emilia Romagna is the country’s main producer of grain, sugar beet, soft fruit, tomatoes, grapes and rice.

The capital city of Bologna (population 400,000) is a beautiful and proud city with outstanding Renaissance architecture, covered porticos and towers. It’s known as ‘La Dotta’ (the erudite) on account of its university, which was founded in 1088 and is one of the oldest in the world. Bologna has a rich gastronomic heritage and claims the best cuisine in Italy, including pasta (tortellini, lasagne and fettuccini), mortadella, prosciutto di Parma (fine cured ham), parmesan cheese and Lambrusco wines. It’s a lively, congenial, cultivated and relatively tourist-free city, although it’s also one of Italy’s most expensive places to live. A thriving industrial area surrounds Bologna and only some 3 per cent of the region’s population is unemployed.

Parma has a Romanesque cathedral and baptistery and a charming opera house with strong connections with Verdi, who lived at nearby Sant’Agata. Modena is home to the quintessentially Italian car manufacturer, Ferrari, and is noted for its fine cuisine, exquisite Romanesque cathedral and the Este Gallery. Ferrara has a number of fine palaces associated with the Este family, and Ravenna, with its many fascinating Romanesque buildings and mosaics, is the resting place of Italy’s most famous poet, Dante, and was the ancient capital of the Western Roman Empire during its decadence under Gothic and Byzantine domination. Small towns of interest include Carpi (known for works in scagliola – imitation stone or plaster mixed with glue), Cesena (home of the Malatesta dynasty), Comacchio, Correggio, Faenza (famous for ceramics) and Mirandola. The region contains a wealth of attractive historic town centres with arcaded streets, brick palazzi, cobbled plazas and splendid cathedrals.

The wide sandy beaches along the Adriatic coastline are home to number of thriving resorts, including Cattolica, Cervia, Cesenatico, Milano Marittima, Rimini and Riccione, popular with young Italians and foreigners.

Property: Property in the region costs from €1,850 per sq m in Porto Ganbaldi to €3,400 per sq m in Riccione-Terme, although in rural areas inland prices are lower. The region doesn’t contain many derelict properties at bargain prices, as it has one of the highest standards of living in Italy, evidenced by the wealth of prestigious country properties with sky high prices (few of which are on the market). Prices in Bologna have risen by nearly 30 per cent over the last five years, i.e. below the national average.

Communications: Emilia Romagna has excellent road, rail and air links with the rest of Italy. Bologna has an international airport and is a major rail junction with good rail and road links with the north and Rome.

© Survival Books Limited 2003

“Buying a Home in Italy” 3rd Edition, David Hampshire.

Reproduced with the permission of Survival Books Limited.

Further information on this topic can be found in “Buying a Home in Italy” 3rd edition, by David Hampshire.

For extensive information about buying a property in Italy, you can purchase this book at www.survivalbooks.net

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