What changes when you cross the frontier between Emilia and Romagna? A true Emilian would reply: “Everything!”: in the former, everything revolves around meat, Parmigiano Reggiano and tortellini, whereas in Romagna, it’s all about fish, Pecorino and cappelletti. A Romagnolo might irreverently respond with the quip: “if you go to visit someone in Emilia, they offer you water. We, on the other hand, always offer our guests a glass of wine”. In reality, in an Italy characterised by bell towers and centuries-old rivalries, the real relationship between true Emilians and Romagnoli is not particularly antagonistic, quite the opposite, in fact. As Raoul Casadei, the king of liscio music (which is danced on both sides of the border), famously once said, “We rub along well together, because without their prosciutto, what would we put in our piadina?”. The time has now come to leave Bologna behind and travel along the Via Emilia to Rimini, where State Road 9 officially ends. The route is 120 kilometres long, but we will extend it by about ten kilometres to encompass some historical residences as we go. Our journey begins under the Two Towers in Bologna’s ancient centre, where the Strada Maggiore starts, leading us out of the city via the Porta San Vitale. Incidentally, Saint Vitale is particularly revered in Ravenna, making the name of this gateway highly evocative of the sea for the people of Bologna. After passing San Lazzaro di Savena, you will reach Ozzano dell’Emilia, where Villa Isolani, our first historic home, is located, just a short distance away. With its large park, this neo-classical building features six frescoed rooms in Pompeian style and is perfect for hosting private events and ceremonies. Ten minutes away, heading towards the hills, you will find Palazzo di Varignana, which has recently made a name for itself in the production of extra virgin olive oil, signalling a qualitative leap for Emilia, right on the cusp of Romagna. However, Varignana has more strings to its bow in addition to being an olive farm. The establishment also produces wine, and boasts a newly inaugurated state-of-the-art cellar, as well as maintaining vegetable gardens and orchards. The core business here is in fact hospitality, as Varignana is a fully-fledged hillside resort containing a spa, a conference centre, a fine dining restaurant, a traditional trattoria and, its latest addition, an original vintage restaurant housed inside a royal train carriage. Staying here overnight is an excellent choice for those intending to visit nearby Bologna or experience the thermal treatments at Castel San Pietro Terme and take a refreshing dip in the pool during the warmer months. Speaking of wine, the company that has been responsible for significantly raising the profile of Sangiovese and other Emilia-Romagna wines is located in this area. The Umberto Cesari winery offers guided tours and tastings and has an on-site shop. At our next stop, in Castel San Pietro, you will cross the Sillaro River, which may appear somewhat insignificant, but is in fact geographically very important, as it marks the border between Emilia and Romagna. Once over the bridge, you have officially entered Romagna, although you remain in the province of Bologna.
The first truly Romagnolo historical residence on our route, therefore, is Villa La Riniera, a 16th-century property that was further expanded two centuries later, which is surrounded by a large park with centuries-old trees and now serves as a Bed & Breakfast. Golf enthusiasts will particularly appreciate the Villa’s proximity to the Le Fonti Golf Club, besides the aforementioned thermal baths. For the next stage of the journey, you can choose between the faster A14 motorway or the far more panoramic State Road 9. From a scenic point of view, there is no real contest: the latter wins, hands down! Shortly after Toscanella di Dozza, head up to the idyllic village of Dozza, notable for its house-museum fortress and the Emilia Romagna Regional Wine Cellars, an ideal location for those passionate about delving into wine culture. Proceed on to Imola, a city which is known not only to art and history buffs, where the Rocca Sforzesca at its heart is another gem not to be missed, but also to motor enthusiasts: this is of course the home of the Formula 1 Grand Prix circuit. Keen gastronomes, meanwhile, can delight in the San Domenico Restaurant, a cornerstone in the history of Italian haute cuisine. It holds the distinction of being the longest-running ‘two-star Michelin’ restaurant, maintaining its status since 1977.
Our next destination is a haven for ceramic aficionados. The art of ceramics has been perfected over the course of many centuries in Faenza, and today the MIC International Museum of Ceramics houses and displays the world’s largest collection, with a total of 60,000 pieces. There are a number of boutiques in the centre where you can purchase exquisite, handcrafted creations, and be sure to take a gastronomic break here, too, and sample the menu at typical Faenza trattoria like La Baita, or enjoy a gourmet pizza at ‘O Fiore Mio, crafted by master pizzaiolo and leavening expert Davide Fiorentini. For dessert, the top pick is definitely Sebastiano Caridi‘s pastry shop, a branch of which also opened in Bologna a few years ago. Forlì is the next city along our parallel route of the Via Emilia, indelibly linked with its fascist-era architecture, given Mussolini’s natural affection for his hometown. However, what is not so widely known about Forlì is that it possesses a wealth of museums: the Musei di San Domenico civic museums, the Pinacoteca, Palazzo Romagnoli and the Museo del Risorgimento di Palazzo Gaddi illustrating the history of the Italian unification, to name just a few. In addition, the area surrounding the city vaunts a flourishing upholstered furniture industry, specialising in leather sofas: perfect timing, if you are considering any changes to your home furnishings in the near future…
In Forlimpopoli, be sure to check out Casa Artusi, a centre dedicated to Italian home cookery featuring a gastronomic library, cooking school and restaurant, established in the birthplace of Pellegrino Artusi, the author of Italy’s most famous cookbook.
A little further down the road is Cesena, another city of fundamental cultural importance, which features the Malatestiana Library containing nearly 380,000 volumes and is listed in UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register. While here in Cesena, we recommend you spend some time in Piazza del Popolo and, if there is a performance scheduled, the magnificent Teatro Bonci. In the vicinity are two small but perfectly formed industrial districts, which will greatly appeal to interested parties: the first is the so-called Wellness Valley, a project created to improve the quality of life and health of its residents which has developed around the leading fitness equipment company in the sector, Technogym; the second is the collection of shoe shops around San Mauro Pascoli, well worth the detour not only for the outlets of the various brands present here but also because it is the birthplace of Giovanni Pascoli, whose house-museum can be visited. As our itinerary has not included many historical residences thus far, we are going to remedy the situation by heading straight to Poggio Berni to see Palazzo del Poggiano, a 14th-century fortified building originally belonging to the Malatesta family which is now open to the public and offers accommodation in the form of two guest suites. From Poggio Berni, return in the direction of State Road 9 and call in on the village of Santarcangelo di Romagna, the site of the celebrated Castello di Santarcangelo di Romagna, built on Mons Iovis and reconstructed on ancient foundations in 1447 by Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta, Lord of Rimini and Fano, to counter new forms of military attacks. The Castle offers guided tours and private event hosting, and provides two suites, enabling guests to reserve accommodation here. The Osteria La Sangiovesa restaurant in the village will provide you with an excellent dining experience, showcasing products from their farm, Tenuta Saiano.
You are now approaching the coast as you pass Bordonchio, which is close to the beaches of Bellaria-Igea Marina and still only a stone’s throw from the hills. Castello Benelli is nestled in the countryside here. It was constructed in the 19th century by Count Pietro Spina on the foundations of an 11th-century medieval castle and was purchased by the Benelli family in 1917. Today a location for weddings and private events, tours of the Castle are also organised a couple of times a month, including the unique element of musical accompaniment during the visit.
At this point, leave Via Emilia and follow the coast along State Road 16 Adriatica. After passing Italy’s fourth oldest and extremely popular Italia in Miniatura theme park, you will drive through the picturesque Borgo di San Giuliano before entering the city of Rimini. This is the Italian capital of entertainment and beach life par excellence, where in addition you can explore ancient monuments like the Arch of Augustus, the Bridge of Tiberius and the exceptional Surgeon’s House, as well as seeing the Malatestiano Temple and paying tribute to the genius of Federico Fellini at the Fellini Museum, located in multiple sites within Rimini, including Castel Sismondo, Palazzo del Fulgor and Piazza Malatesta. The title of Fellini’s 1973 film ‘Amarcord’ is a blend of the Italian words a m’arcord meaning ‘I remember’ in the Romagnolo dialect, which has now entered the Italian lexicon to signify a nostalgic remembrance of the past. Upon returning home, everyone will thus be able to proudly proclaim: ‘Amarcord’!
