There is a road that runs across the top of Italy, from the Adriatic coast to the foothills of the Apennines, and for much of its length it passes through the most extraordinary concentration of food, culture, and engineering passion on earth. This is the Via Emilia — the Roman road that gave its name to the region — and driving it today still feels like a journey through the essence of Italian civilisation.
Emilia-Romagna is not a region that shouts for attention. It does not have the postcard coastlines of Amalfi or the iconic skylines of Tuscany. What it has is deeper: the greatest food culture in Italy (which means the greatest in the world), a string of medieval and Renaissance cities that are among the most liveable and most beautiful on the peninsula, and a concentration of automotive genius — Ferrari, Lamborghini, Maserati, Ducati — that has made these hills famous in garages from Tokyo to São Paulo.
Bologna is the capital, and it is one of the great Italian cities that most international visitors still underestimate. La Rossa (the Red, for its terracotta rooftops), La Grassa (the Fat, for its food), La Dotta (the Learned, for its university, the oldest in the Western world) — Bologna has more nicknames than any city deserves and lives up to all of them. Its medieval porticoes — over forty kilometres of covered walkways, now a UNESCO World Heritage site — give the city a character unlike anywhere else in Italy.
Modena has its cathedral, its Este palaces, its extraordinary Acetaia — the lofts where traditional balsamic vinegar ages for twelve to twenty-five years in a sequence of barrels. Parma has its opera house, its ham, its Parmigiano Reggiano, and a sense of elegance that makes it feel like a smaller, quieter Milan. Ravenna has the finest Byzantine mosaics in the Western world, glittering gold and lapis in churches that have not changed since the sixth century.
In a stretch of countryside between Modena and Bologna, a series of small workshops and factories has produced the most celebrated sports cars and motorcycles in history. The Ferrari Museum in Maranello, the Lamborghini Museum in Sant’Agata Bolognese, the Maserati headquarters in Modena, the Ducati factory in Bologna — these are pilgrimage sites for anyone who has ever been moved by the sound of an engine. Driving through Motor Valley is a journey that speaks directly to the soul of the Italian self-drive tour.
Emilia-Romagna is Italy’s Food Valley, and the title is not hyperbole. This is where Parmigiano Reggiano is produced — the wheel that takes over a year to make and represents centuries of dairy tradition. Where Prosciutto di Parma is cured in the hills behind the city. Where traditional balsamic vinegar of Modena — the real one, aged for decades — is produced by families who have never changed the recipe. Where tortellini were invented, where tagliatelle al ragù (the original Bolognese sauce) has its home, where mortadella has been made since the Middle Ages.
Eating in Emilia-Romagna is not a tourist activity. It is a cultural experience.
Rimini and the Adriatic coast offer long sandy beaches and a vibrant summer scene that has attracted Italian holiday-makers for generations. But it is the Apennines — the mountain range that forms the southern spine of the region — that surprise most visitors. Ancient abbeys, medieval castles, chestnut forests, and hilltop villages connected by roads that are a pleasure to drive and virtually empty of tourists.
Spring and autumn are ideal for driving the Via Emilia and exploring the cities. The food is at its seasonal best, the roads are quiet, and the Apennine landscapes are extraordinary.
Summer brings the coast to life and fills the cities with festivals and outdoor events. Motor Valley is best visited outside the height of summer.
Winter is truffle season in the Apennines and the best time to eat in Bologna — the city comes alive with food markets, and the porticoes make walking in any weather a pleasure.
A self-drive tour through Emilia-Romagna follows the logic of the Via Emilia — city to city, food to food, with the Motor Valley as a detour that makes the journey unforgettable for anyone who loves cars or motorcycles. Italy Trails designs personalised self-drive tours that combine the region’s cities, food experiences, and landscapes into itineraries that feel like a genuine discovery.
Emilia-Romagna connects naturally with Tuscany to the south and the North of Italy to the west, making it a natural part of a wider Italian journey.
[IMAGE: Cibo emiliano — Parmigiano Reggiano o tortellini. Alt text: “Emilia-Romagna food Parmigiano Italy Trails”]
➤ Contact us to start planning your Emilia-Romagna self-drive tour
