Unexpected Riches – Emilia Romagna

12 day small group tour exploring the backroads of northern Italy!

23 June – 04 July 2020

7,790 AUD per person (twin share)
8,780 AUD per person (solo traveller)

This tour takes you through the back roads of Italy to discover the unexpected riches of the Emilia Romagna region. We follow the path of the ancient Roman road that leads us from Parma through to Bologna and on to the Byzantine influenced town of Ravenna, immersing ourselves in a sophisticated food culture, beautiful architecture and a wealth of art treasures.

We begin our tour in the charming small city of Parma, set alongside the river Taro, where we discover the beautiful religious precinct dominated by the duomo and baptistery, and the magnificent La Pilotta art museum. We visit the romantic castle of Torrechiara and take a day trip to Mantova to see the vast palace of the Gonzaga dukes. We continue on to Bologna, the food capital of Italy but also regarded as the political, intellectual and philosophical heart of Italy. Apart from eating exceptionally well, we wander the cities arcaded streets, explore its ancient university and discover its exceptional architectural treasures. We’ll also visit local towns, Modena the birthplace of Pavarotti, and Ferrara, home of the d’Este family and their moated palace that remains the centrepiece of the city today. From there we move on to Ravenna, the last capital of the Western arm of the Roman Empire in the fifth century, where we’ll immerse ourselves in the world famous Roman mosaics that decorate its ancient churches.

We also focus on a more general appreciation of Italian culture and history, and visit various food producers to learn about their traditional techniques and sample their produce. We engage local, expert guides to lead our excursions to many of the places we visit. 

Highlights

• The elegant city of Parma with its exquisite baptistery and duomo
• Private tours at local food producers including a Parmigiano Reggiano cheese producer and a traditional acetaia (balsamic vinegar producer)
• Seeing the University of Bologna, the oldest university in Europe, including the oldest university library in Europe and the dissecting room
• Wandering through the food markets of Bologna
• Ravenna, with its stunning UNESCO Heritage listed Byzantine mosaics
• The romantic Torrechiara castle
• Traveling in a small group (max 12 guests) for a personalised and flexible trip

Itinerary 

Day 1 – Arrival in Parma
Arrive in Parma at your leisure. We meet in the evening for an aperitivo followed by a welcome dinner.
Overnight: Parma 

Day 2 – The centre of Parma
In the morning we visit the religious centre of Parma, unusual in that it is one of the few remaining discrete groupings of religious buildings in Italian cities. The piazza mirrors the temple layout from Roman times, and contains the duomo, with its fabulous frescoed cupola by local artist Correggio, and the octagonal baptistery as well as a monastery and religious administration buildings. The afternoon is free for you to explore the sophisticated shopping streets of the city or perhaps wander along the river and through the Parco Ducale.
Overnight: Parma 

Day 3 – Torrechiara and Parma
This morning we drive out to Torrechiara through the agricultural landscape that is the heartland of Parma ham, tomato production and Parmesan cheese. The castle was built as a love nest rather than a defensive structure and is set in an exquisitely beautiful landscape among rolling hills. We have lunch at a local trattoria where we can try some of the regional specialties and then return to Parma. In the afternoon we visit the magnificent Palazzo Pilotta, a ducal palace and administrative centre that now houses an art gallery and archaeological displays as well as the Teatro Farnese, a fascinating wooden theatre that was originally built in 1618.
Overnight: Parma 

Day 4 – Mantova 
We drive to Mantova this morning to see the incredible fortified palace that was built in stages by the Gonzaga dynasty between 1500 and 1700.  The highlight of the castle is the Bridal Chamber with its extraordinarily beautiful frescoes by Mantegna.  We return to Parma in the afternoon in time for you to stretch your legs and join the locals as they indulge in a gelato and early evening stroll.
Overnight: Parma

Day 5 – Modena and an “Acetaia”
This morning we move on to Bologna, stopping along the way to visit a balsamic vinegar producer and the charming small city of Modena. Here we explore the World Heritage duomo, one of the oldest examples of a Romanesque medieval duomo in Europe. We arrive in Bologna late-afternoon, in time to settle in and get ready for a relaxed evening.
Overnight: Bologna

Day 6 – Bologna 
Today we explore the city of Bologna with a local expert guide who will introduce us to sights such as the University of Bologna, the oldest university in Europe, including the oldest university library in the world and the famous dissecting room. Leaving the university area, we stroll through the bustling streets of the market precinct.
The afternoon is free time for you to explore Bologna, perhaps to visit a museum or do some shopping.
Overnight: Bologna

Day 7 – A Parmigianno Reggiano producer
We’re in the food bowl of Italy – so today is food day. We have some excellent contacts among food producers in this area and will be visiting a Parmesan cheese manufacturer who uses the traditional Vacca Bianca, the white cows of Bologna, to produce the milk for their cheese.
Overnight: Bologna

Day 8 – Ferrara
We leave in the morning to visit the nearby small city of Ferrara, home of the notorious d’Este family. We’ll visit the moated castle, explore the dungeons,  call in to the Palazzo Schifanoia to see its frescoed murals and wander through the medieval centre of the city.
Overnight: Bologna

Day 9 – A preview of the Ravenna mosaics 
We’re on the road again today, heading for Ravenna. We stop along the way to begin our appreciation of the famous Ravenna mosaics at Sant’Apolinare in Classe once the port town for Ravenna. It has a beautiful duomo with exquisite mosaics all along the sides of the nave that will whet your appetites for the wonders that await you in Ravenna itself. We arrive in Ravenna in the afternoon in time to get out and explore the layout of the town.
Overnight: Ravenna

Day 10 – Ravenna
Ravenna has arguably the world’s most outstanding collection of Byzantine influenced mosaics. They appear in a series of ancient churches around the compact centre of the city.  Led by a local expert, we’ll visit the most significant of these sites, including the Basilica of San Vitale, which inspired Charlemagne (who visited Ravenna three times) when he built the Palatine Chapel in Aachen in Germany.
Free time in the afternoon
Overnight: Ravenna

Day 11 – Cesena and Sant’Arcangelo
We head south to Cesena this morning to visit the 1454 Malatestiana library, which is the oldest purpose-built public library containing original books in Europe. After lunch we move on to Santarcangelo di Romagna, a pretty town that is home to an ancient cloth-printing press. We arrive back to Ravenna in the late afternoon
Overnight: Ravenna

Day 12 – Farewell
We reach the end of our journey today. From Ravenna we take you to the international airport or national rail station in Bologna, or you may prefer to get a local train directly to Venice. We say farewell until next time.
Overnight: NA

“Many thanks Italian Tours for two wonderful holidays. The small group sizes naturally led to adaptability, personalisation, and inclusion. The itineraries were full of interest, and  Luca’s and Philippa’s seamless organisation , knowledge and commitment ensured an enlightening and entertaining experience of the best in authentic Italian culture, food and history. We greatly appreciated the many opportunities to dig down into local culinary traditions and foods particularly those sponsored within the Slow Food Movement, the privilege of many visits to private gardens, residences and regional food producers that are not on a beaten tourist path, and the expertise and insights of local guides for cultural and city experiences.”
Ian and Sue (2015)