Emilia-Romagna
About 50km east of Ferrara, the Abbazia di Pomposa is one of Italy’s oldest Benedictine endowments. The monk Guido d’Arezzo reputedly invented the musical…
Must-see attractions in Emilia-Romagna
Ravenna
This newer museum doubles-down on Ravenna's extraordinary history of mosaic work by chronicling 12 centuries of history, using technology and multimedia…
Modena
Behind its elegant facade, Modena's 17th-century town hall offers several historic rooms for visitors to explore; in addition to incredible frescoed…
Bologna
Built in 1238, this basilica shelters the remains of San Domenico, founder of the Dominican order. Along the right aisle, the Cappella di San Domenico…
Emilia-Romagna
The Unesco-recognised Parco del Delta del Po is a regional park encompassing one of Europe’s largest wetlands and a pair of alluring lagoons, the Valli di…
Parma
Parma's Roman Bridge originally dates to 187 BC and re-opened to the public after extensive renovations in 2018. Two of the bridge's 11 arches are now…
Museo Monumento al Deportato Politico e Razziale
Emilia-Romagna
The Palazzo dei Pio houses this museum, which documents the experience of prisoners in the nearby Fossoli Concentration Camp (which can only be visited on…
Parma
Giuseppe Stuard was a 19th-century Parmese art collector who amassed 600 years worth of epoch-defining art linking the Tuscan masters of the 1300s to…
Chiesa & Monastero di San Giovanni Evangelista
Parma
Directly behind the duomo, this abbey church is noteworthy for its 16th-century mannerist facade and Correggio's magnificent frescoed dome, which was…
Parco Nazionale dell' Appennino Tosco-Emiliano
Emilia-Romagna
Established in 2001 and made a Unesco Man and Biosphere Reserve in 2015, this 260-sq-km parcel of land straddles the border between Tuscany and Emilia…
Emilia-Romagna
Begun in 1515 and finished in the 19th century, the cathedral is an architectural cocktail, sporting a baroque facade and a neoclassical interior. The…
Parma
On the site of the ancient Roman forum, Piazza Garibaldi is Parma's cobbled hub bisected by the city's main east–west artery, Via Mazzini, and its…
Museo Nazionale Giuseppe Verdi
Emilia-Romagna
Take a trip through the rooms of this fine country mansion turned museum, which cleverly maps out the story of Verdi's life through paintings, music and…
Rimini
Occupying a large square in the centre of Rimini, these excavated remains of three Roman homes (the most prominent being the dwelling of a prosperous…
Emilia-Romagna
The Manifattura dei Marinati chronicles the town’s traditional eel-fishing industry but is perhaps most fascinating as the place where skewered eels and…
Modena
Reopened in 2015 after a three-year closure (due to earthquake damage), this delightful gallery features the Este family’s collection of northern Italian…
Ravenna
Not nearly as impressive as the Unesco site mosaics, but still worth a look for serious aficionados, these 6th-century floor mosaics from a 14-room late…
Piacenza
Dominated by Palazzo Gotico, the impressive 13th-century town hall, Piacenza's main square is named after its two baroque equestrian statues, cast by the…
Parma
Parma's favourite city park is set inside a cinematic 16th-century pentagonal fortress surrounded by an intact 10m-high wall. Restored and made into a…
Museo d'Arte della Città di Ravenna
Ravenna
Arranged in a converted 15th-century monastery abutting a public garden, Ravenna's permanent art collection is backed up by regular temporary expos. The…
Piacenza
On the northern edge of the centro storico (historic centre), this vast palace was started in 1558 but never fully completed. It now houses Piacenza's…
Parma
Housed in the 17th-century Chiesa di Santa Elisabetta is this funky modern museum that focuses on the history of music technology. Review the 'ancient'…
Chiesa di Santa Maria della Steccata
Parma
Behind the Palazzo del Governatore in the Chiesa di Santa Maria della Steccata, you’ll find some of Parmigianino’s most extraordinary work, notably the…
Bologna
Think Gothic. This dark mysterious church was one of the first in Italy to be built in the French Gothic style. Inside check out the tomb of Pope…
Parma
On the other side of the square to the duomo, in the cellars of the former bishop's palace, this museum displays statuary. Highlights include a finely…
Parma
At the Parco Ducale's southeast corner, the birthplace of Italy's greatest modern conductor, Arturo Toscanini (1867–1957), retraces his life and travels…
Bologna
This is one of Bologna's unsung gems. Inside, the magnificent 16th-century frescoes by Lorenzo Costa depicting the life and lurid death of St Cecilia and…
Rimini
Just over the Ponte di Tiberio, Rimini's old fishing quarter has been freshened up and is now a colourful patchwork of cobbled lanes, trendy trattorias,…
Reggio Emilia
The town's main art gallery holds some worthwhile Italian, Flemish and Spanish paintings, as well as a heterogeneous collection of costumes, arms,…
Ferrara
Tucked away on the ground floor of Ferrara's Palazzo dei Diamanti, this museum houses high-profile special exhibits.
Bologna
This palace was the seat of the city university from 1563 to 1805. These days its chief attraction is the fascinating 17th-century Teatro Anatomico, a…
Modena
Rising behind the cathedral is this early-13th-century 87m tower topped with a slender Gothic spire, named after Seville's famous 'Giralda' in the early…
Ravenna
Consecrated in 1749, Ravenna's baroque cathedral was built atop the remains of a much earlier church. Artefacts from the original 5th-century cathedral…
Parma
Surrounded by the formal gardens of the Parco Ducale, this palace was originally built for the Farnese family in 1561. It now serves as headquarters of…
Rimini
Also known as the Rocca Malatestiana, Rimini's classic Renaissance castle was designed by the great military leader himself, Sigismondo Malatesta…
Ferrara
Linked to the castle by an elevated passageway, the 13th-century crenellated Palazzo Municipale was the Este family home until they moved next door to the…
Ravenna
Ravenna's new city museum, located in an 1899 sugar-extraction plant just down the road from Basilica di Sant'Apollinare in Classe, welcomes you with its…
Ravenna
Historically and architecturally distinct from Ravenna's other Unesco sites (there are no mosaics here), this two-storey mausoleum was built in 520 for…
Bologna
Basilica di San Petronio's new (and temporary) 54m-high panoramic terrace – reached from an entrance behind the basilica – doesn't hold a candle to the…
Bologna
Avant-gardes, atheists and people who've had their fill of dark religious art can seek solace in one of Bologna's newer museums (opened 2007), housed in a…
