Emilia Romagna is the region that feeds Italy — and, by extension, the world. Parmigiano-Reggiano, Prosciutto di Parma, Mortadella di Bologna, balsamic vinegar of Modena, tagliatelle al ragu — the list of products that originated here and are now eaten everywhere is extraordinary.

Bologna is the capital — a city of medieval porticoes, excellent restaurants and a university that has been operating since 1088. The food market of the Quadrilatero, the porticoes of the Via dell'Indipendenza and the towers of the Asinelli and Garisenda are all within walking distance of each other. Bologna is one of the most rewarding cities in Italy and one of the least visited by international tourists.

Parma is the most elegant of the Emilian cities — a city of opera, Parmigiano-Reggiano and Prosciutto di Parma, with a Baptistery that is one of the masterpieces of Italian Romanesque architecture and a Camera di San Paolo with frescoes by Correggio that are among the finest in northern Italy.

Modena is the city of balsamic vinegar and Ferrari — the Acetaia Malpighi, where traditional balsamic vinegar is aged for twenty-five years in a succession of barrels, and the Ferrari Museum at Maranello are both within easy reach of the city centre. Bella Via designs Emilian itineraries that combine the food culture with the art and the architecture.

Emilia Romagna rewards those who come hungry — for food, for art and for the particular pleasure of a region that has been feeding the world for five centuries.