The Region of Emilia Romagna officially dates to 1947 and is comprised of Romagna in the east along the Adriatic sea and Emilia in the west (where we will be) and north part with the towns of Bologna, Modena, Reggio Emilia, Parma, Ferrara and Piacenza. All of these towns with the exception of the last two were founded along the via Emilia. 

​

The history of Emilia, specifically Parma, Reggio Emilia, and Modena, is defined by the position along the ancient Roman via Aemilia which was laid out in 189 B C by Consul Marcus Aemilius Lepidus, a straight line that runs through NW to SE in the flat plain just below the Appenines from Piacenza to Rimini on the Adriatic Sea, originally with the goal of guarding the newly conquered Cisalpine Gaul (most of what is today northern Italy including both Emilia and Piemonte).

​

The whole area became a flourishing agricultural hub under the Roman Empire. After the fall of the western Roman Empire Romagna was conquered by the Byzantines while Emilia was invaded by Goths Lombards and Franks. With the struggles between the Guelfs and the Ghibellines during the medieval period Piacenza and Parma came under the influence of Milan. The Este family from Ferrara extended their power in the 13 century to Modena and Reggio Emilia. Papal power was eventually firmly established throughout and in 1545 Pope Paul III Farnese made Parma a Duchy installing his illegitimate son as Duke. With the Restoration of 1815, codified at the Congress of Vienna, the House of Este was restored in Modena and Reggio, while Maria Luigia of Austria (Napoleon's wife) became Duchess of Parma. 

​

In 1860 Parma, Modena, and Reggio voted to join the new Kingdom of Italy, breaking the old feudal dynasties. 

Today the micro-cities of Modena, Reggio and Parma are famous for combining small-town vibes with big city amenities like symphony orchestras, Michelin starred restaurants, opera and major museums formed from the collections of the noble families that ruled in the past. They turn up on lists of the most pleasant urban environments and are studied by town planners. They are prosperous, agricultural - industrial centers famous for Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, balsamic vinegar, Lambrusco wines as well as sports cars Ferrari, Maserati and Lamborghini and Ducati motorcycles.

​

The countryside is marked by agriculture, notably cows and forage for parmigiano-reggiano cheese and grapes for wines and balsamic vinegar, as well as the grand villas that are vestiges of the signori and noble families that ruled for centuries. Particularly around Parma are a series of medieval castles built for the noble families including Matilda di Canossa  (1046-1115) aka the "Grancontessa", a major landowner and fervent supporter of the Pope and the Papal States against the Holy Roman Empire. She was known as wise military leader and diplomat, able to manage complex political intrigue at the highest levels of politics mediating the truce between Emperory Henry IV and Pope Gregory VII. Matilde, who left no heirs, founded castles, churches, hospitals and notably she was involved in the great civic works project that is the Cathedral Complex of Modena, she is buried in St. Peter’s in Rome. 

​

Emilia Romagna is historically one of the most stable left-wing strongholds in Italy, the Italian Communist Party (PCI) and its successors have held power since 1945. It region is characterized by high political participation, cooperative economies, and a tradition of democratic leadership. 

​

The regional economy, with local per capita income 20% above the average for Italy, is among the in the country and set to become the motor of the national economy in 2026 [overtaking Veneto] thanks to a diversified model integrating agriculture, advanced industry [luxury automotive, farmaceuticals, textile and biotechnology] plus tourism.

​

PARMA is the second city in the region with a population of 200,000 (second to Bologna with almost 400,000). Tito Livio reports that it was founded by the Etruscans who had a strong presence in the region pre-Rome. The Roman town was founded in 183 B C. with the via Emilia as decumanus maximus while the cardo maximus was most likely today’s via Cavour. Lots were drawn and given by lottery to 2000 families. The surrounding farmland was fractioned following the regular scheme of centuriazione that the Romans used to subdivide farmland in order to assign it to its veterans: lots of 710 meters per side were separated by paths and canals as borders, in places still visible today. 

After the fall of Rome Parma was destabilized and weakened and fell to various aggressors including Attila the Hun in 452.  In the 9 century temporal power was given to bishops . At the end of the 1100s Parma had a republican constitution but from 1335 it was ruled by ducal families: Visconti, Terzi, Este and Sforza. In 1531 it became part of the Papal States and in 1545 Pope Paul III Farnese instituted the Duchy of Parma and Piacenza with his illegitimate son Pier Luigi Farnese as Duke. The house of Farnese and their heirs, the Spanish house of Bourbon, held the duchy until 1801. The 1815 Congress of Vienna gave Parma to former empress Marie Louise, wife of Napoleon. In 1859 the widow of her son Charles III was obliged to cede Parma to the King of Italy. The city was heavily bombed in WWII hence newer construction in the historic center. 

Parma's striking cathedral complex of the late 1100s includes an octagonal baptistry in red verona marlbe that shows the influence of both ancient Roman and French Gothic archetecture and the romanesque Duomo is enriched with a sculptural program designed by sculptor/ architect Antelami.

 

REGGIO NELL'EMILIA is a flourishing center of this important agricultural area. Founded as the Roman garrison Regium Lepidi it was built on the via Emilia which slices through the contemporary town, to the S of the thoroughfare Reggio retains its medieval urban plan, to the N there are broad, modern streets and open squares. After the fall of Rome the town was ruled by the Longobards and, under French control from 879, temporal power was given to bishops. Reggio was significantly influenced by the machinations of the Grancontessa Matilda of Canossa in the 1000s. From the 1400s Reggio was part of the dominions of the Esta family of Ferrara. After the French Revolution, in 1797, Reggio was a member of the short-lived Repubblica Cispadana which merged with the Repubblica Cisalpina, administrative districts founded by Napoleon which comprised parts of Piemonte, Emilia and Tuscany and which after Restoration formed the nucleus of the nation of Italy. At Reggio in 1797 the flag of the Cisalpine Republic was adopted using colors of the Milanese civic guard, it was the precursor to the modern Italian green, white and red flag aka the Tricolore, first flown on the tower in San Polo d'Enza.  ​

 

MODENA founded at the same moment as Parma to the east along the via Emilia on a site previously inhabited by Gauls and Etruscans. The medieval aspect of the city we see today is in part thanks to Countess Matilda of Canossa ( - 1115) who actively supported the building of the Cathedral as a symbol of papal authority in northern Italy contrasting the temporal authority of the Holy Roman Empire. The Cathedral is a UNESCO monument renowned for Lanfranco's architecture and Wiligelmo's sculptures, symbols of the city's devotion to its patron Saint Geminianus whose remains were translated here in 1106 the ceremony for which was attended by Pope Paschall II and Matilda, cementing the bond between Canossian political power and the Papal States. 

In 1288 the Este family gained control of the city, the Duchy of Modena was created for Borso d’Este in 1452. In circa 1500 the well-educated humanist Lucrezia Borgia, daughter of Pope Alexander VI and wife of Alfonso I d'Este, turned the duchy into a center of literature architecture music and art. Today Modena is a prosperous provincial capital, the center of Emilian foodways thanks to the craze for balsamic vinegar and thanks to the good work of Massimo Bottura and Lara Gilmore; the Galleria Estense houses major works collected by the Este family and Maserati, Ferrari, Ducati and Lamborghini are all nearby.