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Anywhere in Emilia-Romagna, the story goes, a weary, lost traveler will be invited into a family’s home and offered a drink. But the Romagnesi claim that he’ll be served water in Emilia and wine in Romagna. The hilly, mostly rural, and largely undiscovered Romagna region has crumbling farmhouses dotting rolling hills, smoking chimneys, early Christian churches, and rowdy local bars dishing out rounds and rounds of piadine (a pita-thin bread filled with meat, cheese, vegetables, or any combination thereof, and then quickly grilled). Ravenna, the site of shimmering Byzantine mosaics, dominates the region.
Heading southeast from Bologna, Via Emilia (SS9) and the parallel A14 Autostrada lead to the town of Faenza. From here, go north to the Adriatic Coast on the SS71 to reach Ravenna. Alternatively, the slower SS16 cuts a northwest–southeast swath through Romagna.
Imola
42 km (26 miles) southeast of Bologna.
Getting Here
Imola is a straightforward train ride from Bologna; local trains run often and take a little under a half hour. If you’re coming from Milan, you can catch the Eurostar to Bologna, and then transfer to the local train. Travel time from Milan is about 2½ hours, and the walk from the station to the centro storico is easy. If you’re driving from Bologna, take the RA1 to the A14 (following signs for Ancona). Take the exit for Imola.
Visitor Information
Imola Tourism Office.
Arcade of the City Center 135 | 40026 | 0542/602111 | www.comune.imola.bo.it.
Exploring Imola
Affluent Imola, with its wide and stately avenues, lies on the border between Emilia and Romagna. It was populated as early as the Bronze Age, came under Roman rule, and was eventually annexed to the Papal States in 1504. Now it’s best known for its Formula One auto-racing tradition: the San Marino Grand Prix has been held here every spring since 1981. Auto-racing as a serious sport in Imola dates to 1953, when, with the support of Enzo Ferrari, the racetrack just outside the city center was inaugurated. However, unless you happen to pop into town in mid-April for the race, you’ll more likely find yourself in Imola shopping for its well-known ceramics or sampling the cuisine at the town’s world-famous restaurant, San Domenico.
Where to Eat in Imola
San Domenico.
$$$$ | MODERN ITALIAN | San Domenico has defended its position as one of Italy’s most refined dining destinations year after year, and heads of state, celebrities, and those with bottomless pocketbooks flock here to savor the fare. The majestic appointments complement chef Valentino Marcattili’s wondrous creations, like his memorable uovo in raviolo San Domenico, in which a large raviolo is stuffed with a raw egg
yolk—which miraculously cooks only a little, then spills out and mixes with Parmesan cheese, burro di malga (butter from an Alpine dairy farm), and sensational white truffles. The impressive wine list has more than 3,000 choices. | Average cost: €100 | Via G. Sacchi 1 | 40026 | 0542/29000 | www.sandomenico.it | Reservations essential | Closed Sun. and Mon., 1 wk in Jan., and 1 wk in Aug.
Faenza
49 km (30 miles) southeast of Bologna.
Getting Here
Trains run frequently from Bologna to Faenza, making the trip in about a half hour. There’s also sporadic service from Florence, a beautiful two-hour ride. The walk to the centro storico, though easy, isn’t especially interesting. By car it takes about an hour from Bologna. Follow the SP253 to the RA1, at which point pick up on the A14/E45 heading in the direction of Ancona. Exit and take the SP8 into Faenza.
Visitor Information
Faenza Tourism Office.
Voltore Molinella 21 | 48018 | 0546/25231 | www.prolocofaenza.it.
Exploring Faenza
In the Middle Ages Faenza was the crossroads between Emilia-Romagna and Tuscany, and the 15th century saw many Florentine artists working in town. In 1509, when the Papal States took control, Faenza became something of a backwater. It did, however, continue its 12th-century tradition of making top-quality ceramics. In the 16th century local artists created a color called bianchi di Faenza (“Faenza white”), which was wildly imitated and wildly desired all over Europe. The Frenchified faience, referring to the color and technique, soon entered the lexicon, where it remains to this day. In the central Piazza del Popolo, dozens of shops sell the native ceramic wares.
Museo delle Ceramiche.
Faenza is home to the Museo delle Ceramiche, one of the largest ceramics museums in the world. It’s a well-labeled, well-lit museum with objects from the Renaissance among its highlights. Though the emphasis is clearly on local work, the rest of Italy is also represented. Don’t miss the 20th- and 21st-century galleries, which prove that decorative arts often surpass their utile limitations and become genuinely sculptural. | Viale Baccarini
19 | 48018 | 0546/697311 | www.micfaenza.org | €6 | Apr.–Sept., Tues.–Sun. 10–7; Oct.–Mar., Tues.–Thurs. 10–1:30, Fri.–Sun. 9:30–5:30.
San Marino, a Country on a Cliff
The world’s smallest and oldest republic, as San Marino dubs itself, is surrounded entirely by Italy. It consists of three ancient castles perched on sheer cliffs rising implausibly out of the flatlands of Romagna, and a tangled knot of cobblestone streets below that are lined with tourist boutiques, cheesy hotels and restaurants, and gun shops. The 1½-hour drive from Faenza is justified, however, by the sweeping views from the castle of the countryside. The 3,300-foot-plus precipices will make jaws drop and acrophobes quiver.
San Marino was founded in the 4th century AD by a stonecutter named Marino who settled with a small community of Christians, escaping persecution by pagan emperor Diocletian. Over the millennia, largely because of the logistical nightmares associated with attacking a fortified rock, San Marino was more or less left alone by Italy’s various conquerors, and continues to this day to be an independent country (population 26,000), supported almost entirely by its 3-million-visitors-per-year tourist industry.
Tre Castelli (three castles). San Marino’s headline attractions are its tre castelli—medieval architectural wonders that appear on every coat of arms in the city. Starting in the center of town, walk a few hundred yards past the trinket shops, along a paved cliff-top ridge, from the 10th-century Rocca della Guaita to the 13th-century Rocca della Cesta (containing a museum of ancient weapons that’s worthwhile mostly for the views from its terraces and turrets), and finally to the 14th-century Rocca Montale (closed to the public), the most remote of the castles.
Every step of the way affords spectacular views of Romagna and the Adriatic—it’s said that on a clear day you can see Croatia. The walk makes for a good day’s exercise but is by no means arduous. Even if you arrive after visiting hours, it’s supremely rewarding. | 0549/882670 | www.museidistato.sm | Il Torre Guaita and il Torre Cesta €4.50 | Mid-Sept.–mid-June, daily 9–5, mid-June–mid-Sept., daily 8–8.
Piazza della Libertà.
A must-see is the Piazza della Libertà, where the Palazzo Pubblico is guarded by soldiers in green uniforms. As you’ll notice by peering into the shops along the old town’s winding streets, the republic is famous for crossbows and other items (think fireworks or firearms) that are illegal almost everywhere else.
Visiting San Marino in winter—off-season—increases the appeal of the experience, as tourist establishments shut down and you more or less have the castles to yourself. In August every inch of walkway on the rock is mobbed with sightseers.
To get to San Marino by car, take highway SS72 west from Rimini. From Borgo Maggiore, at the base of the rock, a cable car will whisk you up to the town. Alternatively, you can drive up the winding road; public parking is available in the town.
Don’t worry about changing money, showing passports, and the like (although the tourist office at Contrada del Collegio will stamp your passport for €2.50). San Marino is, for all practical purposes, Italy—except, that is, for its majestic perch, its gun laws, and its reported 99% national voter turnout rate.
Where to Eat in Faenza
Marianaza.
$ | ITALIAN | A large open-hearth fireplace dominates this simple trattoria, and wonderful aromas of grilled meats and garlic greet you as you walk in. Marianaza, like the town of Faenza itself, successfully blends the best of Emilian-Romagnan and Tuscan cuisine: the extraordinary primi are mostly tortellini-based, and the secondi rely heavily on the grill. Grilled garlic toasts topped with prosciutto crudo delightfully whet the appetite;
and the tortellini in brodo is tasty. The mixed grill is perfect for sharing. (Note that the person responsible for the grilling is a woman: a true rarity in Italy.) | Average cost: €25 | Via Torricelli 21 | 48018 | 0546/681461.
En Route: Beyond the turnoff for Bagno di Romagna taking the Via Emilia toward Rimini, you pass Savignano and a small stream outside town, the Rubicone. Cross it and you, too, have crossed the same Rubicon made famous by Julius Caesar, when in 49 BC he defied the Roman Senate by bringing his army across the river and plunging the country into civil war.
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