If you’re looking for a easy and rewarding region in Italy to visit using public transport, there are few better recommendations than central Emilia-Romagna. All the main towns you should check out are well connected by rail. Unlike Tuscany and Umbria, where the countryside is a major attraction, I feel you’re not missing out too much without a car. That’s not to say of that there aren’t beautiful landscapes in the region; it’s home to some wonderful national parks. However the big ticket items are to be found in the towns such as Bologna, Modena, Parma, Ferrara and Ravenna. You can’t go wrong basing yourself in any of these, although my preference is to do Ravenna as a day trip to marvel at the Byzantine mosaics.
The ubiquitous arches and bright reddish colours (especially in Bologna and Modena) make for great street photography. These two larger cities have the advantage of more accomodation and dining options as you might expect. Modena has probably the better high end eating options but you will be well fed anywhere. Emilia-Romagna’s cuisine is considered among the best in Italy, with generally more hearty and meatier fare than the rest of the country.
On my trips in 2023, I based myself in each of these Bologna, Parma and Modena. All great options. Bologna is a grand historic city with many spectacular sights (eg.Piazza Maggiore, basilica, Neptune fountain and Asinelli towers), hip university crown vibe.
Modena has always drawn motor aficionados of course but I personally find more delight in its famous aceto balsamic tradizionale. Now this is also luxury product, a world away from the generic supermarket version that most people have tasted. I suggest booking in for a tour and tasting where you can see the barrels in which these balsamic is aged in. My favourite way of indulging aged balsamic? Drizzled over vanilla ice cream or gelato.
The one I would personally pick to base myself next time round would be Parma which is chill, charming and elegant. It’s a particularly nice town for street photography and not overly touristy which of course made it appealing to me. The locals, often on vintage bikes, make their way down surprisingly wide thoroughfares which often lead towards an interesting subject in the background. And Parma has a terrific main town square, Piazza del Duomo. As the name of the piazza suggests, it is where you will find the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta, a beautiful Romanesque building and well worth visiting.
And one final tip for Emilia Romagna. Don’t go looking for spaghetti bolognese in Bologna!