Emilia-Romagna: ART, FOOD & LANDSCAPE

• Unpack for five nights in Parma, the elegant Farnese capital that comes alive during the annual Festival Verdi

• Discover Modena’s refinements, from Romanesque sculpture to balsamic vinegar and Ferrari

• Appreciate the so-called ‘Castles of the Duchy’, the medieval fortified keeps and villages now set amongst vine-covered hills from Torrechiara to Castell’Arquato

• Enjoy superlative cuisine, with tastings at producers of small goods and cheeses, as well as at select fine meals

• Admire fine sculpture and painting, from Fidenza’s medieval masterpieces to Correggio and Parmigianino in Parma and the excellent Fondazione Magnani Rocca

• Understand Italian music history in context, with a tour of Cremona’s Violin Museum and a day focused on the sites associated with Giuseppe Verdi

SUNDAY 20 SEPTEMBER 2026 – ARRIVE PARMA (D)
Our tour commences at two pick-up points in Bologna: firstly, we meet the coach at 2.30pm at Bologna Centrale railway station; secondly, there is the option to meet the coach at 3.00pm at Bologna international airport, timed to coincide with the arrival of the Emirates flight from Dubai. Contact us to discuss the best option for your travel plans. After meeting at either of these two locations, the group continues by coach to Parma. After checking in and time to settle into our rooms, we meet for an orientation stroll with Dr Kathleen Olive in central Parma. Afterwards, we enjoy dinner together in a local restaurant. Overnight Parma.

MONDAY 21 SEPTEMBER – PAINTING IN PARMA (B)
We begin the day with a talk in our hotel, before meeting a local guide for a walking tour in central Parma. From the Middle Ages, a distinctive style of art emerged in this region, which became known for innovative Romanesque sculpture and, later, for extensive and highly-coloured fresco cycles. We see fine examples of both artforms in the baptistery and cathedral. We continue with our guide to the church of San Giovanni Evangelista which, like the cathedral, demonstrates a sixteenth-century revolution in painting led by local artist Correggio. His dramatic use of light effects and colour to control mood foreshadow the work of Caravaggio and led to the development of an important local school. We see one of the finest examples of his work in the afternoon, at the Camera di San Paolo. Circa 1529, an aristocratic abbess commissioned Correggio to decorate a room in her private apartments with an extraordinary cycle of trompe-l’oeil frescoes. Afterwards, the afternoon is at leisure, with Kathleen on hand to make suggestions. Schedules permitting, we attend a performance tonight at the highly-regarded Verdi Festival. Overnight Parma.

TUESDAY 22 SEPTEMBER – TORRECHIARA CASTLE & PROSCIUTTO (B, L)
Perched on a hill above a strategic road outside Parma, Torrechiara Castle is an impressive fifteenth-century fortification that was also the bolt-hole for a mistress of military commander Count Pier Maria II de’ Rossi’. Beautifully preserved, its towers dominate the countryside and a number of rooms retain their Renaissance decorations. The most celebrated is the Camera d’Oro (or golden bedchamber), with a brightly-coloured fresco cycle on a chivalric theme by artist Benedetto Bembo. After our guided tour, we continue to a nearby salumificio that proudly produces one of the Parma region’s best-known gastronomic products: Prosciutto. We enjoy lunch as well as a tasting, before continuing in the afternoon to the Fondazione Magnani Rocca. This private art gallery showcases a collection of works by late nineteenth and early twentieth-century artists, from Renoir to Morandi. There is a small number of historic works, equally exquisite. Returning to Parma, the evening is at leisure.

WEDNESDAY 23 SEPTEMBER – THE FARNESE DUKES (B)
The ancient feudal family of the Farnese enjoyed a meteoric rise in Parma, Piacenza and surrounds from the late fifteenth century, working their way up the aristocratic hierarchy, with their proclamation as dukes, but also supplying the papacy with some of its most important popes, with Paul III. The dukes concentrated their power in this region until their union with the Bourbon royal family saw them (and many of their ancient treasures) move to Naples in the eighteenth century, but Parma still preserves many masterpieces that are the direct result of Farnese patronage. We begin our day with a visit to the Palazzo della Pilotta, the sixteenth-century Farnese residence in the heart of Parma. It was almost destroyed by bombing during World War II, together with the priceless Teatro Farnese located at its core. This theatre was constructed as part of the ducal court in 1618, and is one of the earliest Italian Renaissance theatres in existence; it had to be substantially rebuilt after the war, and is once again used for performances. Also part of the Pilotta complex is the Galleria Nazionale, a fine collection of painting from this region. Its masterpieces include La Scapigliata, one of Leonardo da Vinci’s most beautiful drawings, along with representative works by north Italian artists, such as Correggio, Parmigianino, Guercino and the Carracci family. There is time to explore at your own pace, with the afternoon at leisure. Overnight Parma.

THURSDAY 24 SEPTEMBER – MODENA & FERRARA (B)
Today we take an excursion by coach to nearby Modena, a city associated in the Middle Ages and Renaissance with Ferrara’s Este family. Some of its medieval buildings are among northern Italy’s finest, including the cathedral. Its construction commenced in the eleventh century, under the great Countess Matilda of Tuscany, and its Romanesque sculptures from the workshop of Wiligelmus were as highly considered in their own time as they are today: the cathedral and its belltower now constitute a UNESCO World Heritage site. In addition to the art and architecture of Modena, we have an opportunity to sample its best-known product: balsamic vinegar, which when made traditionally in this region is awarded a protective appellation by the Italian government. Of course, Modena and surrounding villages such as Maranello are also indelibly associated today with motorsports, so after lunch at leisure we continue to the nearby Museo Enzo Ferrari for a guided tour. Of the Ferrari brand’s museums, this one concentrates on the personal story of the founder. From the humble location of his birth, this site has become a temple to Ferrari’s innovative designs and his legacy for the company and for the sport today. Returning to Parma, the evening is at leisure.

FRIDAY 25 SEPTEMBER – PARMIGIANINO IN FONTANELLATO (B, D)
We check out this morning and travel towards Fontanellato, a small town that preserves the fairytale-like castle of the Sanvitale family. As we discover on our guided tour of the Rocca di Sanvitale, this moated castle was built for defence but with time became a space for aristocratic enjoyment. Of the latter, the best surviving evidence is Parmigianino’s stunning fresco cycle on the Myth of Diana and Actaeon. Its colours still glow like jewels at the heart of the castle. After lunch, we continue to Salsomaggiore Terme. This pleasant town developed as a genteel spa town in the nineteenth century, with travellers taking its mineral waters in search of various cures. There is time for a stroll to admire Salsomaggiore’s grand buildings in the Liberty Style – Italy’s answer to the Art Nouveau – before we enjoy dinner together. Overnight Salsomaggiore Terme.

SATURDAY 26 SEPTEMBER – THE CASTLES OF THE DUCHY (B, L)
In Italy, cultural travellers head to the Emilia-Romagna region to enjoy its gastronomy and its association with local music history – but also to explore the hill towns associated with the so-called Castelli del Ducato. Less known to international visitors, these well-preserved castles, fortresses and villas were built amongst rolling hills by the medieval feudal lords of the Duchy of Parma and Piacenza. Today those same mineral-rich hills are also the site of an important local wine industry, which we enjoy along with its cultural riches. We start our day with a visit to Fidenza, a town with an ancient Roman heritage that is today celebrated for the extraordinary works of Romanesque sculpture preserved in its cathedral. Continuing to Castell’Arquato, we admire the defensive walls and towers of a village that preserves, at its heart, a fine Romanesque cathedral with a peaceful adjoining cloister. After a lunch highlighting regional specialties, we continue to nearby Vigoleno, a fortified hamlet that enjoyed strategic views over the surrounding hills – today covered with vines. There is time to visit the castle here, which despite its small size has a fascinating history. Returning to Salsomaggiore Terme, the evening is at leisure. Overnight Salsomaggiore Terme.

SUNDAY 27 SEPTEMBER – THE LANDS OF VERDI (B, L)
We check out of hotel this morning and travel north, calling in at a number of towns indelibly associated with composer Giuseppe Verdi. These so-called Terre Verdiane, or lands of Verdi, are associated with his birth, at Le Roncole, his education in nearby Busseto, and his return as an adult to a life of “a little reading; some light occupation with agriculture and horses; that’s all” at his villa in Sant’Agata. Together with a local guide, we discover the sites associated with Verdi in the area around Busseto, including this town’s bijoux opera house of Teatro Verdi. Afterwards, we continue into the fertile countryside, enjoying a lunch that showcases the rich agriculture of Emilia-Romagna. It was precisely this potential that inspired religious orders such as the Cistercians to develop large agricultural centres in local monasteries. We then visit the abbey of Chiaravalle della Colomba, a well-preserved example of Cistercian infrastructure, before continuing to Piacenza and checking in to our hotel. There is time this evening for a stroll and a drink in the pleasant town. Overnight Piacenza.

MONDAY 28 SEPTEMBER – CHEESES & A CHEEKY MUSEUM (B)
After a talk in our hotel, we take a walking tour of Piacenza. Founded as Roman military colony in the second century BCE, the town grew in the eleventh century as more power was transferred from feudal lords to a local mercantile class, its activities growing exponentially thanks to the town’s strategic location on the ancient Via Aemilia. From the twelfth century, Piacenza was a self-governing commune and the Piazza dei Cavalli in the centre of the town still boasts many buildings that bear witness to this medieval prominence, with the pink-hued cathedral – also built in this period – a fine example of the Romanesque style. After an early lunch at leisure, we meet our coach and travel into the nearby countryside. Emilia-Romagna is famous for Parmesan cheese, as we discover on a touring and tasting of a cheese producer, but much less-discussed are the byproducts of intense agricultural activity in the region. A visit to the evocatively named Museo della Merda introduces us to this environmental problem, but also to some fascinating and innovative solutions to address the imbalance. Returning to our hotel, the evening is at leisure. Overnight Piacenza.

TUESDAY 29 SEPTEMBER – CULATELLO & CREMONA (B)
Today we have a private excursion to Cremona, a pleasant town alongside the Po River that enjoys renown thanks to its prominence in the history of Italian musical instruments. A vibrant musical culture centred around the cathedral in the twelfth century had, by the sixteenth century, led to the relocation to Cremona of important music educators such as Ingegneri and Monteverdi. Instrument makers such from the Amati, Guarneri and Stradivari families also established workshops here, and their contributions are still considered foundational for the development of stringed instruments in particular, as we learn on our guided tour of the Museo del Violino. Travelling by coach to a nearby artisanal producer, we have the opportunity to enjoy lunch and to sample another important regional product. Culatello di Zibello is far less known internationally than Prosciutto, but this cured meat is made only in this area from the choicest section of the pig’s inner leg, and in quantities that see it fetch high prices. Returning to Piacenza, the evening is at leisure. Overnight Piacenza.

WEDNESDAY 30 SEPTEMBER – PAVIA & THE CERTOSA (B, D)
As we have seen throughout our tour, location on a prominent ancient road guaranteed the political and commercial success of several towns in Emilia-Romagna. We find this pattern continuing in the adjoining modern region of Lombardy, where we travel today to visit another Po River town. Meeting our local guide, we take a walking tour of central Pavia, learning the history of its growth from Roman times and from the arrival of the Ostrogoths and Lombards in the sixth century. Pavia became the capital of both their kingdoms, and then of the Franks in the eighth century. The church of San Michele Maggiore is one of the most important examples of the Lombard Romanesque style, and the basilica of San Pietro in Ciel d’Oro, another fine Romanesque church, is the resting place for St Augustine, Boethius and perhaps King Liutprand of the Lombards. The imposing Visconti Castle is a reminder of the growing power of this region from the fourteenth century. After time for lunch at leisure, we make the short journey out of Pavia to the Certosa di Pavia, a large Carthusian charterhouse that is the most impressive witness to the power of the Visconti dynasty and of their successors, the Sforza of Milan. Founded in the fourteenth century, the Certosa was expanded and embellished in the next century by Ludovico Sforza. Together with his wife Beatrice d’Este, the duke is buried in a fine Renaissance tomb. Paintings and frescoes by artists such as Perugino, Bergognone and Guercino complement Solari’s sculptures, along with the outstanding work on the cathedral’s marble façade by fifteenth-century Lombard masons. Returning to Piacenza, there is time at leisure before we meet for our farewell dinner in a local restaurant. Overnight Piacenza.

THURSDAY 01 OCTOBER – DEPARTURE (B)
We check out of our hotel this morning at 8.30am to travel by coach to Bologna Centrale railway station, where our tour arrangements conclude. Our anticipated arrival at Bologna Centrale is 11.30am, and group members departing Italy from Bologna international airport have a short journey from the railway station to the airport. Contact us for further information so that you can confidently plan your onward travel by high-speed train or by air.

NH Parma 4* Parma, 5 nights

https://www.nh-hotels.com/en/hotel/nh-parma

Primarily designed as a business hotel, this modern structure lacks character but it is conveniently located for our itinerary in and around Parma.

Villa Fiorita 4* Salsomaggiore Terme, 2 nights

https://en.hotelvillafiorita.it/  

This family-owned establishment is high on character and charm, in a well-maintained building of grand proportions that showcases the local Liberty Style architecture.

Grand Albergo Roma 4* Piacenza, 4 nights

https://www.grandealbergoroma.it/?page_id=3583&lang=en

The only hotel located inside Piacenza’s historic centre, this family-owned hotel has been recently refurbished and is proud to offer regional cuisine in both its breakfast room and well-regarded in-house restaurant.

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