emilia - romagna is the heartland of central italy, a broad corridor through the hills and plains of the po valley that marks the watershed between the cold north of the alps and the hot mediterranean south.
with its rich agricultural land, historical cities and thriving industry, it is one of the most prosperous areas in italy.
most of the major towns in emilia - romagna lie near the via aemilia, a roman road built in 187 bc that linked rimini on the adriatic coast with the garrison town of piacenza.
during the middle ages pilgrims heading for rome continued to use the via aemilia.
political power ,however, passed to influential noble families - the malatesta in rimini, the bentivoglio in bologna, the d'este in ferrara and modena, and the farnese in parma and piacenza.
great courts grew up around the families, attracting poets such as dante and ariosto, as well as painters, sculptors and architects.
many of their works still grace the medieval centres of these towns.
emilia, covering the western half of the region, is traditionally associated with a more northern outlook and a tendency towards the left in politics.
romagna, with its capital at ravenna, has always turned to the south for artistic, cultural and political inspiration.
the entire region has a reputation as a great gastronomic centre.
agriculture has long thrived on the po's alluvial fringes, earning the pianura padana (po plain) epithets such as the "bread basket" and "fruit bowl" of italy.