WITH its exquisitely preserved architectural wonders, spectacular food and wine scene and soul-stirring coastal and hilly landscapes, it is no surprise that the region of Emilia-Romagna has been a favored destination for Italians. However, it is a kind of lost region for foreign visitors.

I first visited the region in winter 2014. Traveling back there recently during summertime brought me back some sweet memories. Yet the blue sky and carefree summer lifestyle made the journey even more pleasant.

Parma

After a one-hour drive from the Bologna airport, I arrived at Palazzo dalla Rosa Prati in Parma with an elegant suite overlooking the Piazza del Duomo. The charm of Parma starts right from the architecture in the square with the Cathedral, the Baptistery, and the Bishop’s Palace. It is one of the most best-preserved medieval settings in the region — a jewel of Romanesque art.

The Baptistery to the right of the Duomo is perhaps my favorite building in Parma, showing the transition from Romanesque to early Gothic style. Built between 1196 and 1216 and designed by Benedetto Antelami, the octagonal shape creates a series of pink Verona marble facades along with four tiers of open loggias with architraved portals.

Inside, the 13-century frescos on the cupola were influenced by Byzantine iconographic models. The gallery on the eastern side is filled with sculptures depicting the 12 months and two seasons, showing the work typical of each month as an allegory of work redeemed by Christ.

In the center stands the great octagonal basin that was once filled with water for baptism by immersion. Just by sitting inside one can appreciate the delicate artworks around with your mind traveling back to a by-gone era.

The Cathedral is quite another monumental work of art. The highlight is the illusionist frescoes of the Assumption of the Virgin by Correggio in the dome of the cathedral.

It was considered “scandalous” as in the center of the cupola is Christ, who descends from the light in a pose whose plasticity was incredibly innovative and bold at the time.

Parma is one of the region’s most lovely cities, a center of gastronomic excellence and has been a long-time patron of the arts and culture. With its compact size, it’s worthy of a leisurely visit.

Just a 5-minute walk from the Piazza del Duomo, I arrived at Palazzo della Pilotta, a monumental palace hard to miss. The palace was originally built for the Farnese family between 1583 and 1622. It now houses several important museums yet the real gem inside is the Teatro Farnese showing Parma’s unbreakable bond with music. Music was once an essential part of the Farnese family.

This incredibly beautiful Italian Baroque theater officially opened in 1628 to celebrate the wedding of the son of Ranuccio I, Odoardo, and the daughter of Cosimo de’Medici. It has a U-shaped cavea that could accommodate an audience of 3,000 people with two tiers of Palladian arches around it.

In the 17th century, the stage often hosted dramatic and choreographic shows. However, the theater was hugely destroyed during World War II and rebuilt 60 years ago following the original designs. It now offers new concerts and shows as an icon of the country’s musical excellence.

The incredible bond between Parma and music continues today. Music is a big phenomenon here. The city hosts an annual celebration of the best in contemporary music, from classical and jazz to electronic and rock.

World-famous Italian architect Renzo Piano also transformed the Eridania sugar factory space into a transparent “music box,” the concert hall not far from Parma’s city center.

To better experience this lovely city, one should stroll among its lovely winding lanes filled with vintage shops, designer boutiques and some of the best restaurants offering authentic Parma cuisine.

Ferrara

Northeast of Bologna, Ferrara is the pristine pearl of the region.

Lucrezia Borgia, the femme fatale of the infamous Borgia family of the Renaissance, spent the latter part of her life in this Renaissance city at the Estense Castle. Her third husband was the Duke of Ferrara, Alfonso I d’Este.

The moated medieval castle in the center of Ferrara is a real gem. Commissioned in 1385, the brick building surrounded by a moat, drawbridges, with four towers, was built with the intention to protect Niccolo II d’Este and his family from the town’s irate citizenry.

But in the late 15th century it became the Este family’s permanent residence, embellished with roof terraces, marble balconies, the Renaissance-style courtyards and sumptuous apartments.

Although the rooms on the first floor lack the original furnishings, the magnificent ceilings and frescoes still retain the former splendor, showing the different aspects of life at Court under the rule of the Este dynasty.

The darker side is the narrow corridor and a low doorway leading on to the prisons on the lower level where the brother of Alfonso I, Giulio, was imprisoned for having led a famous conspiracy.

Climbing down some steep steps, one can reach another prison where Parisina Malatesta, the second wife of the marquis Niccolo III, was imprisoned with her lover and stepson Ugo. The two lovers were beheaded in 1425, one of the saddest stories under the rule of the Estes.

With a dramatic history and beautiful landscape, Ferrara is a World Heritage City on the UNESCO list.

During the third Renaissance addition to enlarge the city by the first Duke of Ferrara Ercole I d’Este, the city was doubled toward the north.

Ercole’s addition can be recognized the structure of what Jacob Burckhardt called “the first modern city in Europe,” an ideal city where many prestigious buildings were erected — first and foremost the Palazzo dei Diamanti.

The plan was the most important work of Biagio Rossetti. The architect applied perspective with the main aim of avoiding monotony and boredom for anyone passing through: The overall view of the streets was broken up using important crossroads with other streets and the green of the gardens peeping out from the city walls.

Rossetti’s most famous crossroad is that of “the Angels,” where the corners are marked by some of the important buildings in Ferrara and the one of the principal thoroughfares of the Renaissance, Corso Ercole d’Este, passing through.

The Palazzo dei Diamanti, which is located on the Angel crossroad, is a masterpiece by the architect and town planner, Biagio Rossetti, built from 1493 on. Obviously, it owes it name to its 8,500 diamond-shape ashlars of white-and-pink stone. The palace is now the home of Gallery of Modern Art, which hosts prestigious temporary exhibitions, and the National Picture Gallery, which houses works by important painters from the 13th to the 18th century.

Just a short distance from the crossroad of the Angels is the picturesque Piazza Ariostea, conceived by Rossetti as one of the focal points of the new part of the city. On the last Sunday in May, it hosts the Palio of Ferrara, founded in 1279, considered the oldest Palio in the world.

The Ferrara Palio horserace, resumed in 1968, is still held and it’s one of the city’s main attractions.

Palazzina Marfisa d’Este offers an extraordinary example of a lordly Renaissance palace. Built in 1559 at the request of Francesco d’Este (son of Duke Alfonso I and Lucrezia Borgia), he bequeathed it to his daughters Marfisa and Bradamante together with Palazzo Neroni-Bonacossi that he had purchased a few years earlier in 1553.

Between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, thanks to the patronage of the Lords of the House of Este who liked to be surrounded by great artists, many painters were born and bred in Ferrara whose names have remained in the history of art through their works in the various buildings and churches.

A notable school grew up in Ferrara in the late Middle Ages, the so-called “Ferrara Workshop,” with extraordinary masters such as Cosme Tura, Francesco del Cossa, Ercole de’ Roberti. Their works are to be found in museums all over the world but in Ferrara remain the superb frescos of Palazzo Schifanoia.

Rimini

I was thrilled to come back to the Riviera city of Rimini, the queen of holidays in the region: a city that means seaside, summer and vacation.

Rimini in summer is wonderful — a laid-back, pleasant mood prevailing every corner with a touch of vintage flair. This urban seaside city would make a great, authentic getaway on the Adriatic coast, or a stop along a tour of Emilia-Romagna.

Rimini’s fame as a seaside town started at the end of the 19th century and between then and the first half of the 20th century, the city started transforming itself into the ideal tourist resort, a place to spend the hot months of the Italian summer.

Over a period of 30 years in the later part of the 20th century, Rimini established itself as the place to holiday for Italians. It’s estimated that more than half the Italian population has visited Rimini at least once.

Rimini is also the hometown of the great Italian movie director Federico Fellini, who was born there in 1920, and lived in the city until the beginning of World War II.

One can still trace some of the favorite venues for the director, such as the iconic Grand Hotel that he used as the background of some of the most memorable scenes in “Amarcord” as well as the Piazzetta Teatini not far from the Malatesta Temple where the director often met his childhood friend.

In Rimini a holiday vibe and culture exist side by side.

The historic city was in the hands of the Malatesta family in the 13th century.

A glowing white basilica named for the medieval lords of the region The Tempio Malatestiano (Malatesta Temple) is considered as an emblem of the Renaissance as well as the city’s grandest monument. It was realized by artists such as Leon Battista Alberti and Piero della Francesca, for Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta, the infamous “tyrant of Rimini.” And it was the first, and one of the finest examples of the Neoclassical architecture in Europe.

Art historian Cesare Brandi wrote: “ It can claim to represent that period in its history, art and culture because it merges art and beauty, religion and history, authority and freedom, which all define the inner dimensions of Humanism and the Renaissance, which was pagan and Christian, tyrannical and libertarian, ascetic and profligate.”

Other impressive monuments still remain, including the famous 2,000-year-old Ponte di Tiberio (Tiberius’ Bridge) and Arco d’Augusto, the oldest surviving Roman triumphal archway, built in 27BC.

Another neighborhood worth checking out is Borgo San Giuliano, just across the Ponte di Tiberio. It was an ancient fishing village with medieval origins.

Strolling along its cobbled alleys one is forced to slow down and explore its lively, multi-colored vibe and charming houses embellished with flowers, artworks and graffiti. Every two years, in the first weekend of September, the Festa del Borgo San Giuliano takes place here with street theatre, music, dance, great food and fireworks.

Cesenatico

It was a short one-night stay at the seaside town Cesenatico on the coast of Romagna, located between Ravenna and Rimini. Cesenatico is an authentic Italian seaside town like an unpolished gem.

The picturesque town of Cesenatico is a popular destination for people in and beyond the region fleeing the city in the summer for its soft sandy beach stretching out towards the sea, the pleasant Canal walk, and the unparalleled seafood.

The canal that cuts through the town represents its central core.

Cesare Borgia conquered the town in 1502 and called Leonardo Da Vinci in the hope of finding a solution to the problem of sand barssilting up the harbor entrance.

An exact copy of Leonardo’s drawing can be seen in the Municipal library of Cesenatico, whereas the original is preserved in the French National Library in Paris.

The Italian writer Stefano Tura describes the Port-Canal thus: “Dozens of big and small fishing boats crowded both sides of the canal where, over the years, many bars and restaurants had opened, with terraces overlooking the harbor. Every morning around four o’clock, except during the closed season, boats turned on their engines and left, making great noise; they came back after about eight hours, to sell fish at the market.”

Cesenatico is very much alive in the summer evenings when tourists and locals mingle in the many seafood restaurants and the bars along the canal and around the town.

Where to stay in the region

• Palazzo Dalla Rosa Prati (Strada Al Duomo, 7, Parma)

At Palazzo Dalla Rosa Prati, one can wake up in the morning overlooking the Parma Duomo. The location is probably the best in the city and the palazzo itself stands out as part of the square’s wonderful Romanesque architecture. Rooms and suites are decorated with its historic elements while favoring functionality and flexibility of use. It’s TCafe on the first floor with a lovely terrace has an irresistible charm facing the main square. One can sample the typical Parma food here without doubting quality at its best.

• DuoMo Hotel (via g. bruno 28, Rimini)

The futuristic design of this boutique hotel stands in strong contrast to the surrounding Old-World charm in the center of Rimini. The interior features modern materials, bright colors and unusual shapes. Rooms are equipped with open space bathrooms and all the modern amenities provide very comfortable stay.

• Grand Hotel Da Vinci (Viale Carducci, 7, Cesenatico)

This property has a perfect beachfront location and offers all the facilities any traveller expects for their holiday. Art-Nouveau rooms are decorated a bit overly shiny but good quality in general.