Emilia Romagna in Northern Italy is the region of the river Po’ and the Apennines mountains. Some popular destinations are Bologna, Parma, Rimini, and Ravenna while the coast is one of the Summer meccas for Italians. But there are more lovely places such as Dozza and Brisighella. Read more to know their secrets.

Dozza, painted walls and much more

Surrounded by hills and proud of its Medieval past, Dozza nowadays hosts an interesting event every two years since 1965. International and local artists paint the walls of the houses so that Dozza becomes an open air art gallery. The paintings remain giving a picturesque look to the town very attractive to locals and visitors.

When walking through its narrow historical center, visit the church with an amazing work by Marco Palmezzano, dating back to the 15th century. If you want to know everything about Romagna gastronomy, the Festa delle Arzdore, held during the first week of September, is your event. Tortellini, tagliatelle and green lasagne are some of the main regional dishes. But do not forget to taste mortadella, ragú and formaggio di fossa cheese.

Brisighella in the Valley of Lamone

Founded by Maghinardo Pagani, the town is marked by the presence of three rocky promontories, each one occupied by a different monument: the Manfredian Rock, Monticino Sanctuary and the Clock Tower. Defensive buildings meet up old churches near the main street know as Via del Borgo or Via degli Asini (the Donkeys Road). Visit La Pieve di Santa Maria in Tiberiaco and La Pieve di San Giovanni in Ottavo, both churches dating back more than one thousand years, though they have been rebuilt and restored over time.
Brisighella can boast nowadays of being one of the most beautiful towns in Italy enjoying a high quality of life, attracting many tourists during the Medieval fair held at the beginning of the Summer.

Brisighella has another important product: Brisighello olive oil. This is a recognised PDO product in italy. The olive oil trees are a native variety of the area that have unique tasting notes. The olive oil has a slight pleasantly bitter taste a characteristics given by the clay soils of the area.  In the last week of November the town host the Olive oil festival, a must see for every olive oil fan.

Sangiovese wine

Both Dozza and Brisighella organize festivals dedicated to the production and distribution of their high quality wines. Sangiovese wine is the name of the red grape variety with the suggestive meaning of “the blood of Jove”. There are other types of wine in Emilia Romagna such as Lambrusco, but it is Sangiovese the flagship product for its top quality. High acidity and rustic full body are two of the main characteristics of Sangiovese wine which make it perfect to combine with typical Italian cuisine such as pasta and cured meats. But it is also good with roasts and smoked food, depending on the variety and the origin of the product.
The variety of Sangiovese grape has been planted in Italy since humanity began to live in the area. The wines produced have different features according to their origins, but they all have in common the perfect balance in acidity, tannins content and colour  Fruit components in their taste, herbal after-taste and a relatively high alcohol content are some other features of the Sangiovese wine.

If you are planning to visit Emilia Romagna, wineries in the area of Bologna can be very interesting as well as tasting the delicious wines produced in them.