Why Italy’s Emilia-Romagna beats Tuscany

The guidebooks will tell you that Emilia-Romagna is Tuscany without the crowds. It’s generally true, though at the moment – in the peak summer season and when all the world seems to be descending on Italy after years of Covid-imposed separation from la dolce vita – there’s really tourists everywhere in Italy. But yes, with a savvy itinerary, Emilia-Romagna does offer the prospect of lesser crowds than Tuscany or the Amalfi Coast while still getting all the sun, sea, sightseeing and sensationally good food that Italy is all about.

Bologna

Italy’s culinary capital, Bologna is a city in which you can eat exceedingly well. And, in part thanks to its huge student population, you can eat relatively cheaply too: the many trattorias offer hearty portions of Tagliatelle al Ragù Bolognese, stuffed tortellini and tortelloni, Lasagna al Forno, veal cutlets, stuffed puck-like pasties known as tigelle, and of course lashings of Balsamic Di Modena and Parmigiano Reggiano wherever you look.