PIACENZA
Travelling along the axis of the Via Emilia, the last city on the ancient Roman road you come across is also the First Born of Italy: Piacenza, in fact, on 10 May 1848 was the first city to vote by plebiscite for annexation to Piemonte and the future Kingdom of Italy.
Also in Piacenza at Palazzo Farnese, descending into the basement, you will discover the Carriage Museum, one of the most prestigious in Italy, not only for the variety of pieces but above all for their integrity.
But Piacenza is also a land of food masterpieces, a millenary journey of taste and more: Coppa Piacentina DOP, Pancetta Piacentina DOP, Salame Piacentino DOP carry with them the tradition, culture and characteristics of a territory where varieties of cured meats have always been produced that are unique at EU level. In the Tidone Valley, the municipality of Ziano Piacentino has the largest area of vineyards in Europe, hills as far as the eye can see where Gutturnio, Bonarda, Barbera, Malvasia and Ortrugo are grown.
PARMA
Another record for food and wine excellence is in the province of Parma, which is home to 8 food museums that can also be reached by bicycle, which is the preferred means of transport here. They tell stories, knowledge and flavours in an experiential journey for all tastes and senses: the Parma ham Museum in Langhirano, the Salami Museum in Felino, the Tomato and Pasta Museum at Corte di Giarola in Collecchio, the Wine Museum in Sala Baganza, to arrive at the king of cheeses, the Parmigiano Reggiano Museum in Soragna, continuing in the heart of the Bassa Parmense for the Culatello Museum in Polesine, and going up towards the mountains for the Porcini Mushroom Museum in Borgotaro.
Parma is also the Italian city where the most is spent on bubbly, which is certainly not lacking here with historical Parmesan vines such as aromatic Malvasia di Candia, Sauvignon blanc, Barbera, Bonarda, and Lambrusco.
Designed to amaze is the Teatro Farnese in the monumental complex of the Pilotta in Parma, with its wooden heart that has been beating for more than 400 years: the largest 17th-century theatre of its kind in Europe, the first with a movable stage (an ingenious system made the sets move while the stalls could be flooded to stage naval battles).
Parma also boasts another record, this time in the name of the composer Giuseppe Verdi: The Club of 27, perhaps the smallest of many associations in the world dedicated to the musician. In fact, there are only 27 members, each bearing the title of a work by the great master.
The Fontanellato countryside holds a surprise: the Labyrinth of the Masone, modelled by the flair of publisher Franco Maria Ricci. It is the largest existing labyrinth in the world, composed entirely of bamboo plants (there are about 200,000 in total), with a pathway in which to lose oneself to fantasise and reflect, alongside exhibition spaces for shows and events.
REGGIO EMILIA
The world's largest bottle of Balsamic Vinegar is in Corticella (RE) land of the Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Reggio Emilia. It was the Acetaia Terra del Tuono that created it in 2019, filling as many as 125 litres of this product of Emilian excellence.
In Reggio Emilia, on the other hand, there is an ice-cream flavour, perhaps the only one, named after a person: the Giovanna flavour, a cloud of whipped cream, almond crunch, and other ingredients whose paternity is exclusively Reggio. The ice lolly was also invented here. In the early 1960s, however, it was called Bif, taking its name from the company brand that produced them.
In July 2012, during the Miss Watermelon event in Novellara, a watermelon weighing 139.6 kg was exhibited, earning it the official record for the heaviest watermelon in the world.
Today, Reggio Emilia is among the nine European capitals of Inclusion and Diversity and was the first Italian city to receive an award. It also boasts a historical record; the city of the Tricolour, in fact the Italian national flag was born in the Emilian city on 7 January 1797.
The Romolo Valli Theatre in Reggio Emilia is the only theatre in Italy to still have its stage equipped with a pipe organ, built in 1815 by Luigi Montesanti, who was the most valuable builder in a family of organ builders.
Then there is the Rosebud in Reggio Emilia, the only municipally-owned cinema still existing in the whole of Italy, where art-house and cult films are screened in a modern, minimalist-designed auditorium.
Another record is that of being the only 'donkey-friendly' city: in agreement with the municipal administration, stimulated by the Reggio Emilia Donkey Association, donkeys, due to their educational value, slow walking and friendliness, are allowed to walk in public spaces, every day and everywhere.
Italy's largest adventure park, Cerwood, with its 10 hectares, 27 adventure trails and more than 220 games for children and adults, is located in Cervarezza, immersed in the National Park of the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines.
