A game board en plein air and three pawns: Piacenza, Parma or Reggio Emilia? Just choose where to start, then the move will always be the right one: Visit Emilia takes children and young people by the hand to discover Parma, Piacenza and Reggio Emilia.
Piacenza among dragons, ancient books and a Neolithic village
One of the treasures of Palazzo Farnese at the Archaeological Museum is the liver of Piacenza belonging to a sheep at least 2,000 years old, and an Etruscan one at that.
The Trebbia Valley is a burst of energy: the newly reopened adventure park promises relaxing weekends for parents, but challenging ones for baby climbers, who test themselves among suspended walkways and zip lines.
In Travo, on the other hand, the Neolithic archaeological park has ancient stories to tell.
The Gropparello Fairy Tale Park is the right place to daydream and brush up on history. Watchword: Middle Ages. Costume games, markets of ancient professions, theme parties.
There is no game without a castle, and in the Piacenza area you will be spoilt for choice. The Rocca Visconti of Castell'Arquato, in the Arda Valley, the Mastio and Teatrino of the Vigoleno Castle in Vernasca, one of the most beautiful and smallest villages in Italy, the neo-Gothic village of Grazzano Visconti where magic tournaments dedicated to Harry Potter are organised.
Fish are the protagonists in Monticelli d'Ongina, where Serafini Island, the largest of the islands and the only inhabited one in the middle of the Po, is the site of the largest fish passage in Italy and one of the most important in Europe.
Parma, among puppets, a historical master, a safari in the woods and a lot of ... Slowness
There is a castle in Parma: it is not inhabited by ladies and knights but by very nice pop puppets: they are the family of the historic Ferrari family collection.
In addition to castles, Parma also boasts a labyrinth: in Fontanellato, not far from Fidenza, young and old get lost and find themselves, amidst excitement and surprises, in the Labyrinth of the Masone.
There are also three fairy castles in Salsomaggiore: Contignaco Castle, with treasure hunts; Scipione Castle of the Pallavicino Marquises for magical visits in costume; Tabiano Castle for falconry shows and workshops dedicated to Harry Potter.
In Ozzano Taro today there is a foundation and a very well-prepared exhibition dedicated to rural life: Museo Ettore Guatelli.
In Prato Spilla, on the other hand, there is a raccoon waiting for the little explorers in the Cento Laghi park. The friendly mascot is the guide of the adventure park that boasts 13 highly exciting trails.
Scurano, at the foot of Mount Fuso, responds to this call of the forest with its all-natural menu: in addition to a forest adventure park, there is also a wildlife centre.
The capital of the food valley does not forget that food is an art that must be learnt, respected and known from an early age: regular workshops on request in the various venues of the Food Museum circuit.
They say slow mix, but they also read Slowness, and Parma has also invented an ad hoc Festival now in its ninth edition, to colour the summer season: on 10 and 11 June, school goes on holiday, so you can be late.
Reggio Emilia, amid science, selfies and Robin Hood's tights
Reggio Emilia is the city of the Tricolour and its modern Tricolour Museum, which has always known how to talk about Europe and international issues at all levels and ages.
The suggestions of the festival organised by Palazzo Magnani are also extended to the other spaces of the Reggio Emilia Civic Museums with family itineraries and workshops for the summer period that take their cue from the museum's lesser-known masterpieces, such as the naturalistic collections of the scientist Lazzaro Spallanzani.
The initiation into the life of adults continues in the cool of the Apennines of Cervarezza Terme, where you can already breathe in the summer in the woods of Cerwood, which wink at Robin Hood, the mischievous hero.
For an out-of-town excursion in anticipation of summer, Albinea, which from 25 to 27 August hosts Libr'aria, a series of events that the "Pablo Neruda" library dedicates to books and young readers, should be noted in your diary.
