If you are planning a holiday and are looking for a perfect place where your four-legged friend can fully enjoy the trip, the town of Reggio Emilia is the perfect destination for you!
This charming town, located in the heart of Emilia-Romagna, is renowned for its hospitality and the warmth of its inhabitants, and the same is true for your furry friends, too.
Reggio Emilia is very welcoming for animal lovers: among art, museums, walks in the countryside and relaxation, the town has a variety of pet-friendly activities and services.
Reggio Emilia is rich in history and culture, and you can share this experience with your own pet. Many historic sites and museums accept leashed dogs.
The first stop of our tour, however, is the magnificent San Pietro Cloisters, a Renaissance jewel attributed to the project of Giulio Romano. We are in the town centre, near via Emilia (Via Emilia San Pietro), the main shopping street of the town, adorned with noble palaces and shops.
The complex periodically hosts exhibitions of national importance and can be visited on your own or with a guided tour.
Pets are welcome here: keeping them on a leash you can walk peacefully in their spaces. What if you are hungry?!? Don't forget to stop for a regenerating stop at “Food in Chiostri”!
Continuing along the Via Emilia you reach the Museums Palace, the exhibition complex recently renovated by Italo Rota. Inside, historical collections are linked to surprising new installations. Your furry friends are welcome here, too: they will find the company of cute stuffed animals from the zoology and African fauna collections!
Also inside the building, on the second and third floors, the recently redesigned shop windows illustrate the evolution of the town from prehistory to the ancient Romans, from the Este dominion to the modern town of photography with an important and always updated collection dedicated to the great photographer Luigi Ghirri. Outside the museum, don't miss Joan Fontuberta's photographic mosaic: if you look carefully, you will find many cute 4-legged friends among the photographs collected!
Reggio Emilia is famous for its picturesque parks and gardens, many of which are open and accessible to dogs.
Out of the museums you will find yourself close to the Public Gardens.
This Italian-style garden is the ideal place for a quiet walk with your own dog. Rich in greenery, with centuries-old trees and shaded areas, the park offers a perfect refuge for you and your pet during the hot summer days.
Inside you will be able to see several statues of illustrious local people, admire an important roman funerary artefact (Monument to the Concordi) and relax in the shade of a centuries-old Cedar of Lebanon.
The tour continues to the Tricolour Flag Museum and Hall, where you can enter on your own (note that pets are also allowed during civil weddings!) to discover the history of the Italian flag, born in Reggio Emilia January 7, 1797.
The spaces of the museum, renovated with a contemporary section, dialogue with the Hall, born as an archive of the Este Duchy and then destined to host the congress of the Cispadane Republic.
Continue taking a look at the large square, overlooked by the Bishop's Palace and the Cathedral which delimit the western front of the more intimate Piazza San Prospero.
From Piazza Roversi, characterized by the beautiful Del Cristo (Christ) Church, go towards Porta Castello and walk along the tree-lined Viale Umberto - the so-called XVIII-century promenade - up to the Crostolo Park, also known as the Caprette (Goats) Park.
The route continues to the Rivalta Royal Palace, the typical Este residence (compared at the time to a Little Versailles), and to Villa d'Este, a delightful mansion surrounded by a beautiful lake where you can relax.
To return to the town you can take the bus no. 5 which will take you to the Railway Station. Small pets can travel for free, while large pets can travel for a fee.
Returning to the railway station area, we recommend you visit to the Innovation Park, once home to the historic Officine Meccaniche Reggiane and now redeveloped with a semi-conservative intervention of great impact.
The structure of the pavilions was integrated with contemporary modular constructions and decorated with many murals, some of which are visible.
Along the perimeter and on the façades of the Pavilion 19 and 18 (Tecnopolo) it is possible to admire several street art works. Continue towards the Shed 18, always accessible. Walk inside with your own 4-legged friend, admire the large spaces; it will feel like being in a big European town. You can stop for a drink or dinner in the new restaurant in the warehouse 17: what an amazing space!
