What to see in Reggio Emilia, itinerary including the main monuments and places of interest, including the Cathedral, the Bishop's Palace, the Municipal Theater and the Civic Museums.
Tourist information
Founded by the Romans, Reggio Emilia is located along the via Emilia, located about halfway between Modena and Parma.
In the period following the destruction caused by the barbarian invasions, Reggio Emilia was reborn to new life, first as a free municipality, then passing under the dominion of influential families, including that of the Della Scala, Gongaza, Visconti and Este families.
Under the rule of the Este family, Reggio Emilia experienced a period of considerable prosperity, during which prestigious noble palaces and places of worship were built.
The historic center of Reggio Emilia has a hexagonal plan, derived from the layout of the walls present in the past, built between the end of the 1300s and the beginning of the 1500s as a defensive work, against the continuous invasions by the barbarian populations.
Piazza Cesare Battisti, which represents the city center, opens onto Via Emilia and the typical medieval streets branch off from it.
What see
In Piazza Prampolini, also known as Piazza Grande, there is the Duomo which, dating back to the ninth century, was restored between the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries.
The facade of the Cathedral of Reggio Emilia, in Romanesque style, is dominated by an octagonal tower, above which stands a large statue made of copper and depicting the Madonna and Child.
Piazza Prampolini also overlooks the bishop's palace and the town hall, which contains the Tricolore room, a noble elliptical hall, where the Cispadana Republic was born on January 7, 1797, which was called the tricolor as a symbol.
The Municipal Theater, located in Piazza Martire and built in neoclassical style, was built in 1857.
This building, which retains much of its original appearance, preserves a library, an archive and a historic disco in its prestigious rooms.
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Behind the Theater there is the People's Park which, developed on an area of over 3000 square meters, dates back to around 1855 and consists of large public gardens, where it is possible to admire the Monumento dei Concordi, which is a Roman tomb dating back to the first century AD.
Nearby is the Parmeggiani Gallery, a building dating back to 1924 where sculptures, paintings and collections of craftsmanship of crystals, fabrics and goldsmiths are kept.
The Sanctuary of the Madonna della Ghiara is a construction with a Greek cross plan, dating back to the seventeenth century, with a grandiose facade decorated with three-light windows, on which three elegant portals open.
The Civic Museums, which are among the oldest in Italy, deserve a visit, including the Spallanzani Museum, dedicated to natural history, the Chierici Museum, specialized in Paleontology, the Archaeological Museum, the Museum of the Risorgimento and the Resistance , in addition to the Fontanesi art gallery.
In the surroundings of Reggio Emilia is the villa of Mauriziano, where the poet Ludovico Ariosto lived for long periods, an important building, as well as for its architecture and also for the fifteenth-century works preserved in it.
