What to do in Reggio Emilia in one day, what to see and all the travel tips to visit the city in a low cost way, without missing the best of the Emilian town, read the post.
Rggio Emilia is a small city that rises exactly in the heart of Emilia, it is the city where I was born and where I was born, and even if I would define it as particularly elegant and touristic, like the nearby Parma and Bologna, I am very proud to say that I honestly find a lovely city.
Many, after having visited it, tell me that the first thing you notice about Reggio Emilia is that one genuine city, which makes its traditions a precious treasure and more, a city of perfect size: big enough to deserve the nickname of a city, but small enough to retain that reassuring air of a small country town where you can easily move on foot and or by bicycle, where the merchants greet you by addressing you by name and where the barista always knows what kind of coffee you like.
It is difficult to describe only in words how cute and noteworthy this small town that I call "home" is for its simplicity, so I will tell you in more detail what are the most beautiful things, in my opinion, to see during a past day in Reggio Emilia.
The Municipal Theater, Romolo Valli
Inaugurated in 1857 and named in 1980 after the Reggio actor Romolo Valli, il municipal theater of Reggio Emilia, besides one of the symbolic buildings of the city, it is also one of the most important opera museums in Italy. The palace, in itself already a work of art, stands in the middle of one of the largest squares in the city, Piazza Martiri del 7 luglio, where you can also find another important theater, the Ariosto theater, also dedicated to a great Italian playwright Ludovico Ariosto (author of the Orlando furioso). Both of these theaters are extremely active and each have a very multifaceted program that ranges from classical music concerts, opera to musicals and ballet.
The hall and the museum of the tricolor
Perhaps many do not know it but in Reggio nell'Emilia, on December 27, 1796, the national flag of the Italian Republic, the Tricolore, was born. Today inside the town hall there is a museum dedicated entirely to our flag and the beautiful council chamber, or hall of the tricolor. The visit to the museum and the hall will not take you more than an hour of time and I am sure it will leave you pleasantly amazed and genuinely intrigued in delving into this often ignored piece of Italian history. Admission to the museum is free and while on weekends the whole group remains open on weekdays it is only open in the morning (closed on Mondays).
San Prospero square
This, together with the pizza del duomo (on which the town and the city's cathedral stands) is one of the two main and most beautiful squares in the city. It is also called by Reggio Emilia Small Square (Piasa Cica in dialect) and from the pizza grande (piazza del duomo) can be easily reached by walking through Vicolo Broletto, a lovely arcaded path where there are bars and some of the most historic shops in the city. At the end of the square stands the beautiful basilica dedicated to the patron saint of the city, Prospero precisely, a church characterized by a beautiful facade guarded by six lions in red Verona marble. Don't be surprised if you find (especially on weekends) i lions surrounded by families with children, because for every child we hold it is traditional to ask parents to get on one of the lions!
Basilica of the Madonna della Ghiara
This is one of the most important churches in the city and in my opinion also one of the most beautiful! It stands on one of the main streets of Reggio after the Via Emilia, Corso Garibaldi, and its name Ghiara derives from the word gravel because it is in front of this church that the Crostolo river once flowed. I recommend, do not stay on the door or on the other side of the street but go inside and lift your nose towards the marvelous domes decorated with frescoes, marble and gilding. If you go around the madman and you race in via Guasco you can also access the wonderful cloisters of this church which today host many cultural activities and even a youth hostel with restaurant.
Fontanesi Square
This is definitely the square in the historic center preferred by the people of Reggio and therefore, even for me Small but very elegant, pizza Fontanesi has arefined air reminiscent of the Parisian squares. Rectangular in plan, with lime trees planted all around the perimeter, and surrounded by historic buildings that in recent years have been filled with cafes, bars and restaurants in which to dine or have an aperitif, which have enlivened the square, especially on warm evenings summer. In addition, both in summer and in winter every Saturday morning this square comes alive even more with a bucolic atmosphere thanks to the farmer's market, that is a market where all the farmers and small farms of the province come to sell their fresh seasonal products in the square. In short, whether it is summer or winter, if you are in the city, you cannot miss a trip to this pizza, the beating heart of the social life of Reggio.
